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Companies Recognized as Responsible Care® Company of the Year at ACC Annual Meeting
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 2, 2015) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) presented its Responsible Care Company of the Year Award today to two companies: NOVA Chemicals Corporation and Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem), to recognize their outstanding achievements and leadership in environmental, health, safety and security (EHS&S) performance.
“For NOVA Chemicals and OxyChem, Responsible Care is part of their foundation and a crucial component of their operations each and every day,” said ACC President and CEO Cal Dooley. “These companies are leaders in the chemical industry, not only for their consistent, superior environmental, health and safety performance, but also for enriching the local communities in which they operate.”
To be eligible for the Responsible Care Company of the Year Award, companies must demonstrate how they have met and surpassed Responsible Care performance criteria, including: a safety performance rating in the top 10 percent of companies in their size category, with no significant process incidents in the previous year; positive performance measures in the areas of transportation safety, process safety and emissions reduction; and demonstrated improvements in EHS&S performance, product stewardship, distribution safety and emergency preparedness.
NOVA Chemicals has implemented several successful company-wide initiatives that showcase a robust commitment to Responsible Care, benefitting employees, customers and local and global communities. Through its company-wide “Safety Improvement Strategy,” NOVA Chemicals has improved its already impressive safety performance—at the company’s Painesville, Ohio site, employees and contractors recorded more than 550 injury-free days since the last injury in November 2013.
“Responsible Care is integral to how NOVA Chemicals does business,” said NOVA Chemicals President and CEO Todd Karran. “We are honored to receive the Responsible Care Company of the Year Award—receiving this award and the chance to share what our employees are doing to promote Responsible Care inspires us to continue learning and improving our performance.”
OxyChem, a wholly owned subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation, has been an active participant in the Responsible Care initiative since its inception in 1988. Its leadership and commitment to Responsible Care is apparent through several company-wide initiatives, including worker safety and security programs, educational outreach and environmental conservation. Multiple OxyChem facilities have achieved the company-wide goal of zero injuries, zero environmental incidents and zero significant events. Additionally, 18 of OxyChem's facilities have achieved “Star” status under OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs, recognizing the safest work sites in the United States.
“Receiving the Responsible Care Company of the Year Award is a significant and humbling achievement for OxyChem and our employees,” said OxyChem President Robert Peterson. “OxyChem is committed to Responsible Care and attaining the highest levels of safety and environmental performance. Responsible Care is a great fit with OxyChem’s HES&S philosophy and is an integral part of our culture and is quite simply the way we conduct our business.”
Responsible Care is the chemical industry’s world-class EHS&S performance initiative. Since 1988, Responsible Care companies have reduced hazardous releases to the air, land and water by 77 percent, improved energy efficiency overall, and have a worker safety record that is three times better than the overall chemical manufacturing sector and six times safer than the manufacturing industry as a whole.
