Awards for Excellence

The Ashland-Atlas St., Columbus, OH facility submission for this year, showing our commitment to safety, is an engineered hydraulic lift assist. This new hydraulic lift eliminates the potential back strain hazard for employees while moving equipment thus making it a safer workplace. Thanks to efforts like this our facility has now been injury free for over five years.

In 2024, BASF Elyria implemented several engineering solutions to enhance fall protection at the site. Handrails were added to roofs with HVAC units. Mezzanine safety gates were installed to provide continuous protection in both loading and unloading positions. Truck dock safety netting was also installed to prevent employee access to docks while trailers were being positioned. These measures reduced the risk of falls and replaced previous administrative and PPE-based controls.

The sites paint shaker areas had single arm unguarded paint shakers with barricades to provide proximity awareness around the paint shakers. The barricades didn’t eliminate the potential for paint cans to be ejected from the shaker becoming a projectile & for people putting their hands in getting trapped inside the mechanism as it's trying to shake paint cans. All single arm unguarded paint shakers were replaced with double arm guarded paint shakers. Project cost ~ $50K.

Cenovus Lima Refinery uses a Continuous Improvement program to find areas of improvement and develop solutions. A 2024 CI project improved our Leak Detection and Repair program. The team worked a CI process, designing solutions and improvements. The refinery is reducing LDAR deviations and minimizing audit findings. LDAR minimizes equipment leaks that would otherwise be a source of emissions. Improving the program means reducing emissions and decreasing issues for the community.

The Cairo, OH facility surpassed seven (7) years since its last OSHA recordable injury in 2024. This was achieved by continuing to implement new safety approaches to work. In 2024, the site pioneered a new employee training program covering Life Critical Safety Procedures & Safe Work Permits. This program consisted of face to face, instructor led safety training that covered all Life Critical Safety Rules such as Fall Protection, Confined Space work, LOTO, and enhanced PPE use.

"Optimization of Polymer Manufacturing Process to Reduce Hazardous Waste" project focused on addressing the hazardous classification of polymer waste due to a low flashpoint, primarily caused by a by-product with a flashpoint of -13°C. The project aimed to reduce this by-product concentration from 12% to below 7% by optimizing manufacturing processes. This improvement increased the waste flashpoint to over 140°F, enabling the categorization of 12,300 gallons of waste per batch as non-hazardous.

The project team developed a new process to convert a DuPont Electronic Polymers semiconductor product from solid to solution form. This method reduced water usage by 80%, cut energy consumption and cycle time by 40%, and scaled from lab to manufacturing in 7 months. The change enhanced product quality, met customer standards, and aligned with DuPont's sustainability goals. The team showcased leadership in environmental protection and efficient manufacturing practices.

Emery has been ISO 9001 and 14001 certified for over 20 years. In 2024 we obtained ISO 50001 certification, which is for Energy Management. Our focus has been on implementation of a new steam trap testing and repair program, ozonator studies, boiler tuning, and employee training. Energy reduction has the added benefit of reducing GHG and pollutant emissions. Boiler tuning in 2024 has reduced NOx emissions by approximately 25% or 16 tons annually.

The Automation Project is designed to enhance the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of the plant. The project consisted of system interfacing upgrades, automated cooling, and new sensor technologies. These enhancements improve our ability to monitor & control our processes, reducing manual interventions, optimizing resource use and minimizing exposure risks. The project represents a $100,000 parts investment and over 800 labor hours, reflecting our commitment to creating a safer operation.

In June 2024, we began shipments of dimer by-product to a Texas company and have, as of January 2025, resulted in savings of approximately $80,000, with total savings of $170,000 anticipated by year-end. This strategy not only reduces disposal costs but also enhances sustainability by repurposing dimer into valuable industrial applications.

One of the focuses in 2024 was to advance the Bradley Curve concept to move towards a safety culture that is based on Interdependent Teams. INEOS as a corporation looked at all the first aid recordable injuries for the previous 18 months and noted 29% of them were hand injuries. Each site incorporated new gloves that are cut, puncture, abrasion and impact resistant. We celebrated five years and over two million manhours without a recordable injury to both employees and contractors.

After a challenging start to 2024 with two recordable injuries and a Tier 1 LOPC, the Belpre site took decisive action to improve safety. Through a Human Factors Root Cause Analysis, the team identified key areas for improvement and implemented Safety Gemba Walks, tailored from best practices. This initiative enhanced engagement and hazard identification, leading to zero recordable injuries & no Tier 1 LOPCs in the second half of 2024, showcasing Kraton Belpre’s commitment to safety excellence.

In 2024, Lubrizol’s Wickliffe HQ achieved a two-year streak of zero recordables, lost time injuries, contractor injuries and Tier 1/Tier 2 process safety incidents. This milestone is notable given the site’s operational complexity. Additionally, Wickliffe earned the 2024 Gold Level Award from the Ohio EPA’s Encouraging Excellence Program, which recognizes achievements to excellence in 15 areas of environmental stewardship.

McGean designed and installed a powder pump to increase worker safety while making the process more efficient. In the past, hazardous powder was dumped from drums into a reactor filled with a flammable solvent. The old process was dusty, an ergonomic nightmare, and allowed the potential for static charge to build. The new powder vacuum uses an intrinsically safe system to pull the powder out of drums. The powder vacuum mitigates any dust exposure to the operator and makes the task far easier.

In 2023, Novagard Solutions LLC sent 139.85 tons of off-spec PVC foam to landfill. Following process analysis and quality improvements in 1H2024, the company launched a reclamation program in 2H2024, reducing landfill waste by 46% year-over-year. By 2025, landfill waste is projected to decrease by 76% compared to 2023. Novagard is working to achieve 100% foam waste diversion through additional partnerships, setting a benchmark for sustainable manufacturing.

The site oil dispensing setup used oil drum pumps and drums located throughout the plant and did not have a designated lube oil dispensing area. Drums were sometimes located outdoors and could be contaminated with rain water making the oil unusable and needed to be sent offsite for recycling. Smaller quantities of oil are now taken to the job site for routine maintenance while the larger quantity remains in containment in the oil building.

PPG Cleveland had for decades used an internal hazard communication system for conveying chemical hazards to employees. In 2024, PPG switched to utilizing GHS. As part of this transition process the facility updated facility pipe labeling and tank labeling. The site’s PPE procedure was updated to include a flow chart on how to select the correct PPE based on the hazard pictograms. PPE posters were hung up throughout the facility. PPE booklets were created that easily fit into a work uniform shirt.

A Kaizen Team was formed to evaluate the practices around Safe Work Permitting, with a focus on returning equipment to service after maintenance work. The Return to Service process incorporates improvements to the site's LOTO, Line Breaking and Safe Work Permit programs to reduce the likelihood of an injury or hazardous material release during process restarts. The process includes a detailed checklist which is completed following maintenance work to ensure all safety devices are in place.

In 2024, The Shepherd Chemical Company implemented a custom near miss reporting program. The goal of this program was to better understand QEHS&S performance and to take preventive actions. Near misses are leading indicators rather than lagging, enabling Shepherd to be proactive rather than reactive.

Near misses can now be easily reported using mobile devices and QR codes. As a result of this program, near miss reporting has increased from about 11 per year from 2018-2023 to 45 in 2024.

The Syensqo Marietta site paired “Safety Routines” with each of the company’s Safety Guiding Principles. A Safety Routine is a series of actions repeated or recurring which promote safety, minimize risk, and build a strong workplace safety culture. In early 2024, the site organized, communicated, documented, and displayed these Safety Routines for all levels and departments of the organization, from the shop floor to the site leadership, thereby reinforcing expectations for safety behavior.

The Green Lab Committee at Synthomer Akron Technology Center instigated a project to replace the use of plastic water bottles with stainless steel cups for every employee. This resulted in the reduction of 46.8 kg of plastic waste per year for the site. There was also a cost savings of $1000 per year for the site as well.