Chemical Plant Earns Star Safety Award

April 7, 2000
Celanese Chemical and Ticona facility in Bishop, Texas is the latest plant to earn Star Status in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).

"Our Star certification places us in an elite group of industrial sites and validates our efforts to make our planet a safe and healthy place to work," said Darrell Nordeen, facility director. "We are proud of our people and their attention to safety, and of the management processes we have in place."

The Bishop facility's successful results are reflective in its safety record. In 1998, it had an OSHA Incident Rate of 0.75 compared to a chemical industry rate of 2.1.

The Bishop site, which employs 875 people and occupies 1,200 acres produces more than 1 billion pounds per year of acetal, polyester and nylon polymers, organic chemicals and bulk pharmaceuticals.

According to OSHA, 471 work sites of the more than 6 million under its jurisdiction had federal STAR certification as of Jan. 31, and only 43 of these are in the same size category as the Ticona facility.

In addition to the Bishop facility, three other Celanese locations have Star certification.

The Summit, N.J. technical center and headquarters for Celanese and Ticona has had OSHA Star status since 1988; the Shelby, N.C. polyester and liquid crystal polymer plant received Star certification in 1996; and the Corpus Christi Technical Center has been an OSHA Star site since 1993.

"The Bishop plant made Star certification a goal of the five-year safety strategy it set in 1994," said John Gorski, manager of occupational health and safety for Ticona. "This helped motivate and focus its workforce in the ongoing drive to lower incident rates. Credit for the certification goes to the plant's employees, who are dedicated to a safe work environment and who make it a reality through their actions."

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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