At this producer of carbon compounds and treated wood products, safety and environmental values are the foundation on which the company is built.
By Sandy Smith
In 2002, 12 Koppers Industries'' facilities qualified for the National Safety Council''s Excellence Achievement Award.
Those facilities, in Alorton, ll., Clairton, Pa., Green Spring, W.Va., Grenada, Miss., Guthrie, Ky., Harmarville, Pa., Portland Ore., Roanoke, Va., Superior, Wisc., Denver, North Little Rock, Ark., and Florence, S.C., represent more than half the facilities the company operates in the United States. The NSC Excellence Achievement Award program recognizes companies that implement safety processes or systems, and honors efforts to build a workplace culture and environment that focuses on safety.
"We commend our employees for focusing their attention on safe work practices," said Randall D. Collins, vice president, Safety, Health & Environmental Affairs for Koppers. "These plants have created a safety climate where workers care about each other''s well being, and these awards are a reflection of our company''s commitment to continuous safety improvement."
"At Koppers, safety, health and environmental (SH&E) values and principles are paramount, according to Walter W. Turner, CEO and president. "They ensure the well-being of Koppers employees and that of the communities in which Koppers operate. At Koppers, these are words that we live by, every day," he says.
SH&E Policy
According to Turner, the company''s SH&E policy affirms its commitment to designing, implementing and managing workplace and product safety processes that protect the environment, customers, employees and neighbors. "Our business decisions are guided by this policy," says Turner, "because we know that SH&E performance must lead profitability."
The policy includes the following elements:
- Compliance with all applicable federal, state and local SH&E laws, regulations and with other requirements to which Koppers subscribes;
- Pollution prevention in order to preserve the environment for the health, productivity and enjoyment of future generations;
- Continuous improvement of safety, health and environmental systems and performance;
- Communication regarding business operations and potential risks, both internally and externally.
Sidebar 1
- Koppers Inc., Pittsburgh Pa.
- Koppers Inc. is a global integrated producer of carbon compounds and treated wood products for use by the utility, construction, railroad, aluminum, chemical and steel industries.
- Koppers operates 39 facilities in the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and South Africa.