The Vinyl Institute Recognizes 30 Facilities for Outstanding Health, Safety, and Environmental Performance

Special recognition of 7 VI member facilities with zero recordable OSHA incidents for five or more consecutive years and 13 member facilities with five or more consecutive years of outstanding performance under EPA’s NESHAPs, and other environmental permit requirements.

Washington, D.C. – November 29, 2023 – The Vinyl Institute (VI), the U.S. trade association representing manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), additives, and modifiers, announced the recipients of its annual health, safety, and environmental awards. These awards are given to VI-member companies for protecting the environment and improving worker safety at manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. This year, VI recognized 30 facilities with 48 awards for outstanding performance.

The U.S. vinyl raw material suppliers adhere to some of the most stringent government environmental and safety regulations in the world. These awards are based on data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), and facility performance according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable incidents, other regulatory permit performance, and the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory data for air and water during the 2022 calendar year.

“The Vinyl Industry remains steadfast in our commitment to prioritizing the well-being of our workforce and advancing environmentally responsible practices for the safety of our communities, said VI President and CEO Ned Monroe. “Our member companies continue to prioritize worker safety and invest in and develop new ways to reduce emissions.”

Safety Excellence Award
This award recognizes consistent adherence to OSHA safety regulations and recognizes plants with five or more consecutive years with no recordable incidents. The following facilities demonstrated continued outstanding performance in 2022:

•     Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Point Comfort, Texas (12 consecutive years of performance)
•     Shintech Louisiana, LLC, PVC plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana (10 consecutive years of performance)
•     Teknor Apex, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Brownsville, Tennessee (9 consecutive years of performance)
•     Dow Chemical, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Louisville, Kentucky (7 consecutive years of performance)
•     Westlake Corporation, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi (7 consecutive years of performance)
•     Westlake Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Lake Charles South, Louisiana (7 consecutive years of performance)
•     OxyChem, EDC/VCM plant, Ingleside, Texas (6 consecutive years of performance)

Environmental Excellence Award
This award is based on an outstanding track record of performance for five or more consecutive years under EPA’s NESHAPs, and other environmental permit requirements. The following facilities demonstrated continued outstanding performance in 2022:

•     Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Point Comfort, Texas (12 consecutive years of performance)
•     Formosa Plastics Corporation, EDC-only plant, Point Comfort, Texas (11 consecutive years of performance)
•     OxyChem, EDC-only plant, Convent, Louisiana (11 consecutive years of performance)
•     Westlake Corporation, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi (10 consecutive years of performance)
•     Westlake Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi (10 consecutive years of performance)
•     Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc., CPVC Compounding plant, Louisville, Kentucky (8 consecutive years of performance)
•     Westlake Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Madison, Mississippi (7 consecutive years of performance)
•     Vestolit, PVC plant, Pedricktown, New Jersey (7 consecutive years of performance)
•     Teknor Apex, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Fountain Inn, South Carolina (7 consecutive years of performance)
•     Westlake Corporation, PVC plant, Calvert City, Kentucky (6 consecutive years of performance)
•     Teknor Apex, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Industry, California (5 consecutive years of performance)
•     Teknor Apex, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Jamestown, North Carolina (5 consecutive years of performance)
•     Eastman Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Texas City, Texas (5 consecutive years of performance)

Environmental Honor Award
The criteria for this award includes emissions reduction under the NEHSAP, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), and EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for air and water. This award is presented to two plants, one in the PVC category and one in the EDC/VCM category. The facilities achieving this award for performance during 2022 were:
PVC category: OxyChem, PVC plant, Pedricktown, New Jersey
EDC/VCM category: Formosa Plastics Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Safety Performance Award
This award recognizes efforts to improve worker safety based on federal OSHA recordable incidents, which are defined as occupational injury or illness resulting in medical treatment. This award, which recognizes plants with no recordable incidents for the reporting year. The following facilities demonstrated continued outstanding performance in 2022:

•     Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
•     Formosa Plastics Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Point Comfort, Texas
•     Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Point Comfort, Texas
•     K-Bin Inc., PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Freeport, Texas
•     OxyChem, VCM plant, Deer Park, Texas
•     OxyChem, PVC plant, Deer Park, Texas
•     OxyChem, EDC-only plant, Geismar, Louisiana
•     OxyChem, EDC/VCM plant, Ingleside, Texas
•     OxyChem, PVC plant, Pedricktown, New Jersey
•     Shintech Louisiana, LLC, PVC plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana
•     Shintech Louisiana, LLC, PVC plant, Addis, Louisiana
•     Westlake Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Calvert City, Kentucky
•     Westlake Corporation, PVC plant, Calvert City, Kentucky
•     Westlake Corporation, PVC plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana
•     Westlake Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana
•     Westlake Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Lake Charles South, Louisiana
•     Westlake Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Lake Charles North, Louisiana
•     Westlake Corporation, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi
•     Dow Chemical, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Louisville, Kentucky
•     Eastman Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Texas City, Texas
•     Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Inc., CPVC Compounding plant, Louisville, Kentucky
•     Teknor Apex, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Industry, California
•     Teknor Apex, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Jamestown, North Carolina
•     Teknor Apex, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Brownsville, Tennessee
•     Vestolit, PVC plant, Henry, Illinois
•     Vestolit, PVC plant, Pedricktown, New Jersey

About the Vinyl Institute:
The Vinyl Institute (VI), founded in 1982, is a U.S. trade association representing the leading manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl chloride monomer, vinyl additives, and modifiers. The VI works on behalf of its members to promote the benefits of the world’s most versatile plastic, used to make everything from PVC piping to flooring, roofing and vinyl siding. The vinyl industry in the United States employs over 350,000 highly skilled employees at nearly 3,000 facilities and generates an economic value of $54 billion. For more information, visit vinylinfo.org.