The Vinyl Institute Recognizes Leading Companies for Outstanding Health, Safety and Environmental Performance

Nov. 7, 2019

The Vinyl Institute (VI), the U.S. trade association representing manufacturers of vinyl, vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), additives, and modifiers, announced recipients of its annual health, safety and environmental awards, which are given to companies in the vinyl industry for improving worker safety and protecting the environment at manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. This year, VI recognized 28 facilities with 48 awards for outstanding performance.

These awards are based on facility performance according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable incidents, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), other regulatory permit performance, and the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory data for air and water during the 2018 calendar year.

“Our industry is fully committed to the safety of our workers and environmental practices. The large number of awards we present this year certainly recognizes our commitment,” said VI President and CEO Ned Monroe. “We’re proud of the major investments our member companies have made, and continue to make, to ensure employee safety and emissions reductions. In fact, our resin and monomer producer members have an occupational injury and illness rate that is half the rate of the chemical industry. Since 1987, VCM emissions have reduced by 85 percent, while PVC resin production has increased by 104%.”

Each year, VI proudly recognizes facilities in the PVC, EDC/VCM, plasticizer production, additive production and PVC compounding categories that have achieved outstanding performance in four categories: Safety Excellence, Safety Performance, Environmental Excellence and Environmental Honor.

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. This award was presented to:

• Oxy Vinyls LP, EDC/VCM plant, Deer Park, Texas (6 consecutive years of performance)
• Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Long Beach, California (5 consecutive years of performance)
• Shintech Louisiana, LLC, EDC/VCM plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana (5 consecutive years of performance)
• Shintech Louisiana, LLC, PVC plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana (6 consecutive years of performance)
• Westlake Vinyls Company LP, PVC plant, Geismar, Louisiana (9 consecutive years of performance)
• Eastman Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Texas City, Texas (7 consecutive years of performance)
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (7 consecutive years of performance)
• Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Point Comfort, Texas (8 consecutive years of performance)
• Teknor Apex Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Brownsville, Tennessee (5 consecutive years of performance)

Safety Performance Award

This award recognizes efforts to improve worker safety based upon federal OSHA recordable incidents, which are defined as an occupational injury or illness resulting in medical treatment. This award, which recognizes plants with no recordable incidents for the reporting year, was presented to:

• Formosa Plastics Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Formosa Plastics Corporation, EDC-only plant, Point Comfort, Texas
• Formosa Plastics Corporation, Specialty PVC plant, Point Comfort, Texas
• Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Point Comfort, Texas
• Shintech Louisiana, LLC, EDC/VCM plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana
• Shintech Louisiana, LLC, PVC plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana
• Westlake Vinyls Company LP, PVC plant, Geismar, Louisiana
• Westlake Chemical Company, PVC plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi
• Westlake Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi
• Westlake Chemical Company, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi
• Westlake Chemical Company, Lake Charles North EDC/VCM plant, Westlake, Louisiana
• Westlake Chemical Company, Lake Charles South EDC plant, Westlake, Louisiana
• Westlake Chemical Company, Lake Charles South EDC/VCM plant, Westlake, Louisiana
• Westlake Compounds LLC, PVC Compounding plant, Prairie, Mississippi
• Occidental Chemical Corporation, EDC plant, Convent, Louisiana
• Oxy Vinyls, LP, EDC/VCM plant, Deer Park, Texas
• Occidental Chemical Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Ingleside, Texas
• Dow Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Louisville, Kentucky
• Eastman Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Chestertown, Maryland
• Eastman Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Texas City, Texas
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Long Beach, California
• Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Pasadena, Texas
• Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Terre Haute, Indiana
• Teknor Apex Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Brownsville, Tennessee

Environmental Excellence Award

This award is based on 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 2018:

• Formosa Plastics Corporation, EDC plant, Point Comfort, Texas (7 consecutive years of performance)
• Formosa Plastics Corporation, PVC Compounding plant, Point Comfort, Texas (8 consecutive years of performance)
• Occidental Chemical Corporation, EDC-only plant, Convent, Louisiana (7 consecutive years of performance)
• Westlake Chemical Company, Plasticizer/Additive Manufacturing plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi (6 consecutive years of performance)
• Westlake Chemical Company, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Aberdeen, Mississippi (6 consecutive years of performance)
• Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Avon Lake, Ohio (5 consecutive years of performance)
• Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Long Beach, California (5 consecutive years of performance)
• Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Louisville, Kentucky (5 consecutive years of performance)
• Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Pasadena, Texas (5 consecutive years of performance)
• Geon Performance Solutions, PVC Compounding plant, Terre Haute, Indiana (5 consecutive years of performance)
• Teknor Apex Company, PVC/CPVC Compounding plant, Pawtucket, Rhode Island (7 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 2018 were:

• EDC/VCM category: Formosa Plastics Corporation, EDC/VCM plant, Point Comfort, Texas
• PVC category: Shintech Louisiana, LLC, PVC plant, Addis, Louisiana

2019 Lifetime Achievement Award

In addition to the Health, Safety and Environmental Awards, the VI bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award to an outstanding individual during this year’s Vinyl360. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes outstanding service to the vinyl industry during a person’s career. This year’s recipient was Vic De Zen, founder and chairman of Vision Profile Extrusions Group, for his commitment to innovation in the industry and stewardship in his community.

2019 Partner of the Year Award

Finally, VI recognized Terry Murphy, retired interior designer and educator, as Partner of the Year, for her continued contributions over the last nearly 20 years as VI’s Continuing Education Manager in countering the many misconceptions about vinyl by advocating and educating our industry partners.

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.