23 SOCMA Member Facilities Exceed ChemStewards® EHS&S Benchmarks

Tier Three Now Includes Voluntary Application Process

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Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates

Aug 03, 2017, 09:35 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA) is pleased to announce that 23 member facilities are now exceeding key ChemStewards® benchmarks, qualifying them for the program's Excellence Tier.

ChemStewards is an adaptable EHS&S program based on a three-tier system with key performance requirements per tier with increasing levels of difficulty: Tier One - Fundamentals, Tier Two - Enhanced Performance and Tier Three - Excellence. For the first time this year, SOCMA included a voluntary application process to the Tier Three qualifications, which allows ChemStewards members to showcase their company-specific metrics that help improve the environmental, health, safety and security (EHS&S) impact at their facilities.

"Tier Three facilities were previously determined by certain qualifying metrics," said Dr. J. Holland Jordan, Managing Director of ChemStewards. "While this data process also highlighted outstanding EHS&S efforts, we wanted to move the program toward leading indicators of safety performance. Open to all Enhanced Level facilities, ChemStewards members can now voluntarily apply to be considered in the Excellence category."

The Tier Three application provides member facilities an opportunity to share how their operations have improved in Personal Health & Safety, Environment and Process Safety. Submitted applications also provide outstanding best practices to the network.

Additional qualifications for Tier Three, include committing to ChemStewards core principles, completing security requirements, having at least one documented management review meeting, completing a third-party verification of management systems at the Enhanced Performance (Tier Two) level, and submitting a voluntary Tier Three application.

"We commend the hard work and dedication made by these facilities to improve their EHS&S practices," Jordan said. "We especially want to recognize our newcomers to the Excellence Tier this year, Bimax, Cambrex and MFG Chemical and congratulate all of our member facilities for their continuous efforts to optimize their performance and overall operational excellence."

All facilities qualifying for the Excellence Tier are eligible for SOCMA's Gold Performance Improvement Award – SOCMA's top EHS&S award that will be presented at the 96^th Annual Dinner on December 4 in New York.

Member facilities included in the 2017 Excellence Tier are:

Baker Hughes, Bakersfield, TX
Baker Hughes, Barnsdall, OK
Baker Hughes, Bayport, TX
Baker Hughes, Channel View, TX
Baker Hughes, Kilgore, TX
Baker Hughes, Rayne, LA
Baker Hughes, Sand Springs, OK
Baker Hughes, Taft Acrolein, CA
Baker Hughes, Hobbs Plant, NM
Bimax, Glen Rock, PA
Cambrex, Charles City, IA
KMCO, LP, Crosby, TX
KMTEX, Port Arthur, TX
MFG Chemical, Brooks Facility, Dalton, GA
Monument Chemical Houston, LTD, Houston, TX
Monument Chemical Kentucky, LLC, Brandenburg, KY
Nation Ford Chemical, Fort Mill, SC
Optima Chemical Group, Douglas, GA
Polysciences, Warrington, PA
South Coast Terminals, Port Terminal – Houston, TX
South Coast Terminals, Strang Road – La Porte, TX
South Coast Terminals, Wallisville Road – Houston, TX
Strem Chemicals, Newburyport, MA