SOCMA President's Statement on Year Anniversary of West, Texas, Explosion

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lawrence D. Sloan, President and CEO of the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA), issued the following statement regarding the one-year anniversary of the tragic events at the West Fertilizer Plant in West, Texas:

"On the one-year anniversary of the explosion and tragic loss of life in West, Texas, SOCMA remains strongly committed to helping ensure government and industry stakeholders take appropriate steps to prevent future such accidents. Process and workplace safety are taken seriously within the specialty chemical manufacturing industry. SOCMA members are required to implement a rigorous and accountable risk management program—ChemStewards—at each facility and, with a 99 percent compliance rate, our members demonstrate their commitment to responsible product stewardship.

"An important yet unfortunate fact about this accident is that it was most likely preventable.  We must ensure that laws requiring state and local emergency response planning are working and being enforced as Congress intended and, if not, why.  These laws leverage the power of local communities rather than rely on an over-extended cadre of federal agencies.  Understanding how they failed the community of West, Texas, must be a top priority and then finding the correct methods to improve them."

About SOCMA
SOCMA is the only U.S.-based trade association dedicated solely to the batch, custom and specialty chemical industry. Since 1921, we have represented a diverse membership of small, medium and large chemical companies, making us the leading authority on this sector. SOCMA has a global membership of more than 200 companies. For more information: www.socma.com.

ChemStewards® is SOCMA's flagship environmental, health, safety and security (EHS&S) continuous performance improvement program. ChemStewards was created from industry's commitment to reducing our environmental footprint.  Industry created ChemStewards to meet the unique needs of the batch, custom and specialty chemical industry. As a mandatory requirement for SOCMA members engaged in the manufacturing or handling of chemicals, ChemStewards is helping participants reach for superior EHS&S performance. To learn more: www.chemstewards.com.

Contact:
Jennifer Drogus
Senior Manager, PR and Media
(202) 721-4182 
[email protected]

SOURCE Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates

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