Atofina Chemicals, Inc.'s Axis, Alabama Facility Achieves OSHA Star Status

This is the first Atofina Chemicals facility to attain this prestigious status. Only 155 chemical facilities have received this recognition. In all, 606 work sites in the U.S. have achieved this recognition out of a total of 6,000,000 work sites in the U.S. Sites qualifying for OSHA's VPP participation can attain Star or Merit status. A "Star" designated plant is among the top .01 percent of all work sites in the country which have designed and implemented outstanding health and safety programs.

"We are very proud of this accomplishment by the employees at our Axis site," said Jean-Pierre Seeuws, president and CEO of Atofina Chemicals, Inc. "This site has raised the bar on safety standards for our corporation. Safety is a core value in our company. Our employees must keep safety at the top of their minds. We must operate our facilities safely to protect our employees and the communities that surround our sites."

"VPP participants provide OSHA with examples of the most effective way to protect workers in their industries," said Dave Schwartzberg, Atofina's vice president for Health, Environment and Safety. "The Axis employees took the initiative on working toward the Star status. They convinced management that this is the safety level on which they choose to work. These employees are extraordinary examples to the rest of Atofina Chemicals."

The Atofina Chemicals' Axis, Alabama facility employs 199 people. The plant manufactures a wide variety of chemical additives, such as heat stabilizers and impact modifiers. Heat stabilizers are compounds added to PVC to slow color development during processing and extend the life of a product. Impact modifiers are added to PVC to reduce its brittle nature and increase strength. The organotin products made at this facility have varied uses, including automotive paint catalysts and additives to marine paints and stabilizers in the plastics industry.