The Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA; Washington, D.C.) presented the 2007 Performance Improvement Awards, sponsored by SOCMA’s ChemStewards program, at their annual dinner last night. The Performance Improvement Awards recognize member facilities demonstrating outstanding commitment to continuous improvement in environmental, health, safety and security (EHS&S). There are four categories of awards this year: Gold, Silver, Bronze and Educational Outreach Awards.
The 2007 Gold Performance Improvement Award were given to four facilities for their commitment to improving the quality of life in their communities, making performance improvement a mantra within their organizations and actively involving key stakeholders in their communities. These winners are:
• BASF Corporation – Washington, NJ
• Honeywell Specialty Materials – Buffalo, NY
• LANXESS – Baytown, TX
• Vertellus Specialties, Inc. – Delaware Water Gap, PA
A total of 15 Silver Awards were presented to facilities showing excellence in their efforts towards one of the five core principles: stakeholder communications, product stewardship, EHS&S in planning and operations, employee training and engagement or resource management and waste minimization.
Additionally, 29 SOCMA member facilities were awarded with the Bronze Performance Improvement Award, which goes to facilities maintaining strong EHS&S programs. The names of these facilities as well as the Silver Award winners can be found on SOCMA’s website at www.socma.com.
Finally, SOCMA honored Sachem, Inc. of Cleburne, Tex. with the association’s first Educational Outreach Award, which is sponsored by the Chemical Education Foundation. The company was awarded for their efforts in promoting science awareness within local schools and expanding their community outreach efforts.