Evonik’s Louisiana Plant Reports Two Decades Without Lost Time Accident  

Outstanding Safety Milestone Achieved Thanks To Managers, Employees Hard Work 

  

NEW IBERIA, La., February 6, 2008 - In 1986, an unknown talk show host named Oprah Winfrey first began broadcasting her television show, US President Ronald Reagan and his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Gorbachev held a two-day summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, and Evonik’s carbon black facility here reported its last lost-time accident (LTA).  

It’s “phenomenal” to go more than 20 years without a lost-time accident - a work related personal injury resulting in at least one day off from the job, said Jack Clem, Head of the North America operations of Evonik’s Inorganic Materials Business Unit. 

“Safety is always our No. 1 priority and it’s a tremendous achievement to go nearly 8,000 days without a lost time accident,” said Clem.  “I know it’s a record for our company and one we are very proud of.”  

Inorganic Material’s New Iberia facility, more commonly called Ivanhoe, has developed a strong, sustainable safety program over the past two decades, emphasizing employee awareness and safety training, Clem said, which has also been instrumental in the plant's safety performance.  “There is no injury that is acceptable – period,” he added.  

Clem said employees at the Ivanhoe plant try to avoid complacency by treating every day and every task as if it’s their first time. “Injuries occur when people lose awareness of what could happen,” said Clem. “So our Ivanhoe employees are keenly aware each day of safety.  They are proud of their accomplishments and are motivated to maintain their impressive safety performance.”

Damon Denson, Ivanhoe plant manager, said the facility has implemented continuously-updated programs to help create a work culture in which health and safety practices are constantly evolving, where everyone strives for continual improvement, and safe behaviors are considered critical to a successful program.  

“Ultimately, ‘prevention’ is the key to eliminating workplace injuries,” said Denson. “We feel strongly that most injuries result from unsafe behaviors. And with behavior based training and controls, these injuries can be eliminated.”  

Improving safety in the workplace is an investment in the future of any business, and is not viewed as an additional cost, he added.  

“Safety is everyone’s business,” he added.  “We are very proud of our workforce and achieving this significant safety milestone.”  

Company information
Evonik Industries is the creative industrial group from Germany which operates in three business areas: Chemicals, Energy and Real Estate. Evonik is a global leader in specialty chemicals, an expert in power generation from hard coal and renewable energies, and one of the largest private residential real estate companies in Germany. Our strengths are creativity, specialization, continuous self-renewal, and reliability. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In its fiscal year 2006 more than 43,000 employees generated sales of about Euro 14.8 billion and an operating profit (EBIT) of over Euro 1.2 billion.

Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.