Industry in the Golden Triangle has an excellent safety record at the various petrochemical plants, refineries, and power plants in Jefferson, Orange, and Hardin Counties. We've emphasized federal statistics that show it is three times safer to work in a refinery than in a grocery store.

Some may wonder how this is possible. Industry works with toxic chemicals that can be very corrosive and flammable under high temperature and pressure, so how can anyone say it is safe to work in a refinery?

Yet the numbers don't lie. For much of the decade, three times more grocery workers each year are injured than refinery workers.* In fact, industry in the Golden Triangle has one of the best safety records among all U.S. businesses.** The reason can be found in how industry in the Golden Triangle manages risk. We don't ignore it. We know the risk is very real and we don't turn our backs on the risk inherent in our business. For us, managing risk is an everyday job. It can be seen in such simple things as the clothing we wear - fire-retardant clothing, hard hats, safety glasses, and steel-toed shoes. But managing risk goes much deeper. A listing of some of the steps we take to prevent accidents is impressive:

• Process controls we use include vents, relief valves, check valves, scrubbers, flares, manual and automatic shutoffs, interlocks, alarms and procedures, keyed bypasses, emergency air supply and power, backup pumps, grounding equipment, quench systems, and purge systems.
• Industry of the Golden Triangle companies forecast spending another $ 225 million on air emissions reduction projects by year end 2008 The quantity of emissions from plant equipment malfunctions decreased 44% from 2001 to 2005 alone and have dropped 90%since 1998
• Systems to minimize accidents include sprinkler systems, dikes, fire walls, blast walls, deluge systems, water curtains, and enclosures.
• For early warnings, we have process area detectors and perimeter monitors.
• We've worked to reduce chemical inventories, changed process parameters, and installed better process controls.
• We've implemented detailed procedures to safely operate and maintain reliability of equipment, working to identify and respond to potential equipment failures.
• And we've all made important improvements in employee and contractor training and competency testing.

Industry of the Golden Triangle believes an unwavering commitment to zero accidents is the only acceptable safety goal. We are continually investing in training and upgrading equipment to prevent accidents from happening. The safety of our employees and our neighbors demands nothing less.

We're proud of our safety record and we're working to do even better. We are Industry of the Golden Triangle. Solutions for today. Opportunities for tomorrow.

*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. **National Petrochemical & Refiners Association Beaumont/Port Arthur Area Ozone Attainment Progress
(Hardin, Jefferson and Orange Counties)
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