PolyOne Corporation announced August 14 that its Specialty Resins manufacturing plants in Pedricktown, N.J., and Henry, Ill., have recently received several prominent safety, health and environmental (SH&E) awards.
The two plants manufacture complementary product lines of Geon-branded specialty polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins for PolyOne Specialty Resins. Geon dispersion, blending, powder-coating and specialized suspension resins are utilized in adhesives, cap linings and seals, flooring, wall coverings, decorative films, molded toys, weather stripping, and equipment handlebars and grips, among other applications.
The Pedricktown plant received the Vinyl Institute’s Environmental Excellence Award for 2005, the 13th consecutive year it has won the award. Also for 2005, the Pedricktown facility received the New Jersey Governor’s Safety Excellence Award, which the plant earned on six prior occasions. In addition, the plant is a two-time recipient of The Society of the Plastics Industry’s Distinguished Safety Award.
The Henry plant received the Vinyl Institute’s Environmental Excellence Award for 2005, the seventh straight year it has won the award. In addition, in 2005, the plant received the Vinyl Institute’s Environmental Honor Award (2005), and the Manpower Safety Partnership Award (2005). The Henry plant is also a past five-time winner of The Society of the Plastics Industry’s Distinguished Safety Award.
“Our deep commitment to the health and safety of our employees, neighbors and the environment has long been an integral part of our culture,” said Joel Lindahl, plant manager at PolyOne’s Henry location. “We have zero tolerance for injuries and environmental incidents, and our ‘cardinal rules’ for material handling and equipment usage serve as guideposts for the safety of our operations. Strict adherence to our SH&E policies and practices is the responsibility of everyone who works in our plants and will remain a top priority for PolyOne.”
“The values of this organization start with SH&E,” said Carl Stolfo, plant manager at Pedricktown. “We firmly believe that being a responsible supplier, a concerned employer and a disciplined citizen of the community are among the most important attributes of our organization.”
The 2005 awards reflect a continuation of the plants’ history of notable achievements in environmental stewardship and workplace safety and health. The plants’ efforts to instill its workplace safety and environmental protection values begin when a new employee is hired. The company utilizes behavior-based training programs to educate employees about its SH&E policies and procedures. Training is reinforced as veteran plant workers mentor new employees and monitor their work processes to ensure that SH&E best practices are upheld.
In addition to the industry-wide awards, both locations have received PolyOne‘s Chairman’s Award for Safety Excellence, which demonstrates the achievement by each location of a “zero-defects” level of performance in employee recordable injuries and health impacts.
To stress the company’s commitment to the environment, PolyOne also established the Chairman’s Award for Environmental Excellence. Both plants have received this award for demonstrating exceptional performance in accordance with the company's environmental impact goals, with the Pedricktown location earning this recognition for 14 consecutive years.
PolyOne believes the benefits of its SH&E policies extend beyond industry awards, adding to the bottom line.
”PolyOne’s reputation for good stewardship is a reflection of PolyOne’s overall emphasis on product quality and attention to detail,” said François Côté, vice president and general manager of PolyOne Specialty Resins. “Our visibly effective SH&E program should provide customers with an additional degree of confidence in our products and services. While industry awards allow us to celebrate our achievements, they should remind all of us that progressive SH&E policies add value to our customers’ business and their relationship with us.”