Linde North America's Ohio Plant Receives Responsible Care Certification
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First of four production facilities scheduled for 2009 certification
Murray Hill, New Jersey, U.S., March 11, 2009 - Linde North America has received certification of its Delta, Ohio, air separation plant under the American Chemistry Council's Responsible Care® program.
Linde North America, Inc. is a member of The Linde Group, a world-leading gases and engineering company. The ACC is an association of producers, manufacturers and suppliers of chemical products.
Last year, Linde began the certification process with its headquarters facility in Murray Hill, New Jersey. During 2008, the company also completed certification of eight of its production plants located throughout the US. The Delta plant is the first of four locations scheduled for certification in 2009 in order to satisfy the ACC's requirement for membership.
The Delta plant is located about 40 miles west of Toledo and has been in operation since 1997. The plant separates air cryogenically to produce 575 tons per day of oxygen, nitrogen and argon. These products are supplied by pipeline to North Star Bluescope Steel and Worthington Steel which are adjacent to the plant, and by truck to hospitals and industrial customers such as welding shops and foundries throughout the state of Ohio.
Delta plant manager, Randy Hammons, said, "Receiving the ACC's Responsible Care certification is proof that Linde's policies, procedures, and systems are effective in all facets safety, health, environment, quality, and product stewardship. Our employees, customers and the community around us can rest assured that we are committed to ongoing continuous improvements in these areas as well."
Responsible Care is a globally recognized management system aimed at helping companies improve performance in areas such as safety, health, environment and security. Certification is mandatory for all ACC member companies, which must undergo headquarter and facility audits by an independent, accredited auditor to verify that they have a structure and system in place that manages and measures performance. Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) is Linde's independent auditor.
The Responsible Care management system offers an integrated, structured approach for driving continual improvement in seven key areas: community awareness and emergency response; security; distribution; employee health and safety; pollution prevention; process safety; and product stewardship.
Warren Arenz, head of safety, health, environment and quality for Linde North America, said, "The employees at the Delta plant did a great job handling all the details associated with ACC certification. Their efforts were invaluable in the process that places Linde among the leaders in the U.S. when it comes to sustaining the practices specified in the Responsible Care management system."
Implementing the Responsible Care system is a multi-step process. Companies must first plan - identify, assess and evaluate potential hazards and risks associated with their products, processes and operations - and establish goals and objectives to address any significant hazards or risks. Next, they must do what they have planned, checking their progress along the way to measure performance and take necessary corrective actions. Communicating with employees and other stakeholders, including neighbors and customers, along the way also is essential.
The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost 52,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2008 financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.7 billion (USD 15.9 billion). The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services.
Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment - in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.
For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.linde.com
