FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact: Barry Eisenberg
(202) 974-5210

192 PLASTICS PLANTS AWARDED FOR COMMITMENT TO SAFETY

WASHINGTON, DC (September 14, 2007) – The Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) has recognized 192 plastics industry work sites for a demonstrated commitment to safety excellence based on its annual survey of occupational illnesses and injuries in the plastics industry. SPI’s Occupational Health and Environmental Issues Committee (OHEIC) conducts the annual Safety and Health Survey and presents awards to participating companies that demonstrate excellent safety records.

“We compiled 2006 occupational injury and illness reports from 279 work sites, representing 66,466,676 employee hours for 32,736 employees,” explained Susan Howe, SPI's vice president, Processors Council and senior technical director, worker and product safety. “This year’s report indicates an incidence rate (the total number of recordable occupational injuries and illnesses for the responding work sites) of 4.19 work-related injuries and illnesses per 200,000 hours worked. The severity rate (rate of the seriousness of the occupational injuries and illnesses) for the responding work sites was 69.06 lost workdays per 200,000 hours worked.”

Based on this data, SPI presented a total of 50 Distinguished Safety Awards, 45 Achievement Safety Awards, 40 Merit Safety Awards and 57 Special Recognition Awards. A complete listing of safety awards winners is available online at http://www.plasticsindustry.org/membersonly/public/workersafety/awards.htm

Distinguished Safety Awards recognize member company work sites with no occupational injuries or illnesses, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) during the calendar year 2006.

Achievement Safety Awards are presented to work sites with no OSHA recordable occupational injuries or illnesses involving lost workdays or restricted work activity during the calendar year 2006.

Merit Safety Awards are presented to work sites having a 2006 OSHA days away from work, days of restricted work activity or job transfer (DART) rate lower than the national average for their industry and a reduction in their DART rate of at least 20 percent when compared with their rate from the previous year.

Special Recognition Awards are presented to those work sites with safety performance for 2006 that is better than the national average for their Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code.

Since 1985, SPI's Occupational Health and Environmental Issues Committee (OHEIC) has provided value to members and the greater plastics industry by addressing critical issues on matters concerning the environment and worker health and safety. The annual safety awards program is one of many programs sponsored by the committee to further its mission.

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Founded in 1937, THE SOCIETY OF THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY, INC., is the trade association representing the third largest manufacturing industry in the United States. SPI's members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.3 million workers and provides nearly $345 billion in annual shipments.

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