Letter from the Site Leader — Lee Trusty
Lee Trusty, Louisiana
Operations Site Leader
2006 was a year of celebration and achievements for Louisiana Operations. The year marked the 50th anniversary of our site and of Dow’s presence in the state. To commemorate this, we hosted several events for our employees, retirees and members of our surrounding communities who partnered together with Dow to help us achieve 50 years of success. Our anniversary logo stated “A Golden Past… a Greater Tomorrow” …and we are looking forward toward another 50 years of success and partnership with our communities.
The year also brought several other achievements that are worth noting. These include:
- Partnering with Our Communities We strive to be a company that employees are proud to work for, and a neighbor that our communities want in their backyards. As we celebrated our 50th year of operation in Louisiana we pledged our continued support to our surrounding communities. In 2006 alone, approximately 600 employees at Dow's Louisiana Operations spent more than 20,000 hours volunteering their time to assist with more than 40 different activities to benefit area communities. We contributed $1 million in order for the new Dow Westside YMCA to become a reality for our area. And, we added about 100 new employees to our site from our surrounding areas.
- Employee Safety The Occupational, Safety and Health Administration has recognized Louisiana Operations as one of the safest workplaces in the entire nation. Creating and sustaining an environment where employees and contract employees can return home from work safely each day is critical. In 2006 the site was once again recertified as an OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) STAR site. OSHA only awards the Star of Excellence to sites that have achieved a safety performance that is 90 percent better than the national average for industry. We are continuing to make progress toward our ultimate goal — a vision of zero injuries.
- Reduction in emissions, leaks, breaks & spills We seek to reduce waste and emissions, and promote resource conservation at every stage of the life cycle of our products. In keeping with this focus, our site has reduced chemical emissions in a number of different categories since our baseline year of 1994. Also, we’re striving toward Dow’s new 2015 goals to reduce our waste and emissions even further.
In this 2006 Public Report, you will find the latest information regarding Louisiana Operations’ economic and social contributions to our state and local communities. You’ll learn more about our commitment to employees and our investment in their well-being. And, perhaps most important, we will give you an extensive look at our site’s environment, health and safety performance, and what we’re doing to continually improve in these areas.
This public report is presented to you as a report card on our performance. We hope you will see a strong, vibrant company that is a good employer, a responsible neighbor, and a conscientious supporter of the community for long-term, mutual growth.
Lee Trusty
Site Leader
Dow Louisiana Operations
