Today St. Charles Operations (SCO) is safer than it has ever been - and is one of the safest workplaces in the entire nation. In fact, the Occupational, Safety & Health Administration, (OSHA) recently formally announced SCO's receipt of OSHA's prestigious Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star Award. OSHA only awards the prestigious Star of Excellence to sites that have achieved a safety performance that is 90 percent better than the national average for industry.

OSHA's VPP Star award recognizes leaders in workplace safety and health, whose commitment to excellence makes them role models in their industry and community.  The "Star" is the highest award in its category. VPP is a voluntary, cooperative partnership involving companies that exceed legal obligations to revolutionize attitudes about protecting workers.

While operating one of the largest petrochemical facilities in the state of Louisiana, St. Charles Operations' 2,000 employees and contract employees achieved a recordable injury/illness incident rate of 0.55 in 2003. This statistic means that during the course of one full work year (50 weeks, 40 hours per week), less than 1 out of every 100 workers at the site was likely to suffer an on-the-job work injury that would require medical attention. And it's important to note that the site includes contractor performance in this injury/illness rate - something very unique as compared to other companies.

To put this number in perspective, data provided by the national Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that the average recordable injury rate for private workplaces throughout the United States is much higher at 5.7*. Statistics for particular industries include:

• " Retail trade - food stores - 7.5
• " Agriculture, forestry and fishing - 7.3
• " Auto repair services - 4.5
• " Manufacturing of chemicals and allied products - 4.0
• " Insurance agents, brokers and service - 0.8
• " St. Charles Operations - 0.55

*This data was provided by BLS's Dec. 2002 safety report.

Dow Executive Vice President of Operations Arnold Allemang says, "Clearly, the people at St. Charles Operations focused on a target and delivered the results. At Dow, the best accomplishments are the ones where everyone contributes and everyone benefits. There is no greater benefit for Dow people than going home safely every day."

Danny Moore, St. Charles Operations Responsible Care Leader, adds, "Our site has the safety programs and processes in place, along with dedicated employees that demonstrate positive behaviors and make safety their number one priority in everything they do at this site. Our goal for every day is to leave work the same way we walk in. Our effort of 'Shooting for the OSHA STAR' has validated that our processes and programs are sound, that they are effectively used and that they have produced the desired results.  It has also committed us to a path of continuous improvement and will enable us to reach the Vision of Zero."

An audience of more than 100 people attended the official OSHA STAR certification event at St. Charles Operations. Among those attending the event were OSHA representatives, St. Charles Community Advisory Panel members, St. Charles Operations employees, State Representative Gary Smith, Parish President Albert Laque and Parish District Attorney Harry Morel.

Photo caption (VPP banner group.jpg): OSHA recently recognized St. Charles Operations as one of the safest workplaces in the nation by bestowing the site with the VPP Star award. Pictured here at an event held at the site are OSHA representative Greg Honaker, Dow Executive Vice President Arnold Allemang, St. Charles Community Advisory Panel (CAP) member Shelia Rachal, CAP member Audrey Taylor, SCO's VPP team member Katherine Ostadel, CAP member Richard Bordner, SCO Site Leader Nawzer Parakh, SCO Responsible Care Leader Danny Moore, Dow EH&S's Sam Smolik, and St. Charles Parish President Albert Laque.

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Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $33 billion, Dow serves customers in more than 180 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its approximately 46,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. St. Charles Operations is owned by Union Carbide Corporation, which is a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company.