Trinseo | Safety First: Prioritizing Our People, Communities, and the Environment

July 05, 2022

Safety First: Prioritizing Our People, Communities, and the Environment

By Jos van den Brink, Global EH&S Director

At Trinseo, we believe in continuously improving our environmental, health and safety (EH&S) performance, with the ultimate goal of achieving zero injuries, spills, and process safety incidents across all of our facilities each year. As part of our 2030 Sustainability Goals, we are striving to achieve one or more years of zero recordable injuries for employees and contractors globally by 2030.

With a management system rooted in Responsible Care®, health and safety are embedded into our culture, influencing every decision we make. As we expand our global presence and transform into an advanced specialty and sustainable solutions provider, we have a responsibility to adhere to the highest standards of safety, caring for our colleagues, our communities and our customers.

Striving for Triple Zero Safety

Our culture of health and safety prioritizes the well-being of our employees and the local communities in which we operate. In fact, our world-class set of policies, procedures, and processes have placed Trinseo’s TRIR 0.28 rating in the top tier of companies in the chemical industry. Our ongoing safety initiatives center on reducing injuries, spills, and process safety incidents on a small and large scale.

Through behavior-based programs such as Safety on Purpose, employees develop the skills and knowledge they need to stay safe and mitigate risks. The program provides core training for safety influencers, who then complete safety conversations with employees, creating an open dialogue between all levels of workers and leaders alike. The Safety on Purpose program, among all other programs, has been extremely effective – 73% of eligible teams received Triple Zero recognition earlier this year, meaning they had zero recordable injuries, reportable spills, or process safety incidents.

Mitigating Safety Challenges

Last year, we welcomed colleagues from Arkema’s PMMA business and Aristech Surfaces LLC. Coming from organizations with their own approach to safety, our new colleagues were brought into Trinseo’s practices. Through extensive onboarding, conversations, and training, the teams fully embraced our policies and adapted to our procedures, helping us to close the gaps in standards. We also faced challenges as a result of COVID-19 and its variants. Presenting a significant risk to employee health, we established a COVID-19 response team for EH&S and Human Resources. As vaccines became available, we established a voluntary vaccination incentive program to encourage employees to receive their vaccines. The program saw tremendous success with 90% of employees voluntarily sharing their vaccination status.

In addition, we implemented an Ergonomic Safety at Trinseo program, providing remote employees with a stipend to purchase ergonomic and office equipment, enabling them to have a safe workspace. These programs and actions have helped employees remain safe during challenging, unprecedented times.

Our impressive EH&S performance and Triple Zero Award achievements are a direct reflection of the safety culture we have embedded in our people. As we evolve throughout our transformational journey, we will continue to invest in the health and safety of our people and all other responsibilities that come with embracing the principles of Responsible Care®, improving practices and systems to maintain zero injuries, spills, and process safety incidents.