Document Z4zm9VmbYn4Joxb4xNejanpRL

Congratulations on completing the safest year ever recorded in VCM Plant history. Your efforts during 1977 were directly responsible for the attainment of the plant's safety goals for the year. In the comments that follow I will review the 1977 accomplishments, as well as the goals being set for 1978 related to safety. I hope you will share this information with your family since I'm sure they have a vital interest in your safety both on and off the job. 1977 ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE SUMMARY As already mentioned, 1977 accident experience was the best in VCM plant history. It was the first year the plant has experienced two accident free months of operation. As of the end of the year the plant had completed 1324 days or 852,236 manhours without a lost time injury, another all time record. Total injuries for the year were down 30% compared to 1976 (31 vs 44). Our goal of a maximum of 39 injuries in 1977 was bettered by 20% with only 31 injuries being recorded. Another significant accomplishment occurred during the July plant turnaround. This turnaround resulted in the fewest recorded injuries of all'past turnarounds with comparable man-hours worked. All of these accomplishments were made possible because of your active participation and support of your plant's safety program. Taking the time to do the job safely is the catalyst necessary to prevent accidents. SAFETY RELATED HIGHLIGHTS OF 1977 Very briefly, the following lists highlights of the year 1977. 1) First aid training for employees and families. 2) Deregulation of the laboratory related to VCM exposure. 3) Sale of smoke detectors and fire extinguishers to plafit employees. CC 000055963 Page 2 4) Laboratory analyst attendance at Rescue Training course. 5) Chemicals Division attaining one year of operation without disabling injury. 6) VCM Plant attaining three years of operation without disabling injury. 7) Awards received - National Safety Councils "Certificate of Commendation11 Manufacturing Chemists Assoc. "Certificate of Achievement11 National Petroleum Refiners Assoc. "Award of Safety Achievement" 8) Fire fighting training for plant employees. 9) Completion of National Safety Council training course "Supervising for Safety" 1978 VCM PLANT SAFETY GOALS Our plant safety goal for 1978 is to assure a safe and healthy environment for each of our employees to work in. The attainment of this goal will require your continued participation in safety related activities and conscientious effort in completing all work assignments in a safe manner. The measuring stick established to judge our efforts in 1978 related to injury statistics is as follows: 1) No disabling injuries in 1978. 2) Limit total employee injuries to a maximum of 27 in 1978. No explanation is necessary related to the lost-time injury goal. Injuries that cause an employee the pain, both physical and financial, resulting from loss of work time must be eliminated. As I have indicated in the past, accident prevention through job safety planning, safe execution, and safety awareness is the only way to eliminate indury. Once an accident occurs control of the extent of injury is no longer under your control. Accidents are controllable, injury is not. i Again, congratulations on a great record of safety accomplishment in 1977. Remember, accident free performance is not a matter of luck. Accidents are preventable and you are the reason they can be prevented. Here's to a record breaking 1978. OCR 000055964