BASF achieves 25 years with zero lost time injuries at Chattanooga, Tennessee site

CHATTANOOGA, TN, March 4, 2019 – BASF’s site located near Amnicola Highway in Chattanooga, Tennessee recently achieved 25 years with zero lost time injuries, the longest running record for time without a lost time injury among the more than 400 members in the manufacturing sector of the Tennessee Safety and Health Council. 

“We believe that BASF’s commitment to safety is exemplified by their record of 2.5 million work hours without a lost time injury,” said Gina Jones, Executive Director of the Tennessee Safety and Health Council. “The Council looks forward to recognizing BASF at our annual awards meeting in May for such an outstanding achievement.”

BASF achieved this milestone through a culmination of company, employee and contractor efforts focused on identifying leading indicators to prevent, reduce and eliminate work related hazards and unsafe behaviors before they occur.

“This achievement represents teamwork, personal ownership of safety, continuous improvement, focusing on reducing exposures, improving safe behaviors and a true commitment toward ‘Zero Incidents’ by our employees and contractors,” said Rob Gagliano, BASF’s Site Director in Chattanooga. “Employees who are currently working at the site along with the retired employees from throughout the years have made significant contributions to recognize and eliminate workplace hazards.”

In addition to focusing on leading indicators, employees receive ongoing safety training. 90 percent of employees are trained as first responders, 100 percent of production employees have been trained to respond to plant and chemical emergencies, and employees have developed and implemented focused areas of improvement such as Hand Safety, Skin Care Safety, Personal Protective Equipment Assessments and Upgrades, and Machine Guarding.

“Reaching this milestone shows what a group of people can do if they all work together to make the work place safe,” said Steve Hawkins, Assistant Commissioner of Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health (TOSHA).  “By focusing on leading indicators and integrating workplace safety into their culture, BASF has produced fabulous results.”

BASF values the health and safety of people above all else, and will continue to drive improvements in safety culture and performance.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 20,000 employees in North America and had sales of $19.7 billion in 2018. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.com.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 122,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €63 billion in 2018. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.