We are committed to operating our plants in a manner that is safe for employees, business partners, communities and the environment, and we utilize many layers of protection in place to protect these key stakeholders.

An important aspect of Responsible Care^® is to have health, safety, environmental, and security (HSES) performance measures readily available to the public. Eastman tracks a variety of measures and establishes goals for those we want or need to improve. We also submit information to be included in the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC) industry measures and goals. We’re proud of our history but also strive to continually improve.

Layers of Protection

Eastman takes every precaution to ensure the safe handling and processing of chemicals. Because of the many layers of protection we have in place, we have a good performance history. These layers include:

• Employees - Highly trained and continually educated employees are our most important resource in operating our facilities and in protecting our community and our environment.
• Mechanical Integrity - Comprehensive inspection and testing programs assure reliable and well-maintained equipment, which greatly reduces the possibility of failure.
• Hazard Reviews - Comprehensive reviews are conducted before startup and every five years thereafter on all systems handling hazardous materials. Hazard Reviews identify accident potential and corrective actions before something becomes a problem. Our goal is to eliminate and/or reduce hazards.
• Process Controls - A variety of reliable, computerized systems provide precise control of processes in different manufacturing areas and maintain tight operating parameters.
• Monitoring Systems - Highly sensitive detectors identify impending problems and give operators early warning, enabling them to provide quick and effective responses.
• Emergency Response - The key to minimizing the effect of an incident or accidental release is to get the right people and equipment to the scene quickly. This takes planning, practice, and highly-trained emergency responders with specialized equipment. These two things will help keep an incident or accidental release from affecting a large area. Eastman also enhances emergency readiness by playing a leadership role in local emergency planning commissions.
• Notification - If an incident has the potential to impact employees or near neighbors, Eastman has systems in place for notifying them and the rest of the community.
• Good Communication - To increase our neighbors' awareness and understanding of our operations, Eastman holds public meetings, makes classroom and civic presentations and works with local media.
• Carrier Selection Process - To minimize risk in transporting our products to our customers, Eastman has developed a rigorous selection process for carriers. We require a superior performance record from each before that company becomes a carrier of our products.