PITTSBURGH, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bayer Corporation announced
today that its 21,500 U.S. employees were successful in making 2002 the
company's safest year yet. Bayer's performance was measured according to
safety and health standards set by the federal government and followed by
industry throughout the country as a means of understanding the relative
safety of a workplace.
In 2000, Bayer Corporation ranked second in safety among large U.S.
companies in the chemical industry, which itself is recognized as the safest
industry in the country. In 2001, Bayer was recognized as the third safest.
The national 2002 figures for the chemical industry are not yet available.
Bayer Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of Bayer AG, with 21,500 employees
at 46 facilities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, had a TRIR (Total Recordable
Incidence Rate) of just 1.09 in 2002.
TRIR is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard for
worker safety. It measures the number of employees with work-related
illnesses and injuries per 200,000 work hours annually. Previously, Bayer
scored its best safety record in 2000 with a TRIR of 1.15. In 2001, the
corporation's TRIR was 1.41.
According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), an industry trade
group, the chemical industry is the safest American industry by far. The
overall TRIR for manufacturing companies stands at about 9, more than four
times higher than the average ACC member company TRIR of 2.03 in 2001.
"We are working toward eliminating employee injuries altogether," said
Bayer Corporation President and CEO Dr. Attila Molnar. "Comprehensive
environmental protection, maximum safety, high product quality and optimum
commercial efficiency are factors of equal importance for achieving our
corporate objectives," he said.
Bayer attributes its safety success to tapping the combined intelligence
of the real experts -- those closest to the work. The corporation emphasizes
proactive safety programs. Bayer's Near Hit Program, for example, encourages
employees to identify potential work hazards and devise corrective solutions.
During 2002, nearly 11,000 findings were reported, allowing employees to take
corrective action before injuries could occur. Implementation of a structured
safety process and use of root cause analysis also helped make the difference.
"In many respects, the chemical industry is on the front line in assuring
the safety and well being of its communities. Safety is an area where every
worker makes a difference that matters -- to their employers, to their
coworkers, to their communities and to themselves," Dr. Molnar said.
In October 2002, Bayer received the ACC's Responsible Care(R) Leadership
Award. The honor is bestowed annually to the company that demonstrates the
highest degree of excellence in implementing ACC's Responsible Care standards
for excellence in health, safety and environmental performance.
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Bayer Corporation had sales of $10.1 billion
in 2001 and is one of Fortune magazine's Most Admired Companies. The company
employs 21,500 people. It is a member of the worldwide Bayer Group, a
$27 billion international health care and chemicals group based in Leverkusen,
Germany. Bayer's four operating companies -- CropScience, Chemicals,
HealthCare and Polymers -- produce a broad range of products that help
diagnose and treat diseases, purify water, preserve local landmarks, protect
crops, advance automobile safety and durability and improve people's lives.
The Bayer Group has nearly 128,000 employees. Its stock is a component of
the DAX and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAY). For 2001,
the group recorded sales of EUR 30.3 billion and a group net profit of
EUR 965 million. Capital expenditures totaled EUR 2.6 billion, and
EUR 2.6 billion was invested in research and development.
This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current
assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material
differences between the actual future results, financial situation,
development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These
factors include those discussed in our public reports filed with the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including
our Form 20-F). The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these
forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or
developments.
SOURCE Bayer Corporation
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http://www.bayerus.com
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CONTACT:
Kit Newton of Bayer, +1-412-777-5666
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