Orion S.A.’s Safety Record in 2025 Was Nine Times Better Than Industry Average

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC), a global specialty chemicals producer, achieved a safety record for employees in 2025 that was nine times better than the average for the chemical manufacturing industry, the company said today.

With only three employee injuries at its plants worldwide, Orion finished the year with a Total Recordable Incidence Rate (TRIR) of 0.18 per 200,000 exposure hours, the second-best year in the company’s history. The carbon black producer’s safest year was 2017 when it recorded a TRIR of 0.17.

“It’s a widely held view in industry that a strong safety record reflects strong operating discipline,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said. “We reached a new level in 2025 on the safety front, and our commitment is to keep building on the success. This is just one area where we are seeing sustained benefit from ongoing manufacturing excellence initiatives.”

The TRIR safety score counts all work-related injuries, such as those needing medical treatment. It adjusts for company size by using a common base number: 200,000 work hours. The average TRIR for the chemical manufacturing industry is 1.6, according to the latest data reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024.

Last year, Orion received 10 safety awards from the International Carbon Black Association (ICBA), which said the company “set the benchmark” for employee health and safety in the carbon black industry.

Eight Orion plants earned the ICBA’s highest honor, the Gold Award. The sites were in Belpre, Ohio; Berre-l’Étang, France; Huaibei, China; Ivanhoe, Louisiana; Jaslo, Poland; Paulinia, Brazil; Ravenna, Italy; and Yeosu, South Korea.

Facilities earning Gold Awards must fulfill a variety of criteria, including receiving globally recognized safety certifications, having no regulatory citations for safety-related events, audits or activities, among other requirements.

Two additional Orion plants — in Orange, Texas, and Qingdao, China – received Bronze Awards for recording zero lost-work day cases, defined as nonfatal occupational injuries or illnesses that result in missed workdays.

About Orion S.A.

Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC) is a leading global supplier of carbon black, a solid form of carbon produced as powder or pellets. The material is made to customers’ exacting specifications for tires, coatings, ink, batteries, plastics and numerous other specialty, high-performance applications. Carbon black is used to tint, colorize, provide reinforcement, conduct electricity, increase durability and add UV protection. Orion has four innovation centers and produces carbon black at 15 plants worldwide, offering the most diverse variety of production processes in the industry. The company’s corporate lineage goes back more than 160 years to Germany, where it operates the world’s longest-running carbon black plant. Orion is a leading innovator, applying a deep understanding of customers’ needs to deliver sustainable solutions. For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.

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