Orion, a leading global supplier of carbon black, achieved a safety record for employees in 2025 that was nine times better than the average for the chemical manufacturing industry.
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.
Two additional Orion plants, one 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.
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.
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