HEALTH & SAFETY
10 YEAR RELATIONSHIP
DUPONT
SPECIAL CHEMISTRY BETWEEN DOW AND
DUPONT IMPROVES WORKER SAFETY
Ensuring that workers are properly
protected and fully engaged in safety
procedures is a primary objective for any
employer. The health and safety team
at one of Dow Chemical Company’s
largest production sites has developed
a partnership with DuPont Personal
Protection over time that delivers ongoing
improvements in staff safety and training,
as well as more streamlined ordering
procedures and related cost savings.
PRODUCT SELECTION CONFIDENCE
Covering some 550 hectares, Stade is
Dow’s largest German production site.
Every year, around 1300 in-house staff
and several hundred contractors produce
some three million tonnes of basic and
specialty chemicals including propylene
oxide, propylene glycol, solvents for paints,
perchloroethylene, raw materials for
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polyurethanes, cellulose ethers, chlorine,
sodium hydroxide solution and hydrogen
in ten plants. also used during the emptying and cleaning
of pipework, which is required for regular
official TÜV2 inspections.
Personal protective equipment (PPE),
including chemical protection garments,
is vital for reliably protecting staff from
hazardous liquids and solids. For over
a decade now, Dow workers have been
using garments made by DuPont Personal
Protection to protect them from workplace
hazards. Key to the decision were the comprehensive
permeation data that DuPont was able to
supply to Dow’s safety professionals. Jens
Thiede, SHE Specialist at Dow in Stade with
responsibility for the selection and use
of PPE, explains: “We have around 2000
different chemicals on our plant here and
cannot purchase a dedicated garment for
each product. We need products that reliably
protect our staff from as many substances
as possible. So, we had a good look around
on the market and shortlisted a range
of options. The permeation data DuPont
supplied for numerous organic and inorganic
chemicals were very helpful and convinced
us that the two Tychem® garments were the
best ones to choose for our staff.”
To provide protection from liquid
chemicals, Dow makes use of Tychem®
2000 C and Tychem® 6000 F coveralls1.
Typical applications include material
transfers or inspection tasks in which
lines are opened and there is a risk of
personnel being contaminated with a
hazardous substance. These garments are