The emulsion polymers business of Celanese Corporation, Celanese Emulsions, and its Boucherville, Canada, manufacturing facility recently received the highest recognition for large enterprises in the CSST (Québec Health and Safety Commission) Québec provincial “Innovation Award” competition. The award honors initiatives focused on both safety and accident prevention.

“Safety is a cultural cornerstone and a core value of Celanese,” said Jim Alder, senior vice president, operations and technical. “Celanese’s emphasis on scientific design, high-efficiency management, system standardization, promotion of best practices and processes, comprehensive training and high levels of employee participation have enabled the company to rank within the top 10% of all chemical industry manufacturers in terms of safety.”

The award-winning project at the Boucherville site was for a new, automated cleaning system for a large emulsions reactor. The project took more than two years to complete and was designed to eliminate confined space entry, thus reducing the risk of potential injury from high-pressure water washing. The project also decreased the cleaning time of the reactor, thereby dramatically increasing reactor and workplace productivity.