The Compressed Gas Association (CGA) announced the winners of our industry-leading safety awards during the CGA 2021 Annual Meeting. Held virtually on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, the Annual CGA Safety Awards Presentation recognized safety leaders from across the compressed gas industry in the U.S. and Canada.
Our Association is dedicated to the development and promotion of safety standards and safe practices in the industrial, medical, and food gases industry. We’re proud to recognize the dedication to safety exhibited by the companies and individuals honored this year.
Environmental Recognition Awards
The Environmental Recognition Awards, sponsored by Messer North America, are presented annually to deserving individuals, teams, or facilities that have conducted activities that meet defined criteria for environmental excellence.
The following were recipients of the Environmental Recognition Awards:
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (Carson, California)
Carson HyCO Operations and Process Engineering Teams
HyCO PSA Modernization Project with SoCalGas
Continental Carbonic Products, Inc., a subsidiary of Matheson (Martinez, California)
Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction Projects
Linde PLC
Linde’s Global Zero Waste Program
Fleet Safety Excellence Awards
The Fleet Safety Excellence Awards, sponsored by Linde PLC, recognize outstanding safety performance among the industry’s bulk and cylinder delivery fleets. The awards are presented to the CGA member companies with the lowest total vehicle accident frequency rates in their categories.
The following companies were awarded the Fleet Safety Excellence Awards:
Cylinder Gas Transportation, Less than 3 Million Miles Per Year:
Western International Gas & Cylinders, Inc.
Cylinder Gas Transportation, Over 3 Million Miles Per Year:
Matheson
Bulk Gas Transportation, Less than 20 Million Miles Per Year:
Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc.
Bulk Gas Transportation, Over 20 Million Miles Per Year:
Messer North America Inc.
Leonard Parker Pool Safety Awards
Sponsored by Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., the Leonard Parker Pool Safety Awards are presented annually to participating CGA member companies recording the greatest improvement in safety performance during the previous two years, and are based upon the total recordable case incidence rates as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The following companies were awarded the Leonard Parker Pool Safety Awards:
Group I – More than 2 Million Employee Exposure Hours:
Linde PLC
Group II – 2 Million or Less Employee Exposure Hours:
Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc.
Safe Facility Performance Awards
The Safe Facility Performance Awards recognize U.S. and Canadian facilities of CGA member companies that have maintained an incident-free safety performance record for a defined period of time. Participating facilities are recognized at 8 levels as they achieve new milestones without any lost time injuries.
In the second year for this program, we received applications for more than 450 facilities.
We thank all our members for your ongoing commitment to safety and extend our congratulations to the facilities recognized under this program.
The following were awarded the Safe Facility Performance Awards this year:
Safe Facility Performance Awards – Bronze Level
250,000 Hours or 5 Years with no lost time work accidents
Airgas, Inc., an Air Liquide company
187 Facilities
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
12 Facilities
Matheson
8 Facilities
American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc.
1 Facility
FIBA Technologies, Inc.
1 Facility
Messer North America Inc.
1 Facility
TOMCO2 Systems
1 Facility
Western International Gas & Cylinders, Inc.
1 Facility
Safe Facility Performance Awards – Silver Level
500,000 Hours or 10 Years with no lost time work accidents
Airgas, Inc., an Air Liquide company
101 Facilities
American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc.
4 Facilities
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
3 Facilities
Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc.
3 Facilities
Matheson
2 Facilities
Linde Gas US
1 Facility
Luxfer Gas Cylinders
1 Facility
Messer North America Inc.
1 Facility
Western International Gas & Cylinders, Inc.
1 Facility
Safe Facility Performance Awards – Gold Level
750,000 Hours or 15 Years with no lost time work accidents
Airgas, Inc., an Air Liquide company
11 Facilities
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
3 Facilities
Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc.
3 Facilities
American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc.
2 Facilities
CTR, Inc.
1 Facility
Safe Facility Performance Awards – Gold 1-Star Level
1,000,000 Hours or 20 Years with no lost time work accidents
Airgas, Inc., an Air Liquide company
Amistad*
Augusta Production Facility*
Austin*
Bozrah Production Facility
Chicago Branch*
Cleburne Production Facility*
Dayton Production Facility
Denver Production Facility*
Joliet Branch*
Kalama Production Facility*
Manitowoc Branch
Montgomeryville*
Ottumwa Branch
Rockford Branch*
Rockport Production Facility*
Waukegan Branch
Wood River Production Facility*
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. & Air Products Canada
Elko*
Fishkill Gen Gas*
Latham*
Nanticoke
American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc.
Darlington, South Carolina ASU*
Ingleside ASU*
Valero Production Facility*
Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc.
Fairfax, Virginia*
Hagerstown, Maryland*
Westminster, Maryland*
* Designates facilities with no lost time accidents since commissioning/acquisition
Safe Facility Performance Awards – Gold 2-Star Level
1,250,000 Hours or 25 Years with no lost time work accidents
Airgas, Inc., an Air Liquide company
Charlotte*
Covington, Virginia Production Facility*
El Paso Production Facility*
Little Rock*
Maitland (I)
Phoenix*
Richmond Production Facility*
West Chicago Branch
Wichita*
Wilson Production Facility*
Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc.
Bladensburg, Maryland*
Edgewood, Maryland*
West Chester, Pennsylvania*
American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc.
Bayport ASU
Strathmoor ASU*
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
LaPorte
* Designates facilities with no lost time accidents since commissioning/acquisition
Safe Facility Performance Awards – Gold 3-Star Level
1,500,000 Hours or 30 Years with no lost time work accidents
Airgas, Inc., an Air Liquide company
Etiwanda Production Facility
McMinnville Production Facility*
Oklahoma City Production Facility*
San Antonio*
Star Production Facility*
Wilmington Production Facility*
Yazoo City
American Air Liquide Holdings, Inc. & Air Liquide Canada Inc.
Bécancour Hydrogen Facility*
Carlin, Nevada ASU*
Channelview ASU*
Freeport ASU*
Hamilton Production Facility
LaPorte ASU*
Nederland ASU*
Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc.
Annapolis, Maryland*
Charlottesville, Virginia*
Essex, Maryland*
Frederick, Maryland*
Manassas, Virginia*
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
Austin Gen Gas*
* Designates facilities with no lost time accidents since commissioning/acquisition
Safe Facility Performance Awards – Gold 4-Star Level
1,750,000 Hours or 35 Years with no lost time work accidents
Roberts Oxygen Company, Inc.
Glen Burnie, Maryland*
Laurel, Maryland*
Sterling, Virginia*
Waynesboro, Virginia*
Airgas, Inc., an Air Liquide company
Seattle/Kent*
Tucson Production Facility*
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. & Air Products Canada
Brampton*
Sacramento*
* Designates facilities with no lost time accidents since commissioning/acquisition
Safe Facility Performance Awards – Platinum Level
2,000,000 Hours or 40 Years with no lost time work accidents
Airgas, Inc., an Air Liquide company
Coatesville Production Facility*
Kent Production Facility*
Oglethorpe Production Facility*
Reading Production Facility*
Wilmington Distribution Facility*
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
Largo*
* Designates facilities with no lost time accidents since commissioning/acquisition
CGA & GAWDA Distributor Safety Awards
The CGA/GAWDA Distributor Safety Award recognizes the participating GAWDA distributor companies showing the greatest improvement in safety performance and encourages a renewed focus on safe corporate cultures within the distributor community.
The following GAWDA (Gases and Welding Distributors Association) Distributor Members were recognized for their safety achievements:
More than 100,000 employee exposure hours:
Industrial Source, Inc., of Springfield, Oregon
100,000 or fewer employee exposure hours:
Andy Oxy Company Inc., of Asheville, North Carolina
New Committee Member of the Year Award
The New Committee Member of the Year Award, sponsored by Chart Industries, is presented to individuals with less than three years of CGA participation, in recognition of their character, commitment, and contributions to our committee efforts.
This year, one individual was recognized in this category for his substantial contributions to CGA committee work: Lloyd Kuefler of Green CO2 Systems.
Lloyd joined CGA in 2018 and serves as a member of CGA’s Carbon Dioxide, Distribution and Fleet Safety, and Food Gases committees. He has quickly become an active contributor both in committee meetings and on work items, and has taken the lead on the development of a new standard for small stationary uninsulated cylinder supply systems for carbon dioxide.
Lloyd is recognized by fellow committee members and staff for being engaged in discussion, dedicated to his CGA work, attentive to detail, and respectful and appreciative of input from other committee members.
Charles H. Glasier Safety Award
Sponsored by American Air Liquide Holdings, the Charles H. Glasier Safety Award is presented annually to an individual in recognition of their safety leadership in the industrial gas industry.
This year’s recipient was John P. Smith of Messer North America, who has been an active participant in CGA committees for 35 years, supporting the Bulk Distribution Equipment and Standards Committee; the Carbon Dioxide Committee; the Hydrogen Technology Committee; the Natural Gas Technology Committee; and the Distribution and Fleet Safety Committee. Over the years he has been involved in the development and maintenance of numerous publications, including the CGA Handbook of Compressed Gases.
John has helped advance industry safety through his contributions to hydrogen tube trailer fire testing, rupture disc testing, and CGA connection testing. He has a good working relationship with the U.S. Department of Transportation and Transport Canada, and has played an integral role in supporting industry self-regulation by advocating for the alignment of regulatory requirements and CGA positions.
In his role in the industry, John is noted as being someone who takes initiative and demonstrates leadership when something isn’t right. He is credited with developing multi-faceted improvements to equipment design, protective equipment, and training programs to reduce injuries and provide a safer work environment. John is also recognized as having a collaborative approach that includes hands-on interaction and training with drivers, mechanics, fabricators, and operators to ensure the availability of education, training, and safety information across all segments of his company.
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Founded in 1913, the Compressed Gas Association is dedicated to the development and promotion of safety standards and safe practices in the industrial, medical, and food gases industry. CGA represents more than 130 member companies including manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and transporters of gases, cryogenic liquids, and related products and services. Through a committee system, CGA develops technical specifications, safety standards, and training and educational materials, and works with government agencies to formulate and promote compliance with responsible regulations and standards.
An American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accredited Standards Developing Organization, CGA works directly with Federal, State, and Provincial agencies and fire code officials to promote safe and responsible practices and regulations. CGA supports several committees of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and coordinates member company participation in the development of ISO standards through U.S. and Canadian advisory groups. The Association also works with other industrial gas associations around the world to harmonize standards to advance safety in the industrial gas industry. Additionally, CGA participates in the United Nations to develop model regulations that apply to the industrial gas and equipment industry.
Press contact:
Sarah Saunders
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