First Ever Global Safety Summit in Bahrain

Press release -- 2009 IFA Global Safety Summit

Paris, France: 15 October 2008 -The International Fertilizer Industry Association will convene its first Global Safety Summit from 14 to 18 March 2009. This leading event will take place in Bahrain with the participation of more than 200 delegates from international fertilizer companies and leading experts in the field of production safety. The Summit is hosted by Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC), one of IFA’s flagship members regarding safety.

Safety, health and security are among the corporate priorities in many fertilizer companies. Having happy, healthy, and productive employees is a key competitive factor for producers worldwide. “It is not only important from a moral perspective to guarantee the well-being of its workers, but it is also profitable from an operational point of view”, says Luc Maene, Director General of IFA.

The aim of the Summit is to establish the mindset of “Safety First” in fertilizer production and share best practices. The latest management techniques and technology solutions that lead to safe and secure production environments will be showcased by operators from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

During the three-day programme, IFA member company leaders, CEOs along with safety experts will address topics, such as the role of safety leadership, continual safety improvement, safety management systems, behavioral based safety and accident investigation techniques. They will formulate the strategic direction of the fertilizer business in terms of safety commitment.

“This inaugural summit will highlight the importance of safety leadership from the CEO level to the shopfloor. In this respect, the Arab Gulf Region is strongly committed to be the leader and driver in our industry”, says Abdulrahman Jawahery, Chairman of the IFA Technical Committee and General Manager of GPIC. On this occasion, the host company GPIC will organize a site visit to its award-winning ammonia-urea-methanol production facility.

The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) is a not-for-profit trade association representing the global fertilizer industry. IFA member companies represent all activities related to the production and distribution of every type of fertilizer, their raw materials and intermediates. IFA's membership also includes organizations involved in agronomic research and training. IFA has some 525 members in about 85 countries. The global fertilizer industry produces some 170 million tons of fertilizer nutrients annually. These are used in every corner of the globe to support agricultural production and food security.

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For more information, please contact

Ms. Morgane Danielou-Doumbouya, Head of Information and Communications IFA
Telephone: +33 1 53 93 05 33 - General: +33 1 53 93 05 00 - Mobile: +33 6 27 39 39 15 - Fax: +33 1 53 93 05 47