Yara International Receives Award for Excellence in Safety, Health and the Environment in Production at the IFA Global Safety Summit

Manama, Bahrain: 15 March 2009 -- The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA)’s Global Safety Summit opened yesterday in Bahrain with the announcement of the recipient of the first IFA Green Leaf Trophy. During the Summit’s inaugural session, His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Minister of Oil and Gas Affairs and Chairman of the National Oil and Gas Authority of Bahrain awarded Yara International ’s Sluiskil facility in the Netherlands with the trophy. The first and second runners-up, Tata Chemicals Limited (Babrala complex) and Nagarjuna Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (Kakinada complex), both from India, were also recognized during this ceremony.

The Trophy is awarded to a fertilizer production site in recognition of its particular efforts, contributions and innovations to enhance safety, health and environmental performance. An independent selection panel reviewed 37 applications from 20 countries – with an equal representation from developed and developing countries – that showcased company initiatives to improve workers’ safety and health, and to reduce their factory’s overall environmental footprint.

“After working systematically on improving our operations, and drastically reducing emissions, this award is highly appreciated, and also encouraging for our further efforts”, says Marc Van Hyfte, plant manager at Yara Suiskil. Yara Sluiskil has been in operation since 1929, and is one of the ten most energy efficient ammonia plants in the world. The plant’s 580 employees are committed to continuous improvement. Among the measures taken are:

• N₂O-emissions reduced by 70-90 % and NOx-emissions reduced by 85 %
• Introduction of a behaviour-based safety-programme, selected as a showcase by the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment
• Stimulating all employees to exercise and eat healthy, and coaching with a lifestyle consultant

IFA promotes the mindset of " Safety First " in fertilizer production. The Association’s Technical Committee has placed occupational safety and health excellence at the top of its agenda. Well-defined and executed procedures protect workers and consumers from the risks they may be exposed to during the manufacture, storage and use of fertilizers.

“But the industry and individual companies need to go beyond basic SHE procedures and strive to reach state-of-the-art practices in every production site through developing their own codes of conduct”, says Abdurahman Jawahery, General Manager of Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) , host of the Summit and industry leader in safety promotion.

The three-day Safety Summit brings together over 200 delegates from 31 countries to discuss the latest management techniques and technology solutions that lead to safer and more secure production environments.

IFA recently released its new set of 12 principles for safety, health and the environment that all members of the associations are encouraged to integrate into their operating strategies and its Safety Handbook that is distributed to 525 members in 85 countries.

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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 - Fax: +33 1 53 93 05 47