MSA Named as a 2015 World's Most Ethical Company by the Ethisphere Institute

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Mar 09, 2015, 02:56 ET

PITTSBURGH, March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA), today announced that it has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as a 2015 World's Most Ethical Company^®.

The World's Most Ethical Companies designation recognizes those organizations that have had a material impact on the way business is conducted by fostering a culture of ethics and transparency at every level of an organization.

Being recognized in this manner underscores MSA's century-long commitment to developing and utilizing ethical business standards and practices that ensure long-term value to key stakeholders including customers, employees, suppliers, regulators and shareholders, said William M. Lambert, MSA President and CEO. Of the 132 companies recognized this year, MSA is one of only six U.S. industrial manufacturing companies to be honored and the only company recognized in the Safety Equipment category.

"On behalf of our Board of Directors, our Executive Leadership Team and our 5,200 associates around the world, we are incredibly proud and honored that the Ethisphere Institute included MSA in its 2015 list of the World's Most Ethical Companies," Mr. Lambert said. "At MSA we conduct our business along seven core values, with integrity at the center of that values system."

"We view integrity as our foundational value because without it very little else matters," Mr. Lambert continued. "And that's why I am so proud of this honor. I'm proud of it because it reflects the efforts of our associates around the world who live our mission and values every day. They personify integrity, and they are the ones who have earned this recognition."

"The World's Most Ethical Companies embrace the correlation between ethical business practice and improved company performance," said Ethisphere's Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. "These companies use ethics as a means to further define their industry leadership and understand that creating an ethical culture and earning the World's Most Ethical Companies recognition involves more than just an outward facing message or a handful of senior executives saying the right thing. Earning this recognition involves the collective action of a global workforce from the top down. We congratulate everyone at MSA for this extraordinary achievement."

The World's Most Ethical Company assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute's Ethics Quotient™ (EQ) framework developed over years of research to provide a means to assess an organization's performance in an objective, consistent and standardized way. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies, rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics. The EQ framework and methodology is determined, vetted and refined by the expert advice and insights gleaned from Ethisphere's network of thought leaders and from the World's Most Ethical Company Methodology Advisory Panel.

Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35%), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20%), culture of ethics (20%), governance (15%) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10%).

The full list of the 2015 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at http://ethisphere.com/worlds-most-ethical/wme-honorees/.

Senior executives of honorees contribute high-level insights and best practices to the well-regarded World's Most Ethical Companies Executive Briefing, the Ethisphere's digital quarterly publication. Additional insights gleaned from the World's Most Ethical Companies will be released in a series of whitepapers and infographics over the coming months. Organizations interested in learning how they compare to the World's Most Ethical Companies are invited to learn more about benchmarking services.

About MSA

Established in 1914, MSA Safety Incorporated is the global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of safety products that protect people and facility infrastructures. Many MSA products integrate a combination of electronics, mechanical systems and advanced materials to protect users against hazardous or life-threatening situations. The company's comprehensive line of products is used by workers around the world in a broad range of markets, including the oil, gas and petrochemical industry, the fire service, the construction industry, mining and the military. The company's core products include self-contained breathing apparatus, fixed gas and flame detection systems, portable gas detection instruments, head protection products, and fall protection devices. With 2014 revenues of $1.1 billion, MSA employs approximately 5,200 people worldwide. The company is headquartered north of Pittsburgh in Cranberry Township, Pa., and has manufacturing operations in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. With more than 40 international locations, MSA realizes approximately half of its revenue from outside North America. For more information visit MSA's website at www.MSAsafety.com.

About the Ethisphere Institute

The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World's Most Ethical Companies® recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA) and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with the publication of Ethisphere Magazine and The World's Most Ethical Companies Executive Briefing. Ethisphere is also the leading provider of independent verification of corporate ethics and compliance programs. More information about Ethisphere can be found at: http://ethisphere.com.

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