NACD Releases Membership and Safety Report - Improvements Made in OSHA Safety Stats

DALLAS, Aug. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last year, members of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) drove more than 143 million miles to safely deliver 1.03 tons of products every second, reported the NACD in its release of the 2013 Membership & Safety Report. The Report, released at the Association's ChemEdge Conference and based on 2012 data, states "NACD members circled the Earth roughly 6,000 times this past year in the delivery of their products." The data also showed reductions in OSHA recordable cases to 594, from 608 and in lost work days to an index of 1.3, from 1.6.  

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In 2012, NACD member companies generated $30.5 billion in sales, a slight increase from the year before of 1.9%, adding several million dollars to the tax base. The report also stated that NACD member companies are responsible for more than 150,000 direct and indirect jobs in the United States.

NACD members operate in all 50 states through over 1,700 facilities and make a delivery every 7.9 seconds.  Overall tonnage handled by NACD's membership was over 4 million tons of which 25% was received via rail. The average value of an individual shipment rose to $7,584, up from $4,553 in the prior year.  All totaled, members have reduced their overall number of shipments, with each shipment carrying more tonnage.  In doing so, members are continuing to bundle their shipments to reduce cost and to lower their environmental impact.

Incidents involving transportation had more mixed results.  Total incidents experiencing uncontrolled releases of product while storing, handling, loading or unloading within the companies' facilities were 123 as compared to 80 the prior year, while the number of DOT 5800 submissions were flat at 8 from the prior year.  Incidents involving transportation or delivery rose back to 2010 levels with a slight increase to 39 incidents.  

Safety performance of the whole membership remained better than non-member companies in the Chemical and Allied Merchant Wholesale Industry (NAICS 42469) and nearly twice as good as all manufacturing combined, based on the most current data available.  

"2012 showed a continued commitment to supporting our major initiatives of safety and security through Responsible Distribution.  Over the last decade, safety improvements are evident in our membership.  Employee safety was improved and over the long haul our members are dedicated to quality and enhancing the health and wellbeing of their employees and communities.  This past year, sales were modestly up, demonstrating growth albeit a bit slower than the prior year," said NACD President Chris Jahn.

NACD began tracking the results of its membership and performance data on a voluntary basis in 2001. The data in the 2013 Report is based on submissions from the NACD regular membership and are based on 2012 results.

NACD and its over 400 member companies are vital to the chemical supply chain providing products to over 750,000 end users. They make a delivery every eight seconds while maintaining a safety record that is more than twice as good as all manufacturing combined. NACD members are leaders in health, safety, security, and environmental performance through implementation of Responsible Distribution, established in 1991 as a condition of membership and a third-party verified management practice. For additional information on our members, their safety record or NACD, visit NACD at www.nacd.com.

Contact: Lucinda Schofer
703/527-NACD(6223)

SOURCE National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD)