By Kaitlyn Tolleson
The safe handling of chemicals such as nitric acid and sulfuric acid at El Dorado Chemical Co. has proved a flying success. On Friday, the company was presented an Occupational Safety and Health Administration award by Gov. Asa Hutchinson for exceeding 2 million hours without lost-time injury.
Greg Withrow, general manager of El Dorado Chemical, said the company has come a long way since the explosion that rocked El Dorado and surrounding areas on May 15, 2012. According to the News–Times archives, when a reactor exploded, debris punctured nearby sulfur tanks that released molten sulfur and exploded transformers and burned buildings.
“We weren’t sure we would rebuild,” said Withrow. “We spent $80 million to rebuild, and in that nine-month period, we didn’t lay anyone off.”
Not only did the company rebuild, but it is in the process of a $500 million expansion, which was the largest capital expansion in the state at the time of its initiation.
Arkansas Department of Labor Deputy Director Ralph Hudson said that by not having a lost time injury in 2 million hours, El Dorado Chemical’s employees have achieved something that has not been done since 1976 by an active contractor.
Hutchinson said that El Dorado Chemical has excelled in safety from September 2013 to August 2015. He also said that he was proud of the progress being made in South Arkansas.
Kelly Oliver, environmental, health and safety manager at El Dorado Chemical, was given a round of applause for his dedication to worker safety.