SAFETY FIRST principle reasserted as way of life and business at BASF. BASF Coatings South Africa recently achieved a key milestone of one million LTI free hours at the site. This was a clear result of the dedicated manner in which the entire workforce of the production site views safety since inception in 1999.

BASF Coatings, located in Vanderbijlpark has advanced technology facilities for coatings, dispersions, and colorants, and is recognized as the leading supplier of coil coatings to major customers in South Africa.

BASF Coatings South Africa in Vanderbijlpark recently held a celebratory function to honor and appreciate the employees who contributed to this significant success. General Manager of BASF Coatings South Africa, Driaan de la Guerre welcomed the members of staff in attendance, and congratulated them for the outstanding achievement in workplace safety. “It is an honor to be part of a team that has contributed to this remarkable achievement over a period 14 years,” said Driaan.

Head of BASF Business Center South Africa and Sub-Sahara Joan-Maria Garcia-Girona said, “This accomplishment is not only about incident free hours, it also reiterates the importance of how much BASF values a safe and secure workplace.” He added that safety is a serious matter, and as such should be the personal responsibility of every single employee, contractor, visitor, and customer in our working and surrounding environments.

Guest speaker at the function Neil Franklin, a safety industry specialist, illustrated the challenge of obtaining and maintaining a LTI free position, affirmed that 1 million hours LTI free is an excellent accomplishment and that this achievement reflects the significance that everyone who came onto the premises, left the premises the same way they arrived. Special congratulations came from Dr. Nils Lessmann, Business Director Pre-coatings Europe of BASF Coatings AG in Muenster, Germany who addressed the local team and encouraged them to continue with their excellent safety behavior.

Joan-Maria concluded the evening with a toast, saying, “I celebrate with you this wonderful achievement, but also ask that in everything that you do here, at BASF, in your daily personal lives as citizens of South Africa and the world, practice SAFETY FIRST”.