Arkema is proud to recognize our Bécancour plant in Québec, Canada, for recently surpassing 10 years with no recordable accidents.
The Arkema Canada Inc. plant is a world scale hydrogen peroxide operation, which runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and has 60+ employees. The 35%, 50% and 70% hydrogen peroxide produced at Bécancour benefit from state-of-the-art technology and are used, among other things, as a bleaching agent or antiseptic agent in several industries.
This accomplishment reflects the Bécancour site’s strong long-standing commitment to safety. The plant began operating in 1987, and became the world's first manufacturer of hydrogen peroxide to be ISO 9002:1994 certified.
Joey Gravel-Imbeault, Plant Manager, Hydrogen Peroxide, says “It is a group accomplishment, both of the employees and the many generations of employees who contributed to building the safety culture before us…People have a high standard for health and safety when they enter the facility, and we all try to maintain the high level that was there when we came in.”
Working with hydrogen peroxide can be hazardous, with elements of jobs onsite including railcar loading and working at height. Building a culture that is aligned strongly under Arkema’s safety commitment has been a multifaceted approach.
Raphaelle Vallerand, HSEQ Manager, Canada, Hydrogen Peroxides, reflects “We apply the Arkema culture…we have a high participation rate for BBS (behavior-based safety) observations, we have a fire brigade and many first responders onsite making up the emergency response team. They attend trainings internally and externally.”
Empowering individuals to ensure their safety and the safety of their co-workers has been instrumental to building this collaboration. “It’s a big requirement how a person perceives health and safety when we hire new employees. There is a lot of collaboration between employees on safety, and people do not hesitate are not afraid to report events so they can be analyzed. We work together…Health and safety is not just something we say, it’s something we do” says Sébastien Breault, HR Manager, Canada.
The Bécancour facility is certified to ISO 9001:2015 (quality), ISO 14001:2015 (environment) and ISO 45001:2018 (safety). Bécancour is also registered in the Responsible Care® program from the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada.
Congratulations to the Bécancour plant team on this milestone achievement.
Responsible Care® is a registered trademark of the Chemical Industry Association of Canada.