On October 29, hundreds of the brightest minds in chemical manufacturing gathered in Charleston, SC for SOCMA’s annual Summit. If you don’t know SOCMA (the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates®), their organization is helping shape the future of the specialty chemicals industry by empowering the growth of its leaders. Monument Chemical is proud to be one of them.

And what better way to prove that than setting the standard of safety in every area as recipients of this year’s SOCMA Safety Recognition Award — not just at one site, but across all Monument sites.

Brandenburg, Houston, Bayport, and Baytown ALL took home the recognition this year, marking a true company-wide dedication to the safety of our processes and people. 

Monument was one of 25 companies this year to be honored at the 2024 Summit & Meeting. But it’s far from a new title for us. In fact, Monument has been well represented within the Safety Recognition Program for the last decade, with multiple sites receiving the same or an equivalent award since 2014.

“Receiving this recognition by SOCMA not only means demonstrating a commitment to safety practices, but also keeping with the mandate of our guidelines to preserve the health and safety of our employees, our facilities, our environment, and our community,” Willie Urrutia, Houston Area HSSE Manager, explained. “And at Monument, that all starts with our employees — making safety simply part of our culture.”

The 2024 Safety Recognition Program highlights companies who have implemented effective systems focused on four categories: Process Safety, Stakeholder Engagement & Communications, Emergency Planning and Response, and Heat Illness Prevention.

“Monument has a long history of prioritizing safety across all of our businesses,” Willie shared. “But in recent years, our sites have worked diligently on strengthening our established systems by implanting new processes and plans in these key areas. The ongoing positive progression has only allowed us to further protect the health and safety of employees and be a role model to other companies in our industry.”

The Port Arthur team also joined in on the SOCMA achievements, earning their initial certification as a site. 

“Being part of SOCMA was a huge objective for us this year,” James LaFleur, HSSE Specialist at Port Arthur, shared. “The EHS&S (Environmental, Health, Safety, and Sustainability) mission that they empower matches our top priority at  Monument Port Arthur, and it’s why we’re able to thrive as a company. I’m extremely proud of the team we have here and their commitment to it, and we all look forward to many more years as part of the growing SOCMA organization.”

It's safe to say our long-standing status within the program never makes the recognition any less meaningful to our team. Actually, it’s the opposite. “Earning this award every year is a reflection of our dedication to not only maintaining a safe workplace for our employees, but also a culture of continuous improvement,” Willie noted. “It’s an effort that never stops, and if we can continue to be an example within our industry, then we can continue to ensure the protection of the communities and the environments in which we all work and live."

Team members that represented Monument at the 2024 Summit included:
Willie Urrutia – Houston Area HSSE Manager
Gloria O’Bannon – HSSE Coordinator
Gary Poole – HSSE Manager Brandenburg
Jake Moehring – Site Leader Houston
Vernon Harris – Site Leader Baytown
Wendell Borges – Site Leader Brandenburg
James Lafleur – HSSE Specialist Port Arthur