Durez Corporation

A positive safety culture begins with a desire for, and a commitment to, safety excellence.  Once established, the culture will continue to develop when an organization learns to address issues that arise in the normal course of business and to identify trends and areas of concern.  The term “safety culture” is commonly defined as “an organizational culture that places a high level of importance on safety beliefs, values and attitudes—and such beliefs, values and attitudes are adopted and shared by the employees”. 

Sumitomo Bakelite Company established the SBHPP name for their High Performance Plastics business unit and acquired Durez Corporation in 2001.  Durez Corporation, located in Kenton, Ohio, is in the chemical manufacturing industry and produces the most comprehensive range of active resins and thermoset resins with over 300 different phenolic resins used in a wide variety of industries such as rubber, adhesives, specialty coatings, abrasives and friction.  The leadership team at Durez, including Safety and Human Resources, has created a safety focused culture and continues to make safety and loss prevention a top priority.  This culture has resulted in not only a significant reduction in claims losses in recent policy years but, more importantly, a significant reduction in workplace injuries and illnesses. 

From conversations with our long-term client, these outstanding results stem from a commitment to providing a safe work environment, taking a proactive approach, and practicing effective organizational communication.  For example, Durez has shown their commitment to the safety of their employees by becoming ISO 45001 certified and maintaining that designation.  They have taken proactive steps focused on safety by establishing a positive relationship with their local fire department and by sharing injury and incident information with other Durez locations in an effort to prevent future similar injuries.  Durez also participates in their local safety council meetings, conducts internal safety training and they have partnered with the Ohio BWC and Sedgwick Risk Control to conduct facility tours and air quality testing.  The results of these efforts are shared with the employees in the form of team meetings, union meetings and new hire training.  In addition, plans are currently underway for the installation of new equipment to minimize exposure to overexertion injuries. 

Both Sedgwick TPA and Sedgwick MCO have had the privilege of a strong partnership with Durez, and we greatly respect their attention to and focus on safety.  Their efforts have cultivated an environment to the extent that they have not had a work-related injury since March 1, 2022.  Yes, as of the date of this article, Durez has not had a work-related injury in 420 days.