Evonik’s Orange, Texas Carbon Black Plant Achieves Safety Milestone  

Plant Reaches More Than Two Thousand Days Without Lost Time Accident 

  

ORANGE, Texas, February 13, 2008 - A solid commitment to safety by managers and associates at Evonik’s carbon black plant in Orange has produced an enviable safety record: six years without a lost time accident (LTA).  

The last time Evonik’s Orange plant (formerly called Degussa Engineered Carbons) reported an accident was November, 2001.  Since then, the site - which manufactures carbon black, a key ingredient in products ranging from tires to cosmetics – has gone more than 2,100 days without a lost time accident, a work related personal injury resulting in at least one day off from the job.

“Safety is always our highest priority at all our sites, and six years with no lost time accidents at our Orange plant is a great achievement for all concerned,” said Jack Clem, Head of the North America operations of Evonik’s Inorganic Materials Business Unit. “It’s important that everyone is committed to safety. It begins with management and requires acceptance at the grassroots level. At the end of the day, safety is everyone’s responsibility.”  

A safe work environment can only be created with the co-operation of all employees and all levels of management. “Our employees and managers at Orange are totally committed to injury prevention,” said Clem.  “We ensure that our facilities and procedures are safe, but more importantly, we continually emphasize safe behavior. We conduct frequent refresher courses and train for safe activities. Everyone is expected to report in a timely manner, any unsafe acts or conditions that arise.”  

Orange plant Manager Russell Webb praised the site’s 46 employees, saying that they have worked extremely hard to achieve six years without a lost time accident.  “I am very proud and extremely impressed by their dedication to the job and to job safety,” said Webb. “The health and safety of our workforce has always been – and will always be - a top priority of Evonik.”   

Company information
Evonik Industries is the creative industrial group from Germany which operates in three business areas: Chemicals, Energy and Real Estate. Evonik is a global leader in specialty chemicals, an expert in power generation from hard coal and renewable energies, and one of the largest private residential real estate companies in Germany. Our strengths are creativity, specialization, continuous self-renewal, and reliability. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In its fiscal year 2006 more than 43,000 employees generated sales of about Euro 14.8 billion and an operating profit (EBIT) of over Euro 1.2 billion.

Disclaimer
In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.