The Dow Chemical Company announced that it is the proud recipient of the National Safety Council’s international Robert W. Campbell Award, given at the opening session of the NSC 2010 Congress & Expo, the world’s largest annual safety and health conference, according to a recent press release.

The award recognizes a company that upholds Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) as a key business value and clearly links measurable achievement in EH&S performance to productivity and profitability. Dow is the ninth company — and the first chemical company ever — to earn this prestigious award from the National Safety Council.

“This is a proud moment for all of us in the Dow family,” said Andrew Liveris, Dow’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We operate a ‘safety first, production second’ mindset at Dow, and our ‘Drive to Zero’ global safety goals will always come first because it’s what’s right for our employees, our communities, our customers, our business partners and our environment. We are proud of the women and men of Dow around the globe — and we thank them as we celebrate their outstanding performance that garnered this recognition.”

The National Safety Council’s rigorous examination of Dow’s EH&S standards, practices and performance — and how performance is linked to productivity and profitability — required Dow to share five years of safety and business data. Dow also was required to provide unfettered access to its manufacturing sites to demonstrate how the company’s safety processes achieve EH&S objectives.

Built on the principles of rigorous scientific evaluation, the Campbell Award applies an evidence-based case study approach to serve as a catalyst toward transforming the landscape of EH&S worldwide. To promote leading-edge integrated management systems, and to educate and influence leaders across national and cultural borders, exemplary Campbell Award submissions are shared with organizations and educational institutions through the award’s network of 23 Global Partner organizations.

“It’s clear that safety is a core element in the operations at Dow,” said Janet Froetscher, National Safety Council President and CEO. “Dow has a strong commitment to safety at all levels within the organization. We are proud to recognize Dow as a world class safety leader.”

Dow has a long history of industry leadership in protecting human health and the environment, working with others to establish standards and improve industry performance. Dow was actively involved in the implementation of Responsible Care®, the global chemical industry’s standard of care for safety, environmental performance, security and product stewardship.

Today, EH&S leadership remains a core principle of Dow’s global business operations. Dow is working aggressively toward a comprehensive set of measurable goals Dow established in 2006 to ensure the company is having a positive impact on the world. Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goals address EH&S performance through goals focused on community success, local protection of human health and the environment, and product safety — in addition to delivering breakthrough solutions to world challenges like energy, water supplies, health, food and nutrition, and affordable housing.

Dow shares the view promoted by Robert W. Campbell, a pioneer in the safety movement at the beginning of the 20th century, that safety benefits people and business. At Dow, the protection of human health and the environment is a core value. Envi¬ronment, Health, and Safety efforts have been viewed as critical to Dow’s success throughout its 113-year history, and EH&S remains a key enabler of the company’s future business strategy.

“We recognize that our EH&S performance affects how we are viewed by our stake holders and we work hard every day to ensure we live up to their and our expectations,” added Liveris. “EH&S is about trust and ultimately impacts our ability to do business.”