Nalco, providing essential expertise for water, energy and air, has been named one of America's Safest Companies by EHS Today magazine. The magazine recognized 12 companies for providing a safe working environment for their employees and serving as examples of companies that have achieved world-class safety status. The companies chosen for 2011 were revealed at an awards dinner in Philadelphia.

"Safety is one of Nalco's core values," said Nalco Chairman and CEO Erik Fyrwald. "We work to make safety personal for all our employees and continue to focus on zero--zero accidents, injuries and fatalities."

To be considered one of America's Safest Companies, those selected must demonstrate: support from management and employee involvement; innovative solutions to safety challenges; injury and illness rates lower than the average for their industry; comprehensive training programs; evidence that prevention of incidents is the cornerstone of the safety process; good communication about the value of safety; and a way to substantiate the benefits of the safety process.

"We were struck by how many of the companies chosen this year focused on leading indicators, such as achievement metrics and predictive analytics, rather than trailing indicators, such as Total Recordable Injury Rates, when discussing the strength of their safety process," said Sandy Smith, Executive Editor of EHS Today. "We had a difficult time this year narrowing the field down. We received so many excellent applications that for the first time, we conducted several rounds of eliminations."

More information about Nalco's safety efforts is available in the 2010 Sustainability Report at www.nalco.com/sustainability. More details about America's Safest Companies is available at ehstoday.com.