DSM Desotech Inc., a world leader in the development and supply of high performance UV-curable materials, announced today that its Stanley, North Carolina, facility has been named winner of the 2005 DSM SHE Award for top performance in the area of Safety, Health & Environment (SHE). The winning site is chosen annually from among more than 200 DSM locations worldwide.

“The DSM SHE Award recognizes best performance practices related to the personal safety and health of associates, environmental responsibility, and its community reputation,” says John Aviles, Stanley Site Manager. “We are extremely pleased to receive this global recognition of our efforts.”

DSM Desotech is a company familiar with recognition for outstanding safety performance. In 1998, the company’s headquarters location in Elgin, IL also received the DSM SHE Award and, in all, Desotech has earned eight consecutive nominations for the honor. (Desotech’s Stanley site was named runner up in 2003). In 2004, DSM Desotech was recognized by Occupational Hazards magazine as one of America’s 16 Safest Companies and, in 2006, Desotech-Stanley is scheduled to receive its ninth consecutive North Carolina Department of Labor Safety Award.

Desotech SHEQ (Safety, Health, Environment and Quality) Manager Debbie Clay credits the company's safety success to several key factors:

• A strong SHE focus from DSM’s top management.

• A local management team that is personally committed to safety, health and the environment.

• A positive safety culture where associates look out for one another and reduce risks on their own.

• A proactive system for dealing with all incidents (including “close calls”) and benchmarking with other DSM sites.

DSM Desotech’s Charlotte operation relocated to the state-of-the-art Stanley production facility in 2002. Today, approximately 55 associates work at the site, which manufactures UV-curable coatings, inks and matrix materials for optical fiber and cable.