Linde North America`s Texas Plant Receives Responsible Care Certification

Third of four Linde production facilities scheduled for 2009 certification
MURRAY HILL, N.J.--(Business Wire)--
Linde North America has received certification of its Terrell, Texas, air
separation plant under the American Chemistry Council`s Responsible Care
program.

Linde North America is a member of The Linde Group, a world-leading gases and
engineering company. The ACC is an association of producers, manufacturers and
suppliers of chemical products.

Last year, Linde began the certification process with its headquarters facility
in Murray Hill, New Jersey. During 2008, the company also completed
certification of eight of its production plants located throughout the US. The
Terrell plant is the third of four locations scheduled for certification in 2009
in order to satisfy the ACC`s requirement for membership. The Linde plants in
Delta, Ohio, and Price, Utah, received certification earlier this year.

The Terrell plant, which employs 25 people, has been in operation since 1992. It
separates air cryogenically to produce 280 tons per day of liquid oxygen and
nitrogen, as well as crude argon. The oxygen and nitrogen are trucked to
hospitals, food processors, steel and glass manufacturers, oil refiners and oil
and gas fraccing operations in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The crude argon is
transported to a nearby Linde facility for purification.

Area manager, Jacob Simon, said, "Responsible Care, unlike any other plant
process, is a risk management approach that focuses on eliminating, mitigating
and/or controlling risk around all activities. It provides a mechanism to keep
us ever aware of the health and safety of our employees and customers, as well
as the preservation of the environment. And for the community, this
certification is like a `Good Citizenship` award."

Responsible Care is a globally recognized management system aimed at helping
companies improve performance in areas such as safety, health, environment and
security. Certification is mandatory for all ACC member companies, which must
undergo headquarter and facility audits by an independent, accredited auditor to
verify that they have a structure and system in place that manages and measures
performance. Lloyd`s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) is Linde`s independent
auditor.

The Responsible Care management system offers an integrated, structured approach
for driving continual improvement in seven key areas: community awareness and
emergency response; security; distribution; employee health and safety;
pollution prevention; process safety; and product stewardship.

Warren Arenz, head of safety, health, environment and quality for Linde North
America, said, "The Terrell plant achieved what is considered a perfect score
under the ACC Responsible Care Program. The employees worked very hard to
achieve this recognition, which falls right in line with our goals as a high
performance organization and our vision to be the leading gases and engineering
company. I congratulate them on the great job they did and are continuing to
do."

Implementing the Responsible Care system is a multi-step process. Companies must
first plan - identify, assess and evaluate potential hazards and risks
associated with their products, processes and operations - and establish goals
and objectives to address any significant hazards or risks. Next, they must do
what they have planned, checking their progress along the way to measure
performance and take necessary corrective actions. Communicating with employees
and other stakeholders, including neighbors and customers, along the way also is
essential.

The Linde Group is a world leading gases and engineering company with almost
52,000 employees working in around 100 countries worldwide. In the 2008
financial year it achieved sales of EUR 12.7 billion (USD 15.9 billion). The
strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards sustainable earnings-based growth
and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking
products and services.

Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees,
society and the environment - in every one of its business areas, regions and
locations across the globe. Linde is committed to technologies and products that
unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

For more information, see The Linde Group online at http://www.linde.com

Peter Gavigan, 908-771-1512
Linde corporate communications
Peter.Gavigan@linde.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009