SEOUL, Korea -- In recognition of today as World Day for Safety and Health at Work, DuPont has announced its participation as the premier sponsor of the XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, to be held in Seoul June 29 to July 2.

Held every three years, the World Congress draws together several thousand key leaders and influencers of workplace safety policy from industry, government and labor to present and discuss emerging safety research, trends, best practices and innovations in the workplace.

Today’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work was established by the International Labour Organization in 2003 to emphasize the prevention of illness and accidents at work.

DuPont will contribute to the World Congress in a number of ways, including:

-- Participating in the Safety and Health Summit, an exclusive gathering of leaders representing labor, government, safety and health professional associations, and businesses;

-- Conducting a symposium on "Sharing Best Practices for a Safer and Healthier World";

-- Presenting a technical session on "Successful Safety and Health Management System in Enterprises";

-- Hosting a series of roundtable discussions on "Protecting Lives"; and

-- Joining other charter signers of the World Safety Declaration in presenting a workplace safety report to Congress attendees.

"For more than 200 years, DuPont has demonstrated its commitment to protecting the lives of our employees at work and elsewhere," said Mark P. Vergnano, group vice president -- DuPont Safety & Protection. "Over the years we have extended that commitment and applied our science and safety expertise to developing products and services that help protect the lives of people at work, at home and in other environments around the world. We are proud to be a sponsor of this year's World Congress on Safety and Health at Work as we continue to promote the importance of protecting what matters most -- human life."

One example of the DuPont commitment to workplace safety is the World Safety Declaration. In 2005, a cross-industry coalition of companies from around the world publicly pledged to advance workplace and home safety practices globally over a three-year period signing the first-ever "World Safety Declaration: Global Industry Commitment to Workplace Safety."

The declaration, unveiled at the XVII World Congress of Safety and Health at Work in Orlando, Fla., in Sept. 2005, called for participating companies "to effect real-world change to achieve an attainable goal of increased safety and injury reduction." One of the declaration's goals is to recognize that safety enhancements in workplaces and homes are achievable objectives that can be defined, evaluated and measured, despite the differences of geographies and environments around the world. The companies also committed to reporting their progress, successes and challenges at this year's event in Korea.

The global coalition of the "World Safety Declaration" includes 15 founding companies, headquartered in various countries: DuPont, General Electric, British Petroleum, TATA Steel, BE&K services, Calvert, Fluor Services, Rohm & Haas, TATA Chemicals, Evergreen Aviation Technologies, Aker Kvaerner services, Yantai Wanhua Polyurethanes, Hindustan Lever, CEMEX, and Reliance Industries.

The World Congress on Safety and Health at Work is the world's largest international event in occupational safety and health. It aims at contributing to the prevention of occupational accidents and the protection of workers' health through the exchange of information, knowledge and experiences on new technologies related to safety at work, on preventing occupational diseases, and on safety and health cooperative projects.

The 2008 World Congress organizers are the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Social Security Association (ISSA) and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA).

Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere.