Tronox Statement Regarding Incident at Hamilton Facility

August 14, 2014, 1:00 p.m. CDT 

Tronox regrets to report that, following an accident that occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m. this morning, at its Hamilton, Mississippi facility, a contractor has died. Emergency response teams from Tronox as well as Monroe and Lowndes Counties were immediately dispatched to the site of the accident.

 Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and colleagues of George Rice.

 Mr. Rice was an employee of JIMCO Group, which has been working at the Tronox site for several years to recover non-hazardous solids from ponds that store by-products from the production of titanium dioxide, a non-toxic pigment used in paint, plastics and other common products.  He was onboard a tethered 18-foot pontoon dredge that is believed to have listed and capsized.  He was wearing a floatation vest when the accident occurred.

 The body of Mr. Rice was recovered and pronounced dead at the scene by the sheriff’s department at approximately 9:00 a.m. CDT.

 The cause of the accident is under investigation.  Immediate measures have been taken to secure the area and to ensure the safety of our employees and contractors. 

 Tronox is committed to the safety of our workers and the local community.  The relevant safety, health and environmental authorities have been alerted and are on site.  We take this situation seriously and are cooperating with officials from these agencies to fully investigate the incident and take action, if necessary, to prevent future such events.

 Further information regarding this accident will be issued when available.

About Tronox Hamilton

Acquired in 1967 from American Potash and Chemical, Tronox’s Hamilton Plant has a long history of providing quality products for global customers.  With more than 50 years of operational success, Hamilton’s titanium dioxide (TiO₂) manufacturing operation is the third-largest chloride-process TiO₂ plant in the world and one of Mississippi’s biggest industrial operations. Hamilton employs a multiple-line chloride configuration which results in higher capacity utilization. Hamilton and its 470 employees work closely with customers to optimize their formulations and enhance TiO₂ use in production processes.  The Hamilton site includes chlorate plant that produces sodium chlorate and is a major seller into the pulp and paper industry. The dual plant-site benefits include synergies in the sharing of process utilities, while the chlorate process by-product is supplied as fuel for the site steam generation.

 Date facilities began operation:

Sodium Chlorate in 1958

Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) Pigment in 1965

 Products/services Capacity:

Titanium Dioxide (TiO₂) Pigment (225,000 MT)

Sodium Chlorate (135,000 MT)

 Number of Employees (as of July 2014):

466 FTE, (402 pigment/64 electrolytic)

300 Contractors

Hamilton Plant

40034 Tronox Road

Hamilton MS 39746

Phone:  +1-662-343-8780