Airgas, Inc. : Airgas Receives CGA Fleet Safety Award for Third Consecutive Year

Airgas' Duane Young Honored with CGA Charles H. Glasier Safety Award

Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG) today announced that it received a fleet safety award from the Compressed Gas Association (CGA), the U.S. industrial and medical gas industry's standard-setting organization for the promotion of safety standards and safe practices. Airgas was awarded the CGA Fleet Safety Excellence Award for Cylinder Gas Transportation, Over 3 Million Miles driven per year during 2011. It was the third straight year Airgas was presented with the award. Duane Young, who headed Airgas' Safety, Environmental, Compliance and Risk Management (SAFECOR) organization for more than 20 years, received the Charles H. Glassier Safety Award in recognition of his safety leadership within the Compressed Gas Association.

The CGA calculates its Fleet Safety awards on a CGA member's total vehicle accident frequency rate per million miles driven during the year. Two awards honor cylinder gas fleets, with one for more than three million miles driven and one for less than three million miles driven.

Airgas is a five-time winner of the CGA Cylinder Gas Transportation award and has the largest cylinder gas fleet among CGA members. In addition to 2011, Airgas won the award in 2010, 2009, 2003 and 2002.

"We are honored to be recognized by the CGA for having the best safety record among large cylinder gas fleets," said Airgas Chief Executive Officer Peter McCausland. "Our drivers covered more than three million miles last year in safely meeting the needs of our cylinder gas customers. When you transport cylinder gases, those are very demanding miles. We cannot over state the importance of safety in our industry and we work hard to improve our already safe performance every day."

The CGA presented Duane Young, former Director of the Airgas SAFECOR organization and now Senior Engineer - Airgas Gas Operations, with the Charles H. Glasier Safety Award. Young has been in the compressed gas industry since 1974 and was Airgas' official representative to the CGA from 1999 until 2011. During his time with Airgas SAFECOR, he managed the development and implementation of 28 regulatory compliance systems for Airgas that led to a more than 60% reduction in the frequency and severity of workplace accidents and established Airgas as an industry leader in fleet safety.

"Duane provided a strong foundation for Airgas' safety and health leadership during a time when our company was dramatically changing," McCausland added. "With more than 300 acquisitions and a workforce that grew from less than 1,000 to more than 14,000, Duane set the standard for working safely at Airgas."

The Charles H. Glasier Safety Award honors the memory of Charles H. Glasier, a leader in the industry, a strong supporter of safety, a former CGA chairman (1980), and an active participant in the CGA for more than 40 years. The award was created in 1994 and is presented annually.

About Airgas, Inc.

Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), through its subsidiaries, is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical and specialty gases, and hardgoods, such as welding equipment and supplies. Airgas is also a leading U.S. producer of atmospheric gases, carbon dioxide, dry ice, and nitrous oxide, one of the largest U.S. distributors of safety products, and a leading U.S. distributor of refrigerants, ammonia products, and process chemicals. More than 14,000 employees work in approximately 1,100 locations, including branches, retail stores, gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities and distribution centers. Airgas also markets its products and services through eBusiness, catalog and telesales channels. Its national scale and strong local presence offer a competitive edge to its diversified customer base. For more information, please visit www.airgas.com.

Airgas, Inc.
Media Contact:
Doug Sherman, 610-902-6270
doug.sherman@airgas.com
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barry.strzelec@airgas.com

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