Orica Limited () is an Australian-based multinational corporation that is one of the world's largest providers of commercial explosives and blasting systems to the mining, quarrying, oil and gas, and construction markets, a supplier of sodium cyanide for gold extraction, and a specialist provider of ground support services in mining and tunnelling. Orica has a workforce of around 15,000 employees and contractors, servicing customers across more than 100 countries. Orica is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. It has in recent years been subject to a number of high-profile industrial accidents and fatalities. History Initially founded in 1874 as Jones, Scott and Co., a supplier of explosives during the Victorian gold rush, the company was bought by Nobel Industries. Nobel later merged with several British chemical manufacturers to form Imperial Chemical Industries. In 1928, Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia and New Zealand (ICIANZ) was incorporated to acquire and coordinate all the Australasian interests of ICI Plc. In July 1997, ICI Australia became an independent Australasian company after its parent company, ICI Plc, divested its 62.4 per cent shareholding in the company. As a result of the selldown ICI Australia was required to change its name and on 2 February 1998 became known as Orica. In 2010, Orica successfully demerged DuluxGroup leaving the company to focus on the provision of services to the mining, construction and infrastructure industries. In November 2014, Orica Limited announced the sale of its chemicals business to the Blackstone Group. The sale was completed on 2 March 2015, and the chemicals business now operates under the name 'Ixom'. Financial performance Orica's revenue in 2016 was AUD$5.1 billion and statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) attributable to the shareholders of Orica for the full year ended 30 September 2016 was $343 million. Sustainability Orica is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), the Australian SAM Sustainability Index (AuSSI) and the FTSE4Good Index. These Indexes provide a benchmark for the performance of investments in sustainable companies and funds. Orica releases an annual Sustainability Report that outlines performance against key sustainability metrics. In 2014, Orica was identified as a global leader in Natural Capital Decoupling, which shows the ability of organisations to 'decouple' financial growth from environmental impact, by increasing revenue whilst decreasing their absolute impact. Markets/industries Orica operates across the following markets and industries: Surface metal Surface coal Underground mining Underground construction Construction Quarrying Oil & gas