Safe Operations - Index

Refinery emergency flares

Pascagoula Refinery employees, as well as the community, are interested in ensuring the plant operates safely and efficiently. Chevron provides a safe work place and safe products that exceed current governmental regulations. Because we believe that all incidents and injuries are preventable, Chevron intends to lead the industry in Operational Excellence through safe, reliable, efficient and environmentally sound operations. Our safety policy not only stresses commitment to employee health, but also emphasizes promotion of activities that provide a safe and protected workplace for employees, contract workers, visitors and our neighbors.

Flares

Oil refining is a dynamic process. Temperatures, pressures and other processing conditions are carefully controlled to make the specified amount of products. Equipment breakdown, power outage or other upsets may cause the pressure in the plant to rise. To control the pressure, valves automatically open, safely diverting the material to a "relief system." Here the excess hydrocarbons are burned in smokeless flares, forming primarily water and carbon dioxide. The flares prevent hydrocarbon vapors from escaping into the atmosphere.

Hands-on Training - Under the direction of the refinery's Development Group, Chevron employees receive both classroom and hands-on training. Personnel in the Maintenace & Reliability department (in photo at left) during hands-on training learn both the mechanics and safety measures involved in repairing a reciprocating compressor.

As a coworker performs a job task, a Refinery Mechanic records a S=AFE "observation" – data used to reinforce safe work habits as well as bring attention to unsafe work procedures.

Training

Refinery personnel receive extensive safety training in their specific duties before they begin their jobs, and they receive refresher training at regular intervals. Chevron's Pascagoula Refinery has an entire organization, the Development Group, whose experienced employees focus on training and safety assurance. Its Process Safety Management (PSM) group has responsibility for the Refinery’s proactive processes designed to prevent the release of hazardous chemicals, particularly into areas where exposure to employees and others may be possible.

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Safety Management

Chevron's commitment to Operational Excellence is evidenced at the Pascagoula Refinery by its effective employee-driven safety management programs.

The proactive processes, such as Maintenance’s S=AFE (Safety = Accident Free Environment) and the Operations Department's LIFE (Long-term Incident Free Environment), focus on observations of safe and at-risk work habits and subsequent behavior modifications.

As a result of the safety management programs, the Refinery is now experiencing about 90 percent fewer injuries than typically experienced 10 years ago.

Our Maintenance/Project Services organization had 95 percent fewer injuries during the period October 2003 through October 2004, than was typically experienced 10 years ago. And, Operations personnel have experienced an 80 percent decrease in injuries during that same time period.

Emergency Preparedness & Response

Chevron personnel exercise forward thinking by constantly monitoring our process units to identify what could go wrong, such as mechanical breakdowns, and what the impact might be. In addition, we maintain regular contact with state and local agencies and work with them to conduct large-scale emergency drills.

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ERT training at the refinery's Fire Training Grounds

Emergency Response Team

The refinery's on-site fire department (Plant Protection Group) is equipped with state-of-the-art response equipment and staffed by 12 full-time professional (OSHA-approved) fire fighters who conduct regular training for the refinery's Emergency Response Team (ERT).

Recognized industry-wide for its excellence, our ERT is made up of approximately 80 employee volunteers who each year undergo 150 hours of specialized training that qualifies them to effectively respond to any and all types of industrial emergency situations. Training areas include - industrial fire fighting (hydrocarbon, chemical and structural fires); high angle and confined space rescue; hazardous materials release or leak response; and emergency vehicular operations training. Additionally, the ERT's Medical First Responders and nationally certified Emergency Medical Technicians respond to medical emergencies.

Emergency Response Plans

While Chevron Pascagoula maintains an exemplary safety record, we have multiple emergency response plans in place to effectively respond to any plant emergency. In the event of an incident, Plant Protection's highly trained Emergency Response Team is immediately dispatched to the scene, and refinery-wide multi-discipline emergency response groups establish an Incident Command Center to manage a comprehensive response. Incident Command personnel notify all area government agencies, and a trained Public Affairs Team provides up-to-date information to the media, Refinery employees, and community inquirers. In the event that the incident is of concern to the public, Incident Command personnel work with the Jackson County Emergency Communications District to notify the community, and Public Affairs Team personnel dispatch alerts to all area media outlets. The response teams keep the community and media updated throughout the incident.

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Community Emergency Planning

Chevron Pascagoula emergency response personnel work regularly with Jackson County's Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), a network of representatives from the county's public and private sectors who work to plan and coordinate all types of emergency response in the county, including those involving hazardous material, training and community awareness. The group is made up of representatives from 40 public safety, health, emergency services agencies, and local industries. All municipal and county fire, police and civil defense agencies in Jackson County have representatives on the LEPC.

LEPC participating industries, including the Pascagoula Refinery, worked with the Jackson County Civil Defense Director to establish a countywide emergency notification system. The Pascagoula Refinery provided $7,775 to the county Emergency Office for the Emergency Warning Evacuation System which was launched in spring 2003. For a listing of LEPC members and contact information, link to Jackson County's website: http://www.co.jackson.ms.us/

Oil Spill Preparedness

The refinery also maintains an extensively trained Oil Spill Response Team and regularly conducts oil spill drills. If oil were to spill in the water, our on-staff teams would respond immediately, deploying floating oil booms to contain the spill. Oil recovered from a spill would be pumped into a storage tank for recycling.

As part of the refinery’s oil spill preparedness, members of Pascagoula’s Oiled Wildlife Response Team (OWRT) designed and had constructed a one-of-a-kind wildlife rehabilitation unit – the only fully-equipped oiled wildlife rehab unit in the world that can be transported by air.  

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Safe operations is also impacted by Chevron’s focus on enhancing and preserving the health and well-being of our employees, retirees, and their families. By providing a comprehensive Health & Wellness Program, Chevron believes that striving to keep employees healthy impacts not only their health risks, but promotes a safe and productive workforce.

An integrated approach between an interdisciplinary staff of health professionals is provided to insure that employees’ physical and mental needs are addressed. This includes an on-site Medical Clinic, the Health Quest Employee Wellness Program, and one of the most comprehensive health care packages in the industry. The approach is to provide employees with a needs-based health promotion program to assist in reducing injuries and illnesses. We offer our employees access to first aid medical treatment, assessment of and counseling in health risks, reducing stress, shift work issues, and dealing with emotional problems, family issues, substance abuse and tobacco addiction. Also included in this program is a Chevron owned and operated state of the art fitness center. This comprehensive Health & Wellness Program support Chevron's strategic intent to be “the industry leader in safety and health performance."

Drug Testing

Employees want to work in an environment that is safe. Consequently, all job applicants are given a pre-employment drug screen test. In addition, all employees, including supervisors and managers, are randomly tested for drugs. With one of the most comprehensive health care packages in the industry, Chevron offers its employees counseling in appraising health risks, reducing stress, and dealing with emotional problems, substance abuse and tobacco addiction.

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