Corpus Christi Plant Earns OSHA Award for Safety
October 25, 2010
Site celebrates 24 years in elite national safety program
CORPUS CHRISTI, Oct. 25, 2010 -- LyondellBasell’s Corpus Christi complex received a safety award from OSHA, which noted several significant safety and health program upgrades and health and injury rates that are well below the national average.
The facility recently was recertified as a Star site under the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after a comprehensive audit of the site’s health and safety practices. LyondellBasell’s Corpus Christi site entered the program shortly after it began in 1982.
“I am pleased that the injury/illness rates remain below the national average,” wrote Acting Regional Administrator William A. Burke of OSHA in the formal notification to the plant of its successful recertification results. He was “particularly impressed” with the involvement of employees and leadership of top management, he wrote.
The evaluation team noted the prevalence of team work in safety and health among all site workers. The facility’s three-year injury and illness record from 2007 to 2009 had a 0.4 total case incident rate (TCIR) -- 56 percent below the national average of 2.2, the audit noted. The site’s incidence rate for days away, restricted duty or transferred cases (DART) for the same period was a remarkable zero.
Five significant program changes were noted by the auditors, including hiring a nurse practitioner to manage the occupational health program, beginning life-critical procedure audits, developing and implementing a “no open-ended lines” program, beginning a Contractor Safety Forum and strengthening the cooling-tower structure.
The VPP was established in 1982 to recognize employers and employees who focus on the prevention of injuries, illnesses and fatalities through the implementation of effective safety and health management systems. It is a voluntary program that requires a company to go above and beyond safety regulations. LyondellBasell’s Corpus Christi complex first achieved VPP status in 1986 and has successfully completed six recertifications and 24 years in the program.
“This was accomplished because of remarkable teamwork exhibited day in and day out by our workers,” said Site Manager Randy Tatum of LyondellBasell. “For more than two decades they have looked out for each other and made safety and health our top priority.”
The “Star” designation is the highest level of recognition for exemplary occupational safety and health programs awarded by OSHA as part of the VPP. Maintaining this status requires periodic re-certification by OSHA that takes several days and involves an extensive audit of records and safety practices, plus interviews of employees and management.
Currently, there are 2,263 federal and state VPP Star-certified participants out of 10 million eligible employers in the United States.
LyondellBasell’s Corpus Christi plant produces ethylene, propylene and fuel products which are used by our customers as basic building blocks for consumer plastics and other products, such as food packaging and containers to store and keep goods fresh, and antifreeze. Located on 2,569 acres in northwest Corpus Christi, the plant employs approximately 270 employees and contractors.