TAKING SAFETY PERSONAL AT EXXONMOBIL
BY JESSICA VASQUEZ
Safety is a core value at ExxonMobil. Our employees know when they show up at work the goal is ‘Nobody Gets Hurt’. We are committed to safeguarding the security and health of our employees, those involved with our operations, our customers and the community. As the Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant Manager, I play a lead role in our commitment to safety across our site. Safety is the first consideration in every decision made, and I am committed to driving that culture from leadership to those in the field.
I have seen first-hand how a life altering event can impact a family. My grandfather was killed on an oil rig in the 1980s when I was only a few years old. Witnessing my mother and her family’s enduring struggles following his unexpected death remains emotional decades later. He was the rock of the family and sole provider. This is a real reminder for me of why we focus on keeping our people safe every day.
At Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant, our workforce is deeply rooted in three keys to safety success: adherence to life saving actions, following safety standards and the obligation to intervene.
In order to continue to improve, we altered our approach to managing personnel safety. The Life Saving Actions were developed to prevent life altering injuries and fatalities, and they are standardized globally by the International Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP). Focusing on these Life Saving Actions allows us to shift focus to engagement, collaborative learning and improvement versus solely relying on compliance on a set of rules. Our employees and contractors seek to eliminate these high consequence incidents by focusing on the health and strength of safeguards associated with high risk activities they perform.
As we continue to advance personnel safety, it is critical we maintain our high focus on process safety. Several years ago we implemented a corporate wide process safety initiative and have since made a step change in the reduction of our process safety events. Nothing is more important than managing process safety risk effectively and that is why we will continue to look internally and externally on how we can improve. We at ExxonMobil take personal responsibility for process safety – the safety of our employees, contractors and the communities in which we operate.
At our site, our workforce is empowered to stop work when a risk is identified. Having the conviction and obligation to intervene is paramount to ensuring everyday operational tasks are performed flawlessly. These tasks could become complacent over time and that is where our family culture comes in to be our sisters’ & brothers’ keeper. We have robust procedures and well maintained facilities and ultimately our workforce is our last line of defense.
Our plastics plant is proud to have over 40 dedicated volunteer responders across four response disciplines – fire, medical, HAZMAT and rescue. They undergo rigorous, ongoing training to ensure world-class response capabilities. These response teams work closely with the City of Mont Belvieu and Chambers County to coordinate mutual aid and off-site assistance, helping to safeguard our employees, contractors, neighbors and facilities. Our site conducts monthly shift emergency response drills to test our team’s abilities and drive improvements. These response teams are an integral piece to maintaining our safety success.
In 2023, our employees worked over 1.5 million hours without a recordable injury and no process safety events. This outstanding accomplishment was foundational for our site receiving the AFPM Elite Platinum Award.
We understand that responsible operation without impact to personnel, the community and the environment is essential to our license to operate. Being a responsible neighbor and safety leader in the community are core values that are fundamental to me personally and our site.
