The Implementation and Maintenance of a Behavioral Safety Process in a Petroleum Refinery

Abstract

A values-centered and team-based behavioral safety process was implemented in a petroleum oil refinery. Employee teams defined the refinery's safety values and related practices, which were used to guide the process design and implementation. The process included (a) a safety assessment; (b) the clarification of safety-related values and related practices; (c) process design and executive overview; (d) safety-observation training; (e) feedback, recognition, and celebration; and (f) process maintenance. Data that span 20 years are presented to show the long-term impact on recordable incidents, lost-time cases, and direct costs of injuries. The implementation was associated with an 81% decrease in recordable incidents, a 79% decrease in lost-time cases, and a 97% savings in annual workers' compensation costs over an eight-year period. An interview with the vice president of the refinery is presented to highlight the process's influence on the refinery's safety culture.

Keywords:

• behavioral safety
• safety observations
• long-term effects

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Erratum

The authors would like to thank Randy Carbo, former Vice President of the Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex, CITGO Petroleum Corporation, VBSP team members, and all of the employees at the CITGO Lake Charles refinery.

Notes

^†This article is published posthumously for lead author Wanda V. Myers. She was the Director of the Gulf Coast Region for Quality Safety Edge.The authors would like to thank Randy Carbo, former Vice President of the Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex, CITGO Petroleum Corporation, VBSP team members, and all of the employees at the CITGO Lake Charles refinery.

1. OSHA-recordable incidence rates represent the number of nonfatal injuries and illnesses (N) per 100 full-time workers. Incidence rates are calculated as: N/EH (total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year) × 200,000 (base for 100 equivalent full-time workers working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009).