WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) has announced the winners of the 2021 Annual Safety Awards, part of the refining and petrochemical industries’ ongoing mission to enhance and recognize outstanding workplace safety. The awards, considered the industries’ premier awards, are part of a comprehensive program developed by the AFPM Safety and Health Committee to promote safe operations in the refining and petrochemical industries. They also recognize facilities that have outstanding occupational and process safety performance.
“The U.S. refining and petrochemical industries continued to deliver on their commitment to the health and safety of our workforce, our communities, and the environment last year. The AFPM Safety Awards proudly honor the sites that have risen to the top, sites that never fail to focus on safety and continuously look for ways to improve, benefitting not only our employees and facilities, but also supporting community safety and improving environmental protection,” said Chet Thompson.
The refining and petrochemical industries’ commitment to safety is reflected in their records, where they have ranked in the top tenth percentile of more than 500 manufacturing industries tracked by the government over the last decade.
The highest honor, the Distinguished Safety Award, is awarded to the top sites with outstanding safety performance, program innovation and safety leadership. This honor was awarded to four facilities this year for achieving a sustained, exemplary level of safety performance, they are: LyondellBasell Industries – Morris Site; Marathon Petroleum Company – St. Paul Park Refinery; Monroe Energy LLC – Trainer Refinery and Phillips 66 – Sweeny Refinery.
The Elite Gold Award, which recognizes facilities with safety performances in the top five percentile and that have demonstrated superior and consistent safety performance, program innovation and leadership, has been given to ten facilities this year: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company – Borger Plant; ExxonMobil Chemical Company – Baton Rouge Plastics Plant; ExxonMobil Chemical Company – Baton Rouge Polyolefins; LyondellBasell Industries – Bayport Complex; LyondellBasell Industries – Clinton Site; LyondellBasell Industries – Tuscola Plant; Marathon Petroleum Corporation – Anacortes Refinery; Marathon Petroleum Corporation – Louisiana Refining Division; Phillips 66 – Billings Refinery and Valero Energy Corporation – St. Charles Refinery.
The Elite Silver Award recognizes those sites that have attained top industry safety performance for the application year and demonstrated excellent program innovation and leadership over time. The Elite Silver Award recognizes the top ten percentile of industry safety and this year was awarded to 11 facilities: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company – Drilling Specialties Conroe Plant; ExxonMobil Chemical Company – Baytown Chemical Plant; ExxonMobil Chemical Company – Baytown Olefins Plant; Exxon Mobil Refining & Supply – Billings Refinery; Exxon Mobil Refining & Supply – Joliet Refinery; Flint Hills Resources, LLC – Houston Chemical; LyondellBasell Industries - Louisiana Integrated PolyEthylene JV LLC (LKO); Phillips 66 – Bayway Refinery; Valero Energy Corporation – Texas City Refinery; Valero Energy Corporation – Three Rivers Refinery and Valero Energy Corporation – Wilmington Asphalt Plant.
The AFPM Innovation Awards, introduced in 2020, recognize refineries, petrochemical facilities, and their contractors that have unique and innovative programs or practices that effectively improve the site’s safety performance for either occupational or process safety. Seven sites received the award this year and they are Exxon Mobil Corporation – Beaumont Refinery; Flint Hills Resources LLC – Pine Bend Refinery; LyondellBasell Industries – Morris Site; Marathon Petroleum Company – Refining (corporate); Marathon Petroleum Company – Michigan Refining Division; Placid Refining Company, LLC and Valero Energy Corporation – Three Rivers Refinery.