Our commitment as a socially responsible company means that we operate our facilities in a manner that protects people and the environment and preserves our world for future generations.
Operational Excellence. Operational Excellence is Lyondell’s broadly institutionalized and disciplined management system to achieve reliable and measurable performance that enables us to drive continuous improvement in every aspect of our business. This management system includes the Manufacturing Operational Excellence Principles of Safety and Health, Environment, Quality, Reliability, Cost and Efficiency, People, and Community.
OSHA STAR Site. The Victoria plant has been certified as a STAR site within the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) since 1988. This is OSHA’s highest level of recognition for outstanding safety performance and processes in the workplace.
Safety Performance. Heightened awareness and focused attention to safety programs has helped drive the plant and its employees to an injury-free workplace for more than two years. This emphasis also applies to our contractors who have worked injury-free for several years.
Environmental. Refinements in emission calculation methods and increased production rates have resulted in an increase in air emissions. Air emissions of volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides increased from 192 tons in 2004 to 286 tons in 2005. Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) air emissions increased from 132 tons in 2004 to 190 tons in 2005.
We are committed to being an environmentally responsible neighbor and over the past year, we have implemented several projects designed to reduce air emissions and improve our environmental performance. We have also implemented projects to improve our management of storm water and process wastewater. These efforts are beginning to show positive results.
Energy Efficiency. An aggressive 31-point program initiated in 1998 to improve plant energy efficiency is resulting in annual energy cost savings of approximately $232,000.
Waste Minimization. Over the last three years, efforts to reduce waste generated at the plant resulted in a substantial drop from 6,519 tons in 2003 to 1,989 tons in 2005, a 70 percent reduction.