Making new strides in worker education and wellbeing is one of the goals of the Houston Area Safety Council (HASC). Now an alliance among HASC, Global Health Services, Performance Contractors Inc. and LyondellBasell is setting yet another precedent by placing a mobile medical unit at a $700 million project in La Porte, Texas.
LyondellBasell’s Hyperzone polyethylene (PE) facility is the first commercial plant of its kind and, upon completion, will be the biggest propylene oxide/ tertiary butyl alcohol producing plant in the world. It is also one of the first projects in the Gulf Coast to fully utilize the multiple medical, health and screening services offered by HASC’s mobile medical unit.
The mobile medical unit will provide health services that will allow the workforce to remain on the jobsite.
“It is comforting for workers at one of these projects to have a fully staffed state-of-the-art medical unit nearby,” said Dr. Tommy Hysler, chief medical officer for HASC’s Occupational Health Center. “It’s also convenient and time saving for both workers and employers. Trips to an off-site emergency clinic or hospital ER are often unnecessary, time consuming, stressful, and quite expensive. With our on-site services, workers don’t have to go off-site for random drug testing, respirator clearances or injury visits. We are fully capable of treating both minor musculoskeletal injuries as well as more severe injuries in our mobile on-site clinic.”
A quick word from LyondellBasell
LyondellBasell had this to say about the project utilizing the HASC medical services:
“Located at its complex in La Porte, Texas, LyondellBasell’s Hyperzone polyethylene (PE) is the first commercial plant of its kind and the next evolution in polyethylene technology for the plastics industry. The new proprietary polyolefin process uses unique reactors to produce a broad spectrum of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Hyperzone PE technology provides enhanced material performance that will help create lighter-weight products that are still stronger and more durable.
“To promote the safety and wellbeing of workers at the Hyperzone PE construction site, the project is utilizing a mobile medical unit from the Houston Area Safety Council. This medical unit provides a variety of health services that allow the workforce to stay on the jobsite, ensuring a quick turnaround and a productive work environment. These health services include drug and alcohol testing, respiratory fit testing and occupational medical services, as well as some non-occupational health services.
“Hyperzone PE is a substantial piece of the most aggressive growth campaign in the company’s history. In the past six years, the company has announced $5 billion of investments to expand and build new manufacturing facilities in the U.S., including the construction of Hyperzone and the world’s largest propylene oxide/ tertiary butyl alcohol plant, which will be co-located at our Channelview and Bayport sites in Texas.”
More about the HASC mobile medical unit...
HASC, through its affiliation with Global Health, can bring any of its four mobile medical units to any project in the U.S. for short-term projects like turnarounds and shutdowns or for longterm projects such as the LyondellBasell Hyperzone PE project. This not only helps workers but provides OSHA-regulated exams, recordkeeping and other services to plant owners and contractors.
Services offered at the actual HASC/ Global Health centers in the Gulf Coast region include drug screening, respiratory and auditory testing, and physical exams.
“HASC and Global Health are finding new ways to be hands-on to worker’s whose hands help craft, build and maintain our nation’s assets,” said Dr. Hysler. “We know that taking our units directly to the workplace, providing occupational care to the employees and helping owners meet OSHA regulations in the process is a win-win for all concerned.”
For more information, visit www. hasc.com or call (281) 476-9900.
