Four years ago, Todd Monette took the position as manager of the LyondellBasell Houston refinery, a site that at the time was surrounded by uncertainty and struggling with direction and competitive performance. “When I took this position, I was asked to come in and help make the refinery part of the broader LyondellBasell,” Monette said. “My job is to implement what our CEO Jim Gallogly calls our ‘back to basics’ game plan. This includes a focus on Goal Zero HSE performance, manufacturing excellence and leadership development. Along with that, LyondellBasell is focusing on its growth strategy and Mr. Gallogly expects his site leaders to be capital stewards for the company, making sure we’re working the right projects. We are also spending significant efforts on our talent pipeline across all of North America, making sure we have the right talent to operate our plants and support these new projects.”
Monette, who received his bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University in chemical engineering and an MBA from Rice University, is tasked with making sure the refinery runs safely and reliably, while also integrating the refinery into the company’s overall portfolio. LyondellBasell’s Houston refinery is one of the largest refineries designed to process heavy, high-sulfur crude oil. Other products produced at the refinery include heating oil, jet fuel, olefins feed stocks, aromatics, lubricants, sulfur and petroleum coke. The 268,000-barrel-per-day refinery is strategically located on the Gulf Coast with access to interstate pipelines and the Port of Houston. The facility covers approximately 700 acres at the city limits of Houston and Pasadena, Texas.
A ‘back to basics’ strategy
During the past four years, LyondellBasell has been on a journey to fulfill a mission of zero injuries and zero incidents throughout the company. Globally, the LyondellBasell safety and environmental performance last year was near best-in-class for the industry. However, Monette adds, “The journey is not complete as we must earn Goal Zero every shift, every day. It only takes one missed signal that wasn’t checked or one task that was not focused on in detail and we end up with an injury or fatality. Our goal as an industry must be zero injuries.”
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The Houston refinery team has taken the site’s OSHA TRIR (Total Recordable Incidence Rate) from 0.60 in 2009 to 0.16 in 2013, best ever for the site. “A more than 70-percent improvement is good but not good enough,” Monette said. “Whether you’re an employee or a contractor, we want you to know you can perform your work in our sites without getting hurt. Across LyondellBasell, we make a point to know employees’ and contractors’ names, connect with them and build relationships. We have a contractor leadership team on site to help onboard new contractors as well as to conduct shared safety training with our Goal Zero leaders.”
On the process safety front, the refinery has moved from seven to eight process safety events during a typical year to going more than 1,000 days without a process safety event. “We are redefining people’s roles so they understand what activities they’re doing every day to help protect this refinery, from the operator and craft to our front line supervisors and managers,” Monette said.
A positive mark on the community
LyondellBasell participates regularly in community and industry groups to discuss community expectations and concerns. The refinery’s management meets monthly with citizens’ advisory panels and also participates in leadership roles in various industry groups such as Clean Channel, Houston Regional Monitoring, Economic Alliance Houston Port Region, East Harris County Manufacturers Association (EHCMA), Greater Houston Partnership, Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, East End (Houston) Chamber of Commerce and the Pasadena Managers Networks.
“We are investing in several school districts,” Monette said. “For example, we have adopt-a-school programs with students out of the Galena Park and Pasadena school systems, which include students performing job shadowing in our refinery. We’re training these students on how a business runs and they get to work a specific job in the refinery as a helper. We also have approximately 20 people from the refinery that will go into the schools every week and help students understand what our industry is all about.
“LyondellBasell is also a big supporter and sponsor of Junior Achievement across the Houston area and invests heavily in resources and with our employees to help promote the objectives of Junior Achievement in the surrounding schools near our plants and downtown Houston.”
Leading EHCMA
Earlier this year, Monette was elected as chairman of the board for EHCMA. EHCMA is a volunteer organization comprising of chemical manufacturers, refiners and supporting distribution/terminal facility managers whose mission is to promote the health, safety, environmental and economic well-being of the industry and surrounding communities. Monette has served on the board for two years but felt it was the right time to step up as chairman.
“Now is the time EHCMA can really make a difference with this industrial renaissance that’s happening in Texas and the rest of the country,” Monette said. “I have a mission every day at the refinery I still need to fulfill but this was a leadership role I felt strong about taking on. If we are going to be successful in this growth period, we must be prepared to step up and help our communities develop the skills necessary to operate and maintain our facilities.”
Over the past several years, EHCMA has built a very strong work force development committee. “EHCMA is going into the high schools and literally speaking to approximately 8,000-10,000 students a month about the opportunities in the industry, initiatives and scholarships,” Monette said. “We are not only educating the students on the jobs that we will have available but we are showing them the pathway to get the degrees and certifications required, and the necessary funding to get through the required college courses.”
According to Monette, EHCMA’s greatest challenges are two-fold. Its member companies are very busy due to the growth occurring in the industry so it’s difficult for members to commit time and resources to work the broader agenda. “We have a strong committee structure focused in five main areas, from emergency response to legislative issues, from community relations to work force development, from the security of our plants to environmental issue management,” he said. “We have received excellent support over the years from our member companies as we use these committees to drive the core activities and agenda of EHCMA.” Monette said this will be an ongoing challenge because EHCMA will always need companies to come in and bring resources to the table to help support the association’s agenda.
“The second challenge area is working to build the network required to keep all of the active groups within industry, education, environmental and government aligned and working together,” he said. “Our legislative committee has a full-time role in trying to make sure these groups and EHCMA stay aligned with each other and integrate to use our resources effectively.”
Building the future
As far as the future of the industry, Monette said he is very optimistic with the United States being in the middle of a “second renaissance.” According to Monette, the United States has growth, capital and the strategic opportunities to be a force to reckon with for the next several generations and that will ultimately make us a more secure and self-sustainable country. “I’m excited about this point in time for EHCMA members, and our capabilities to compete long term are growing every day,” Monette said.
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Houston Refining LP
LyondellBasell
12000 Lawndale
Houston, Texas 77017
(713) 321-4211
www.LyondellBasell.com
Products: Gasoline, jet fuel, ultra-low sulfur diesel, lube oils, aromatics, refinery-grade propylene, sulfur, residual fuel and petroleum coke.
Employees: 750 employees, 250 contractors
Acres: 700
