According to Bob Herman, executive vice president of refining for Phillips 66, the demise of the refining industry has been greatly exaggerated.
Bob Herman, executive vice president of refining, Phillips 66.
"There are a lot of people out there who want us to go away," Herman said. "Quite frankly, the technology to replace the liquid fuels we produce isn't ready for 'primetime.'
"More energy is going to be needed in this world. Today, there are 7.5 billion people on the planet. It's projected to grow to 10 billion people by 2050, and everyone is going to need energy to live fruitful and productive lives. We provide that energy, and we'll continue to provide it for decades to come."
Herman began his career in 1982 as a rotating equipment engineer in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, for Sohio Alaska Petroleum Co. In 1987, he transferred to refining and worked in numerous operations, maintenance, turnaround, project management, technical support and refining management roles for bp, Tosco, Premcor and ConocoPhillips.
"When I entered this industry almost 40 years ago, we would stand on our heads - sometimes literally - to prevent a unit from shutting down," Herman explained. "And it wasn't because we were worried about lost production. It was because we didn't have the confidence that we could shut the unit down and start it back up without something bad happening. That's changed today. We, as an industry, are confident in our ability to operate. We're confident in our ability to flawlessly shut down units and start them back up.
"Our thinking about personal safety has also evolved quite a bit. My first safety celebration was because we hit 1 million manhours without a lost-time injury. Now we have facilities that go multiple years without a recordable injury, and we're greatly disappointed when a slip, trip or fall comes along and ruins that record. We've come a long way, and we've made great progress, but we still have quite a way to go."
Herman believes that every leader has to look within and ask, "What do I really believe?" Once the leader figures that out, it can be communicated to his or her people. Here's what Herman believes: "Everyone has a right to go home safely at the end of every day," he said. "I believe if I lead, people will follow, particularly when it comes to HS&E."
Herman is dedicated to motivating and leading people to "do the right thing" and work safely. When it comes to being an effective leader, he explained his best practices.
"First, you have to be demanding," Herman said. "You have to demand excellence, especially when it comes to investigating your incidents and getting to the root cause. Occasionally, you're going to run into a person who does not 'get it.' Get rid of that person. You're doing that person a favor, and you might literally be saving their life or a co-worker's life. This might seem harsh, but it's better to be harsh than dead.
"Also, be visible. Get out and talk to your people. You need to know if the tools, processes and procedures you're asking people to use are working and making their jobs easier. Never miss an opportunity to influence your folks when it comes to safety.
"Next, always do the right thing. Have the guts to make hard decisions, and always do the right thing because your people are watching. What you do is much louder than what you say."
Lastly, Herman emphasized to "be bold."
"Dare to try new things," he said. "Serious incident reporting and management was a bold thing that [Phillips 66] started in 2012. It's the best thing we've done to improve safety and reduce risk within our refineries. Listen to your co-workers and don't be afraid to embrace new technologies. At the end of the day, just do the right thing."
