Safety is a core value at Valentra, so we are extremely proud to be celebrating two extraordinary milestones at Valentra facilities: 10 years without a recordable injury at our Luling site, and 28 years without a recordable injury at our Baytown site.
For both sites, this represents a Zero Incident record that stretches back to their establishment, and is a clear demonstration of the way processes have been supported by exceptional behavior from team associates to secure on site safety.
A foundation built on discipline, training, and ownership
While strong systems and procedures play an important role, these milestones ultimately reflect the commitment, discipline, and care demonstrated every day by associates at these Valentra facilities. Valentra’s Chief Operating Officer, Paul Dean, knows that these successes are due to our associates and their dedication to safety:
“The most significant factor behind our safety performance is our people,” says Paul.
“The associates at Luling and Baytown genuinely care about one another and take personal ownership of maintaining a safe workplace. Every day, they look out for their coworkers, identify and address hazards, and make choices that support safe and reliable operations. Their willingness to speak up, hold themselves accountable, and do the right thing—even when no one is watching—has created a culture that continues under Valentra’s watch, where safety is a shared responsibility.”
These milestones are not the result of luck. They are the result of thousands of decisions made over many years by dedicated associates who want everyone to go home safely at the end of every day.
Developing safe and competent operators
Safety begins long before an associate works independently. New team members spend months training alongside experienced operators, who share not only technical knowledge, but also the values and expectations that define Valentra’s culture, to allow them to work safely from the start.
Through a combination of classroom instruction, hands-on training and mentorship, associates develop competency in plant operations, chemical hazards, laboratory and sampling activities, emergency response, startups and shutdowns, and critical safeguards, with an aim to protect our people, our facilities, and our environment. This investment in both initial and regular follow-up training vests every associate—new or experienced—with the skills needed to make sound decisions and work safely.
Recognizing hazards before they become incidents
One of the most important skills we teach is how to recognize hazards and act before someone gets hurt. Every task performed on site is reviewed through a formal safety process that encourages associates to identify potential risks based on eight specific energy sources and to implement controls before work begins.
Whether performing routine work or responding to an unusual situation, our associates are expected and empowered to pause, ask questions, and stop work when something does not seem right. That mindset has been instrumental in preventing incidents and protecting one another in the past, and Valentra is building on that mindset in its operations.
Learning from experience
The knowledge that guides Valentra’s operations today has been built over decades of experience of our team. Valentra has incorporated lessons learned, industry best practices, and operational expertise into our procedures and standards to help maintain consistent safety performance.
At the same time, our procedures are never considered finished. Associates regularly review and improve them, helping Valentra capture new learnings, strengthen safeguards, and continuously raise our standards.
“Our associates should be rightly proud of this achievement,” says Paul Dean. “We celebrate these milestones with our teams, and ensuring that our training, mentoring and behavior systems support continued excellence in our safety record.”
