Operate Safely
Product Stewardship
We strive continuously to improve the HSE information provided on our products at every stage of their life cycles. We aim to provide rapid, accurate product information and advice so that our products are properly handled, distributed and used by our customers. We also help our partners and industrial customers meet their HSE obligations by providing rapid, accurate information and advice and practical assistance in the event of incidents involving our products. We have appointed product stewards in most business units. These managers meet regularly as a global product safety leadership team to communicate product regulatory information within the company. We are committed to investigating potential product or process problems early and sharing the outcome with those who use our products or who have similar processes. For example, when an employee raised concerns about petroleum coke fibers presenting a possible occupational health hazard, we instigated an investigation involving almost 1,000 air quality samples at eight coke production plants worldwide. Although the investigation found no problems in our facilities, we alerted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); published our conclusions in two technical papers; presented the data at an international occupational health conference; and also informed competitors, partners and customers of our findings. We play an active role in the EPA’s voluntary High Production Volume Challenge Program for chemical testing. The program provides information on potential health and environmental impacts of chemicals produced in large volumes in the United States. This information is being provided to the public in a single format on one Internet location. Through testing groups established by the American Petroleum Institute and the American Chemistry Council, we sponsor health and environmental effects testing on nearly 400 products and refinery intermediate streams. This has helped us prepare to meet stringent new European chemicals regulations, which came into effect in June 2007. The Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation gave greater responsibility to industry to manage risks from chemicals and provide safety information on products. Companies which manufacture or import more than one tonne of a chemical substance a year into the European Union must register details in a central database administered by a new E.U. Chemicals Agency, which consumers and safety professionals can access for hazard information.