CITGO Refineries Recognized by NPRA with 8 Awards for 2010 Safety Performance

HOUSTON, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- CITGO Petroleum Corporation's three refineries have been recognized by the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association (NPRA) with eight awards for their safe operations during 2010. The awards include three Meritorious Safety Performance Awards, and five Achievement Awards.

"At a time when our industry is facing important economic and technological challenges, these awards are a demonstration of our continued commitment to safety. Each and every CITGO employee is committed to the safest possible working environment, a dedication that is aligned with principles endorsed by our shareholder, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," said CITGO President and CEO Alejandro Granado.

Each of the three CITGO refineries, located in Lake Charles, La., Lemont, Ill., and Corpus Christi, Texas, were recognized with Meritorious Safety Performance Awards. Of the five Safety Achievement Awards, two were presented to CITGO Corpus Christi, two to CITGO Lemont, and one to CITGO Lake Charles.  

NPRA revised the criteria for Meritorious Safety Performance and Safety Achievement awards for 2010 to include process safety.  In addition to the requirements for personal safety, recipients must now also demonstrate that their operating units do not cause harm to workers at the facility or to individuals in surrounding communities.

The NPRA Meritorious Safety Performance Award recognizes facilities that meet the new process safety criteria and have a Total Recordable Incidence Rate (TRIR) of 0.8 or less with no workplace-related fatality throughout the 2010 calendar year.

The NPRA Safety Achievement Awards acknowledge facilities for operating one million or more employee hours and/or one or more years without an employee lost workday case involving days away from work and without a workplace-related fatality.

CITGO prides itself on safe operations, which impact the employees and contractors at the refineries, as well as the greater communities of which they are a part. This community commitment also includes support for a wide range of education, health, environment, and cultural programs for refinery neighbors. Employees at each individual refinery volunteer thousands of hours each year to these causes, creating safer, healthier, and more prosperous communities.

CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, and other industrial products.  The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

For more information visit www.citgo.com

SOURCE CITGO Petroleum Corporation