CHEVRON PHILLIPS
CHEMICAL – CEDAR BAYOU
PLANT’S HANDS-ON
TRAINING DAYS (HOT DAYS)

In order to increase employees’ safety performance and promote a better understanding of the elements that drive safe industrial work practices, Chevron Phillips Chemical’s (CPChem’s) Cedar Bayou Plant organizes a yearly training event for its Maintenance and Operations personnel.

Hands-On Training (HOT) Days is hosted at the Health and Safety Council (HASC) in Pasadena and is a large, jointly led effort between Cedar Bayou’s Plant Safety Committee and the Safety Department to enhance overall knowledge sharing and education. The training content itself – which is collaboratively developed by representatives from the very groups for which training is designed – is delivered for eight full days to allow all shifts the opportunity to attend. Every year the training has a different focus to ensure there is a fresh perspective on life-critical procedures and human performance elements.

During HOT Days, employees participate in a full day of hands-on trainings and refreshers designed to heighten safety skills through tactile learning and peer interaction. This efficient, all-in-one-day format satisfies the requirements of annual compliance training and provides credit for more than 10 computer-based training modules. A member of the site’s Leadership Team opens each session by sharing personal stories or the importance of engaging in this type of training. There exists Keeping Memories Alive boards highlighting significant events from the company’s facilities that had considerable impact on the way CPChem approaches personnel safety – serving as a reminder of the importance of working safely, or not at all.

The employees attend each station as a cross functional team with a mix of Operations and Maintenance and the different platforms and technologies they represent. This intentional organization allows for collaboration, an opportunity to foster new perspectives, and the potential for breaking down siloed interpretations.

Attendees rotate through different sessions before joining back together for Fire Extinguisher Training. Safety sessions and topics include Tenets of Operation and Life Saving Rules, Respiratory Protection, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, and hands-on training for higher-risk activities such as Lock-Tag-Try, First Line Break, Hazard Recognition, and also Confined Space.

“This was one of the best training formats I’ve experienced at CPChem,” said operator Terrell Brooks. “Being able to interact with people from different units with various roles helped build a team atmosphere and get us all on the same page. Also, the idea to rotate groups to different classroom settings was a good call – giving us a change of scenery helped keep us focused.”

Through HOT Days, CPChem – Cedar Bayou has successfully trained over 1,120 employees since its inception in 2023.