Operators train together as part of refinery restart activities
June 2023 — Operations personnel are the backbone of any oil and gas facility. Operators are responsible for safely managing chemical and petroleum processes and require strong technical skills and know-how, and the operators at our Superior Refinery in Wisconsin are no exception.
As we continue the commissioning and restart of the Superior Refinery, we rely on our operators to make sure our equipment and control systems are ready to go. And to ensure our operators’ development, we promote cross training opportunities between our facilities. Recently, the operators from our Superior Refinery traveled to our Lima Refinery in Ohio to collaborate on best-practices and further their technical skills development.
“Our operators are essential to the safe, reliable, responsible operation of the refinery,” said Dean Perkins, Vice-President, Superior Restart. “Operators are problem solvers, continuous learners, and critical to establishing and enhancing our operating standard. It’s important that we support them and provide ongoing opportunities for them to develop their skills.”
As part of the group training, operators from both refineries participated in shift handover, operator rounds, communication protocols, use of procedures and operation of equipment and consoles.
Superior Refinery Superintendent Dee Stone had a productive visit to Lima, learning from other operators and superintendents.
“I appreciated the way the Lima team took us in and made us feel welcome,” shared Dee. “We were able to compare how they trace lines, run their off-site control rooms and talk to other operators at site. We learned a lot and look forward to integrating ideas into our own processes at the Superior Refinery.”
Collaboration and learning between our assets is paramount in developing a safety-first culture. The cross training was an example of Cenovus’s values in action.
“Safety is our top value, and safety was our focus for this training,” said Eddie Ramirez, Lima Refinery’s Manager, Deployed Occupational Safety. “We also embodied continuous improvement and a one-team mentality. We’re already looking at ways Superior can return the favour; our people developed relationships and we want to continue learning from one another.”
Learn more about Cenovus assets in Canada, the United States and the Asia Pacific region.