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Mitigating COVID19 risks at Altona refinery
Extensive work has been done to date across all of ExxonMobil Australia’s operational sites and facilities to ensure the safety of all personnel who continue to attend the physical workplace.
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All facilities have a plan in place to respond to a positive COVID-19 case. Building on this company-wide approach to safety, the team Altona Refinery have been looking at a range of measures to further mitigate the risks posed by COVID-19 at their site.
As part of this detailed work, the refinery was visited in September by an experienced occupational physician contracted to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services during the pandemic.
Altona Refinery Safety, Security, Health and Environment Manager Lyndon Raymond said as a Major Hazard Facility, the refinery’s approach to safety is always incredibly stringent.
“We were able to validate that the steps we’ve taken to adapt our operations to be COVID-safe are best practice, and by having an expert in the field visit and provide advice, we have noted additional steps we can implement to ensure we can safely continue operating throughout the pandemic,” he said.
Medicine and Occupational Health Manager Dr Marcus Hirschfield said the visit was part of wider efforts by the company to ensure all appropriate measures are in place to mitigate the potential impacts of COVID19 on our workforce and operations broadly.
“It has been important for us to gain advice from occupational health experts external to ensure that we are doing everything we can to keep our people healthy while continuing to operate safely.
“There were a number of important learnings that the refinery team could adapt into their day-to-day work practices, and these will also be shared with our operations groups to benefit our other worksites,” he said.
As part of this detailed work, the refinery was visited in September by an experienced occupational physician contracted to the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services during the pandemic.
Altona Refinery Safety, Security, Health and Environment Manager Lyndon Raymond said as a Major Hazard Facility, the refinery’s approach to safety is always incredibly stringent.
“We were able to validate that the steps we’ve taken to adapt our operations to be COVID-safe are best practice, and by having an expert in the field visit and provide advice, we have noted additional steps we can implement to ensure we can safely continue operating throughout the pandemic,” he said.
Medicine and Occupational Health Manager Dr Marcus Hirschfield said the visit was part of wider efforts by the company to ensure all appropriate measures are in place to mitigate the potential impacts of COVID19 on our workforce and operations broadly.
“It has been important for us to gain advice from occupational health experts external to ensure that we are doing everything we can to keep our people healthy while continuing to operate safely.
“There were a number of important learnings that the refinery team could adapt into their day-to-day work practices, and these will also be shared with our operations groups to benefit our other worksites,” he said.