The American Petroleum Institute (API) awarded CITGO Petroleum Corp. an Occupational Safety Performance Award for 2009, during the 61st Annual Pipeline Conference in New Orleans.
“As a company committed to the highest standards in safety, CITGO is honored to receive this prestigious award. The people of CITGO are also deeply committed to caring for our communities, our environment and each other. This dedication is in alignment with the principles of safety and environmental stewardship endorsed by our parent company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A (PDVSA), the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” said Gustavo Velásquez, vice president supply and marketing.
API, a national trade association that represents all aspects of the U.S. oil and natural gas industry, recognized CITGO Pipeline for the lowest recordable incidents for employees and contractors according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
CITGO was a recipient in the operator category defined as either having less than 2,500 miles of active pipeline or less than 50 billion barrel miles and less than 1,248,000 combined contractor and employee work hours.
In addition to the Safety Performance Award, CITGO was also recognized in the operator category with certificates for occupational safety performance for the lowest total vehicle accident rate.
In 2009, CITGO received several awards for environmental and safety achievements including the Energy Champion Award, the highest award given in the Department of Energy’s Save Energy Now program.
CITGO, based in Houston, is a refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products.