If managing the nation’s oil reserves with expert efficiency even in the face of devastating natural disasters wasn’t enough, DynMcDermott Petroleum Operations, a CSC firm, has received yet another major award to add to its growing collection, this time for excellence in health, safety and environmental management. On Nov. 6, DynMcDermott President and CEO Robert McGough accepted the 2006 Robert W. Campbell Award on the company’s behalf.
Supported by a network of more than 20 global partners including ExxonMobil Corp. and the National Safety Council, the Campbell Award is presented annually to companies that distinguish themselves by integrating health, safety and environmental management into their business operating systems. This latest recognition means that DynMcDermott is the only organization ever to have been honored with both the Campbell Award and the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, which the company received in 2005.
DynMcDermott President and CEO Robert McGough
McGough says the Campbell Award is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of DynMcDermott’s employees. "The examiners that conducted our site review were really excited about our systems, our way of reviewing management information, our integrated safety management process, and the general safety of the employees," says McGough. As a prime contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy, DynMcDermott maintains and operates four crude oil storage sites on the Gulf of Mexico that make up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. With headquarters in New Orleans, the company is majority owned by CSC.
Exceptional times
The past 16 months have been eventful for DynMcDermott and McGough, to say the least. In August 2005, the company braved the ravages of a direct hit on Strategic Petroleum Reserve assets from Hurricane Katrina and came through to successfully meet President Bush’s emergency order to tap into the nation’s reserves to help replenish oil refineries affected by the hurricane. Then, weeks later, reserve facilities received a second major hit when Hurricane Rita wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast.
Through it all, DynMcDermott employees put aside their personal predicaments and worked around the clock to restore operations and deliver oil to refineries. "Exceptional people do exceptional things during exceptional times," says McGough. "The people in this company are focused and they’re dedicated. I spent 26 years in the military, and I’ve never seen a more dedicated group of people who perform when the pressure’s on them than this group here. It’s just in our culture."
As an example, McGough recalls the aftermath of Hurricane Rita. "The day after Rita, we flew by helicopter to our West Hackberry (La.) site, and we had about 15 employees who had made their way back there. The acting site director met us at the helipad and as we walked up to him, he said to me, ’Boss, when do you want us to be ready to move oil?’ He didn’t say, ’My house is gone,’ or ’My family doesn’t have any food.’ Nothing personal. And that just demonstrates the attitude of everybody we have down here. When the time came for us to move oil, we moved oil."
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McGough accepted the Campbell Award at the National Safety Council’s 94th Annual Congress & Expo held in San Diego. Campbell Award winners need to complete a rigorous review process that measures the performance of their safety and health operations systems against industry best practices. DynMcDermott is the first company to receive Category II recognition, for companies with fewer than 1,000 employees.
The Campbell Award is the culmination of many years of DynMcDermott’s strong commitment to health, safety and environmental issues. The company has received numerous awards for their efforts in this area. For starters, DynMcDermott was the first Department of Energy contractor to become involved in the Occupational Health & Safety Administration’s (OSHA’s) stringent Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). DynMcDermott is the only Department of Energy contractor that is allowed to fly both the OSHA VPP Star flag and the agency’s own VPP flag. DynMcDermott has also received a number of state awards in Louisiana and Texas, as well as the National Association of Environmental Professionals National Excellence Award.
McGough says participation in the application process for the various awards and recognitions has improved teamwork and provided a boost to employee morale. "For example, the VPP program is a grassroots, employee-run program," he says. "Because our employees get more involved, they also feel ownership, and they feel empowerment. This helps them to be the kind of employees we need to get the job done right for our customer."
As the major awards and achievements keep stacking up, McGough notes their positive impacts. "They’ve really changed the culture of this company. Before we came on board, people were loyal to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, but that has changed. Now, there’s a lot of loyalty to DynMcDermott by name that was not there before."
