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Operations Excellence Management System
Sunoco began developing an integrated management system in 2001. Known as Operations Excellence Management System or OEMS, the management system is the driving force to significantly improve health, environment, safety, and security (HESS) performance and operations integrity (OI).
OEMS is designed to meet the requirements of:
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ISO 14001 Environmental Management System;
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EPA’s National Enforcement Investigation Center Compliance Focused Environmental Management System;
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OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series;
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Refining and Supply’s Health, Environment, Safety, and Security and Operations Integrity Expectations; and
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The business benefits we expect to achieve through OEMS are:
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Continual improvement in HESS&OI performance
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Compliance with laws, regulations and permits
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Increased consistency and standardization in managing HESS&OI
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Employee involvement and commitment
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Enhanced reputation in the communities as a responsible, reliable and safe producer of petroleum products
Major milestone achievements were made in the implementation of OEMS when Refining and Supply's headquarters group and Marcus Hook, Philadelphia, Eagle Point, Toledo, and Tulsa refineries were approved for RC 14001 Certification by NSF International Strategic Registrations, Ltd., selected by Sunoco to be the American Chemistry Council (ACC) Responsible Care® Management Systems RC 14001 auditor.
Sunoco became the first company to have all of its refineries and R&S headquarters organization certified to RC 14001 standards.
What is Product Stewardship?
Product Stewardship is one of the seven Codes of Management Practices that play a key role in Responsible Care® 14001 standard to which we are certified. Product Stewardship is a Management System with emphasis on the integration of Health, Environment, Safety and Security (HESS) considerations into our products life cycle, from cradle to grave. Refining & Supply is working diligently in this area.
As the traditional concerns of product safety design and quality control continue to be a priority, we are taking additional steps to further integrate product stewardship practices into our day to day work processes. We want to ensure that our products are designed and manufactured to be safe and reliable for our customers in the application the product was intended. We want to continue that focus through the marketing, sale, transport, handling, storage, use, reuse, and disposal of our products, process streams and waste materials.
Product Stewardship will continually improve our processes for identifying, managing and reducing Health, Environmental Safety and Security aspects (HESS). Our driving forces include our Operations Excellence Management System, our certification to Responsible Care 14001 standard, legislative and regulatory initiatives, Company initiatives, objectives and targets and our compliance with today’s regulations as well as compliance with anticipated future regulations.
Defining our Goals
Sunoco is integrating Product Stewardship into our business practices along with health, environmental, safety and security considerations into our decision making processes. It is our goal and commitment to ensure the quality and integrity of our products and to promote the correct and safe use, as well as communicate the proper handling, storage, transport and disposal information downstream. Product Stewardship has a strong commitment from top management who recognize the importance of managing environmental, health, safety and security concerns.
Benchmarking to Improve our Product Stewardship Program
We have done appropriate benchmarking with representatives from some of our industry's leading companies on Product Stewardship practices. In addition, there is a newly formed Product Stewardship Mutual Assistance Networking Group, with quarterly meetings in which we participate. Various industry representatives meet to speak about Product Stewardship issues and concerns.
We are continuously improving our Product Stewardship processes and tools by remaining active and participating in global and national conferences for Product Stewardship including the GlobalChem Conference and the Responsible Care Conference. We learn from our experience as well as the industry best practices.
Product Stewardship at Work
A Product Stewardship Forum with representation across Sunoco, Inc. (R&M) business lines actively meets on a monthly basis. With a clear Product Stewardship policy and charter, the forum works towards meeting the goals and objectives set forth by management, including the development of key Product Stewardship processes and procedures.
Risk Review and Control Assessment Process
We are committed to Product Stewardship and to managing environmental, health, safety and security issues most effectively. In order to identify, characterize and evaluate potential risks associated with our products throughout their life cycle, we have implemented a responsible means of better managing these concerns by the development of the Priority Risk Review and Control Assessment Process.
This process ensures that our products, process streams and purchased materials are evaluated and assessed. Feedback from many business units are involved at the various stages and included in the review. Toxicology, Marketing, Product Development, Legal, Health, Environment & Safety, Quality Assurance and Transportation have worked to implement the Risk Review and Control Assessment Process.
In addition, the process includes involvement at the development of new products in order to assess potential hazards and risks of a product, or of its components, early on. This will ensure development of products that are safer and more environmentally sound.
Communications
We are taking a comprehensive approach to managing potential risks and to increasing awareness. Both Sunoco and our Contract Service Providers need to ensure that proper information is being communicated downstream. This would include:
- Communicating the proper product application and intended use.
- Communicating known product hazards to minimize risk.
- Having a current Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) available to those handling and using our products.
- Communicating and enforcing the use of Proper Protection Equipment (PPE).
- Communicating the importance of safety and security in the areas of transporting, handling, storing and using the product.
- Communicating proper recycling and disposal information and guidance.
Our Sales group is essential in assessing the customer’s ability to handle the product as well as in providing feedback on our customer’s product applications.
Contract Service Providers
Our Contract Service Providers are an important extension of our business and everyone in the supply chain has an important responsibility. We work with our contract service providers to provide them with quality products, and providing quality standards for product handling, transportation and storage. Communication and cooperation are keys to managing risks to product quality through the distribution chain. We are continuously in communication with our providers and assess their operations for safe, secure and reliable operations following established quality assurance practices.
In Summary
It is our goal to manage potential risk posed by the manufacture, transport, handling, storage, use and disposal of our products to the general public, carriers, contract service providers, employees and the environment. We wish to protect and promote the health, safety and security of the people working for Sunoco and of the communities in which we do business. And, it is important that we educate others, outreach to other companies and improve overall communications along the supply chain regarding the importance of Product Stewardship.
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