The South Texas Area Facilitators (STAF) group consists of industry peers who meet monthly to discuss best practices in behavior based safety observations within the petrochemicals industry on the Gulf Coast. The network identifies gaps industry professionals face day-to-day, evaluates areas of improvement, brainstorms initiatives to garner participation and overall collaborates to continuously improve the quality of the behavior based safety processes industry-wide.
“Tereasa is known as a pioneer for the STAF group and she is directly responsible for the early growth of the team,” said Matthew Shanks, STAF President.
STAF was formed in 1996 and has grown to include 14 industry companies throughout the South Texas region. The STAF group was founded by Tereasa Freeman, HSES & Training Manager for the LyondellBasell South Texas Polymers sites. At the 2022 event held in August, Tereasa, among other LyondellBasell site employees, was recognized for her outstanding commitment to improvements in the safety space among industry peers and ultimately received the STAF Lifetime Achievement Award for her 20+ years of dedication.
“The longevity and reach of the STAF organization is a testament to the value this group delivers to the chemical and refining industries, helping to achieve work locations free of injury,” said Mark Bookmyer, LyondellBasell South Texas Polymers site manager. “I’ve witnessed the creation of countless initiatives and programs during my career, but only a few had stood the test of time. I applaud Tereasa for being a founding member and leader in the organization and, most importantly, for improving safety performance within the chemical and refining industries.”
