The Stettler Newalta facility just west of Stettler is this year’s winner of the Newalta Vice-President’s award, an honour that recognizes the leadership and continuous improvement in health, safety and environment.
It’s the first time this particular location has netted the award, noted plant manager Kevin Plante.
The site employs eight people, who handle up to 45-50 truckloads of oil industry waste per day. By the time Newalta is done with the waste, the oil is pipeline grade, the dirt is oil-free and goes to landfills to cover garbage, and water is sent to injection sites for reuse.
Plante praised his employees for their hard work, since it takes a lot of effort from the eight people who call Newalta Stettler their home to make those 50 or so tanker trucks move in and out safely – not just safe for employees and the vehicle operators, but safe the for the environment as well.
Newalta opened its doors in Alberta in 1993 and in the past 21 years has diverted and recycled oil field wastes, preventing it from going into landfills or being buried at hazardous waste dump sites where it could contaminate land.
Each year, the company recycles about $400 million worth of recycle by-products – 23 million barrels of crude – that would otherwise end up in landfills, the company website notes.
Plante said that besides pride in contributing to a cleaner oil industry, the employees at Newalta Stettler involve themselves in the community. From donating books to children’s hospitals, working at community events, donating time and funds to local groups and charities, Newalta Stettler employees are invested in keeping the county and town healthy, too.
According to Al Cadotte, president and CEO of Newalta, the scores for the top facilities were “extremely close and competition continues to be fierce,” with many of the top five getting their names there for the past several years.
“The winning facilities are well managed and strong performers that live the Newalta brand by placing high standards and value on environment and safety,” he said in a news release.
The president’s award recognizes the leadership and health, safety and environment improvements in locations where there are more than 25,000 man-hours worked, whereas the vice-president’s award recognizes those with less than 25,000.
The top five locations for the vice-president’s award were Stettler, Hays, Suncor MacKay River, Alida and Devon Manatokan.