This third-generation Whiting employee is excited about the future

This story is part of “The People of bp,” a first-person series that highlights dynamic talent at one of the world’s largest integrated energy companies.

By Ethan Harbin

I work as a mechanical engineer at the Whiting refinery in the hydroprocessing North area. I've been here about a year – which is crazy to think about – but time flies when you're having fun.

In short, my job … is to talk to operations, maintenance teams to solve problems, and help if anything needs to be done. And it’s work I really enjoy. Part of me feels like it's been multiple years already because of how much I've learned over the past year. My coworkers have been supportive.

I've lived in Whiting my entire life – about 22 years. Both my grandpa and great grandpa worked here at the Whiting refinery. My family was really excited when they heard that I had the opportunity to both intern and, eventually, start full-time here at the refinery.

The safety standards at Whiting are top tier. On Monday mornings, we have a safety moment for the entire refinery. There's a different topic every week. It's clear to everybody that safety is the number one priority.

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From my perspective – as an engineer in the refinery and living right outside the refinery – the focus on safety really makes me feel good about bp's culture.

We have the three Fs that involve safety:

Finish what we start
Follow the rules
Follow-up

Those three Fs are intended to make sure that we're not only personally safe, but also that we have process safety and operational excellence. We’re making sure that we really do our part to not only stay safe when we're in the refinery, but that we also keep the community around us safe, too.

Fast facts about Whiting refinery

2,700+ bp employees and contractors
440,000 barrels of crude oil processed each day
86,000 regional jobs supported

At Whiting, I really feel like I have a second family. My coworkers – from the mechanical engineering team to people from different disciplines – everyone's willing to help each other.

People here at Whiting are really excited for the future. It's real excitement – and it shows that bp is committed to a future here at the refinery, and in the community. It’s exciting to think about what the future will look like.