CITGO Refining and Chemicals – “It is not perfect, but it is a good job.”

Pros

I work at a refinery. It was bought by Citgo before I arrived. So my answer only deals with the refinery where I work, not the whole of Citgo refining and chemicals.

The best part about working for Citgo is the MONEY, and the fact that it provides, at least for now, a pension and health insurance at age 55 and at least 5 years of service upon retirement.

For the most part, the actual daily work is not physically demanding or difficult. Although when equipment breaks down there is the potential for deadly situations. The work can be interesting and challenging at times..
Truth be told, this is one of the few remaining good blue collar jobs.

Cons

The biggest downside is the schedule. I work a swing shift based on 8hrs. There is a a lot of overtime which is both a blessing and a curse. A lot of times it feels like I am "living my job". It seems like I am either at work, going to work, coming home from work, or sleeping to get prepared for work.

Also I am exposed or at least the potential exists for me to be exposed to chemicals/fumes that can have a disastrous affect on my health.

Advice to Senior Management

Stop trying to justify your job by thinking up time consuming and petty rules. Enforcement of safety rules shouldn't be about gotcha tactics. Recognize the everyday knowledge that operators have in dealing with equipment and systems that may only be theoretical to you, and LISTEN to our suggestions.