Strategic Petroleum Reserve Operating Contractor Earns International Certification for Quality Management

Second Department of Energy Facility to be Certified

New Orleans, LA - The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve has become only the second U.S. Department of Energy facility to receive certification of its compliance with one of the most prestigious standards for exceptional quality management recognized internationally.

DynMcDermott Petroleum Operations Company, the management and operating contractor for the Reserve, received "ISO 9001" certification following an assessment of its management systems by Quality Systems Registrars, Inc. Quality Systems Registrars is an accredited registrar that certifies organizations to the requirements of international standards for quality.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is the nation's emergency crude oil stockpile. Overseen by a project management office in New Orleans, LA, the Reserve currently stores more than 540 million barrels of crude oil in four storage sites in Texas and Louisiana. The oil is available for use at the direction of the President to counter an energy supply emergency.

DynMcDermott, which has operated the Reserve for the Energy Department since 1993, received the ISO 9001 certification for implementing a quality management system throughout the Reserve complex.

ISO 9001 is one of a family of standards that represent an international consensus on good management practices. The standards were developed by the International Organization for Standardization, a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from 140 countries.

While the organization is best known for establishing highly specific engineering specifications, in 1987 it commissioned national delegations of experts from business, government and other organizations to develop a new series of generic standards for exemplary management systems. To meet the ISO 9001 certification requirements, an organization must demonstrate that it has the management systems in place to consistently deliver the products or services that meet its client's quality requirements.

To meet the requirements for ISO 9001 certification, DynMcDermott improved its quality program by performing "gap analyses" and independent assessments, making extensive modifications to its work processes and procedures, conducting internal audits, and implementing employee training programs.

The only other DOE operation to receive the ISO 9001 certification is Honeywell FM&T which in 1995 was certified for management of the Kansas City Plant, an Energy Department facility that manufactures a wide array of mechanical, electrical and other components for the nation's defense program.

DynMcDermott has also earned the ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system and has achieved STAR status in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Program. The company's management systems have also been recognized through Louisiana Quality and DOE Performance Excellence Awards.

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For more information, contact:
Jo Ann Rochon, SPR Project Management Office, 504-734-4731, e-mail: JoAnn.Rochon@spr.doe.gov