Flint Hills Resources to Receive Safety Awards

WICHITA, KS--(Marketwire - June 15, 2009) - Five Flint Hills Resources (http://www.kochind.com/IndustryAreas/refining.aspx) refining and chemical sites have earned safe work awards (http://www.fhr.com/ehs/awards_detail.aspx?id=51) for their performance in 2008 from the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association. The awards were presented at NPRA's 2009 National Safety Conference and Awards Banquet in Grapevine, Texas, on May 13.

The Pine Bend refinery in Minnesota; the Corpus Christi, Texas, refining complex; North Pole, Alaska, refinery and the Port Arthur, Texas, chemical plant each earned the Meritorious Safety Performance Award. The Pine Bend and North Pole refineries and the Corpus Christi complex also earned the Gold Award and two Achievement Awards. The Marysville, Michigan, chemical plant earned an Achievement Award.

As of April 2009 Flint Hills Resources facilities have earned 58 awards from NPRA since 2001.

"Safety is a top priority and we work to continuously improve our processes and systems to ensure that Flint Hills Resources facilities are safe," said Brad Razook, FHR president and chief executive officer. "These awards are made possible by the strong commitment of our employees and underscore their dedication to working safely -- day in and day out."

NPRA awards are given to facilities in the petroleum refining and petrochemical manufacturing industries for an excellent U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration record of safe operations during the year. They are part of the association's comprehensive safety program developed to promote accident prevention. NPRA is a national trade association with more than 450 member companies, including virtually all U.S. refiners and petrochemical manufacturers.

Meritorious Safety Performance Awards recognize facilities achieving a total recordable incidence rate of 1.0 or less with no workplace-related fatality of an employee or non-employee during the calendar year.

Gold Awards recognize facilities that achieve a 25 percent or greater reduction in the total recordable incidence rate with no workplace-related fatality of an employee or non-employee during the calendar year, as compared to the average total recordable incidence rates for the three previous calendar years.

Achievement Awards recognize facilities for safe operations of at least 1 million employee hours or more than one year without an employee lost workday case involving days away from work and without a workplace-related fatality of an employee or non-employee during the evaluation period.

Flint Hills Resources is a leading refining and petrochemical company based in Wichita, Kan. Flint Hills Resources has completed capital expansions and acquisitions worth more than $3.2 billion since 2002. The company employs about 3,700.