How Sodexo Boosts Worker Safety, Productivity and Focus through Nutrition

Those in the energy industry are acutely aware of the intense physical and mental demands involved in planning and executing a maintenance turnaround. Taking a process unit offline, executing the maintenance work safely and bringing the unit back up in a controlled manner — all under the ticking-tock of a tight schedule — is irrefutably rigorous, dangerous work. 

Workers in the energy industry face harsh conditions and environments, 12 hour working days and increased rates of accident and injury. Given that it takes agility, stamina and focus to do this type of work, it’s no stretch to say that refinery and offshore workers share many of the physical demands borne by athletes. And a crucial, pivotal aspect of any athlete’s training program is proper nutrition. 

As a society, we’ve been slow to the draw in recognizing the need for health and wellness focused initiatives within the field of energy and resources. We know that safety is an operational imperative in the oil and gas industry, and yet, we haven’t fully connected the dots between worker nutrition, health and performance. 

Nutrition is how we feed every cell of our body, and if we’re not fueled correctly, we’re not going to have the right energy to perform a task, increasing risk of injury. If you’re physically and mentally exhausted, that’s because you haven’t recovered correctly through proper nutrients. Proper recovery is key to good form, which mitigates a person’s risk of injury. – Jacquelyn Womble, MS, RDN, LD, EP, CLT, Senior Manager of Health & Well-being for Sodexo North America 

To ensure energy workers have the resources and nutrition to properly fuel their bodies, our Sodexo teams have been tapping into the health and wellbeing insights of our NCAA and Minor League athletic programs and the knowledge of our expert team of registered dietitian nutritionists. Our aim is to translate the same careful nutrition and recovery attention given to athletes to help boost worker morale, productivity and turnaround performance across the energy industry. 

Refinery and offshore workers deserve effective nutrition, recovery spaces and points of engagement that power their physical performance, drive their mental clarity and nurture their overall emotional wellbeing. Because physical and mental wellbeing can mean a world of difference when you’re operating in harsh, laborious and most importantly — dangerous — conditions. 

To increase focus, workers need proper sleep and workout routines with informed fueling and recovery tactics. Aside from all this, nutrient deficiencies play a critical role in gut and brain health, which certainly contribute to an individual’s ability to focus. Addressing these deficiencies is a quick way to ensure employees are fueled and empowered to focus on work. – Jacquelyn Womble 

Innovating Solutions for a New Workforce 

A 2018 BMC Public Health study cites sleeping problems, musculoskeletal issues, weight gain, stress, mental fatigue and anxiety as prevalent health complaints amongst offshore workers.[i] The long-term health and well-being of refinery and offshore workers is a topic of concern within the industry, and demographic changes to the workforce are only exacerbating this issue. 

“The Great Crew Change” — a now ubiquitous term — refers to the onslaught of older energy workers reaching retirement age, making room for younger generations of employees to enter the workforce. In a recent article, we explored the impacts of a shifting workforce on a larger scale. Our research indicates that these incoming younger generations are increasingly concerned about their health and wellness. In order to properly attract and retain top talent in a shifting landscape, we need to stress health and wellness focused solutions that cater to the younger crowd of workers entering the energy industry. 

As part of Sodexo’s commitment to driving up service standards, we conducted a 2022 survey of over 165 refinery workers preparing for a maintenance turnaround. In partnership with the refinery, we were able to gather key insights about their employees’ direct and candid preferences for optimal food service and retail solutions. Our findings indicate that today’s refinery employees are, indeed, on the lookout for healthier, fresh food options. In fact, 58% of employees surveyed reported that healthy options are important to them. 

Furthermore, 89% of workers stated that during the turnaround, they would make use of catering provided on site on least 3 days of the week. A whopping 98% of respondents noted that food quality — taste, freshness and temperature — was of importance to them. On site catering services and food solutions thus provide an incredible opportunity to promote worker health and performance by providing easy access to fresh, tasty, nutritious food options. 

According to Womble, workers subject to harsh, demanding conditions may benefit greatly from a varied diet of quality whole foods, like fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats and whole grains. An uptake in nutritious foods like these decrease workers’ risk of injury and provide the added benefit of a boost in productivity levels. 

Jacquelyn Womble said:

Consuming enough energy with quality foods rich in vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and getting proper hydration and quality sleep all play a critical role in worker productivity.

A Healthy Gut Can Reduce Risk of Injury 

More and more, science suggests that there is real truth behind the oft-touted “mind-body connection” — a phrase referring to the symbiotic relationship between our mental and physical health. Our state of mind does, indeed, influence and impact our physical wellbeing and vice versa. 

Take for example, the surprising relationship between gut and brain health. The gut and the brain are in constant communication; when the brain experiences undue amounts of stress, it triggers substantial bacterial imbalances in the gut. 

About 70-80% of an individual’s immune system is driven by gut health.– Jacquelyn Womble

If your microbiome — the bacterial population in your gut — is out of balance, then your body’s ability to perform is skewed entirely, cautions Womble. The gut is really our center of balance when it comes to physical and mental health. You can’t be mentally healthy if your gut isn’t balanced.

And mental health goes hand in hand with an individual’s ability to focus and execute tasks safely. A diet flush with probiotics — foods like yogurt and pickled vegetables — and prebiotics — whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables — helps to maintain a happy balance of good bacteria in the gut, fueling workers with the necessary nutrients to perform and execute focused, demanding tasks. 

Given the physical and mental stress that refinery and offshore workers face on a day-to-day basis, ensuring a balanced, healthy gut can be the first step to promoting mental clarity, physical health and all-around wellbeing. 

To improve focus and maintain a safe environment, workers need: 

• Appropriate amounts of sleep and recovery time 
• Fresh, onsite foods that address nutrient deficiencies and promote gut and brain health 
• Workout routines with proper fueling and recovery tactics 
• Sites dedicated to recovery and worker engagement  

At Sodexo, we recognize the immense value and contributions of those working within refinery and offshore environments. This why we are constantly exploring new avenues by which to nurture a culture of health and wellness that places worker safety above all. 

The energy workforce is changing, and refinery and offshore workers are paying more mind to their long-term wellbeing needs. As worker expectations shift, so must our services and solutions. 

Learn more about how we’re working to raise the bar.