The Client
Baker Petrolite, based in Sugar Land, Texas, is a world leader in providing chemical, engineering, and technology solutions to the global hydrocarbon recovery and processing industries.Baker Petrolite consistently delivers value to customers in oil and gas production, pipeline transportation, refining, petrochemical, utilities, aquatic herbicides, candle manufacturing, plastics, steel, personal care, paints, and coatings.
The Solution
Wonderlic Basic Skills Test (WBST): This forty-minute, timed test measures basic math and verbal skills of Baker Petrolite applicants, ensuring that new hires have the basic comprehension skills to do their jobs safely.
In an environment that manufactures chemicals, it’s critical to make sure employees can read and comprehend English and perform basic mathematics. The WBST gives employers the peace of mind that everyone on the job can read warning labels, instructions, and other written communication at an adequate level.
Wonderlic Basic Skills Test content and results are directly tied to the Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network (O*NET) and Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). The DOT contains minimum required skill levels for more than 12,000 positions.
The WBST has also been approved by the U.S. Department of Education to determine student eligibility for the Ability to Benefit program (under Title IV funding for financial aid).
Basic Skills are Critical for Employees’ Safety
Working in a chemical manufacturing facility, it’s critical to put safety on the top of the priority list. A chemical spill, mishandling of chemicals, or improper mixture of a harsh chemical could cause burns, adverse chemical reactions, environmental contamination, even explosions.
That’s why Baker Petrolite, a chemical manufacturer in Sugar Land, Texas, responded swiftly and surely when it found that some of its entry-level employees didn’t have the basic English and mathematics skills to perform their jobs safely. Jo Anne Rensing, the company’s Manager of Human Resources, explains that they solved that critical problem by turning to Wonderlic.Baker Petrolite began using Wonderlic’s Basic Skills Test (WBST) two years ago to ensure that each and every employee was capable of the basic English and math skills necessary to read and follow safety guidelines, procedures, and policies. Rensing says she will not hire anyone who does not pass the WBST. Period.
“We use the WBST for our chemical operators, shipping and receiving employees, and maintenance workers,” Rensing says. “We need to know that people applying for those entry-level positions have the skills to do their jobs safely.”
Baker Petrolite is a batch chemical facility producing several different types of chemical substances, including fuel additives, polymers, and industrial cleaners designed to decontaminate and clean refinery and petrochemical vessels. Chemical operators, who mix those chemicals, must be able to do simple mathematics on the job.
“They need to be able to do the basic calculations necessary for them to make a half batch of a chemical,” Rensing says. “If they can’t, the best thing that can happen is, we get a bad batch of chemical that we can’t sell. That’s the best-case scenario. The worst case is a lot darker than that.”
Similarly, shipping and receiving employees need to be certain that the right labels are on the right outgoing products. If they can’t read English well, they could potentially put the wrong label on a product, which could cause disaster for the client who believes the product is labeled correctly. That’s like a pharmacist putting the wrong label on a bottle of pills.
Maintenance workers also need to read and comprehend English so they use the proper safety and handling procedures around those harsh chemicals, Rensing says. Rensing uses the WBST as a screening tool when hiring new employees. “We’ll get résumés, and of those that look qualified, we’ll choose five people to come in and take the WBST,” she says. “We’ll then take the three top-scoring applicants to the next level in the hiring process.”
What if none of the five passes the test? “We choose five more,” she says. “We don’t hire any new employee for those positions without having them pass the Wonderlic test.”
Using the Wonderlic test has given Rensing, and other company managers and supervisors some peace of mind, knowing that their employees will be able to read and comprehend manuals and instructions, follow directions and perform simple but critical math equations.
The test has also resulted in faster ramp-up times for new employees. “Having them pass the Wonderlic test has really cut out a lot of time in training because we don’t have to explain things over and over to people who don’t have a clear understanding of English,” she explains. “We’re getting better quality employees and it’s increased our employees’ accuracy. They get the job right the first time.”
