MATERIAL ESG TOPICS / HEALTH & SAFETY

Ensuring Emergency Preparedness and Response

  • 40
    emergency response drills (major accident,marine pollution, terrorist attack, etc.) in cooperation with the Authorities at all Group facilities

  • ZERO
    major accidents or environmental incidents with significant impact

Health & Safety

Ensuring Emergency
Preparedness & Response

Why is it material?

Responding immediately to emergencies, ensuring continuity of business operations and/or returning immediately to normal operation effectively limit the potential effects of incidents on employees, the local community, the environment, the company’s reputation and its finances. Preparedness for uninterrupted operation is linked to the company’s sustainability.

Our constant effort is to secure all the necessary resources to manage events of possible leaks, fires and explosions in all our activities. We recognize that prompt and effective information to all stakeholders (such as local authorities) is essential to deal with an emergency.

Our approach

The Group has developed a Corporate Crisis Management and Business Continuity Plan with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Each facility also has its own emergency plan, and the two plans are interconnected. The Plans include response strategies to handle possible scenarios related to internal and external emergencies.
There are also procedures for:

  • Internal and external communications, including periodic tests for emergency calls.
  • Access to staff and equipment resources.
  • Access to basic information (e.g. MSDS, plans, etc.). Communication with other companies
    and emergency response bodies concerning, among others, plan compatibility and integration,
    when required.
  • Managing third party assistance.

Along with the emergency procedures, the Crisis Management and Operational Continuity Plans are linked to the Group’s respective emergency plans and guidelines to restore operation.
Procedures and Plans are reviewed annually to test the response capacity in relation to the original planning as well as the readiness/effectiveness of resources, infrastructure and equipment.
Any comments/suggestions resulting from the drill reviews and incident analysis are recorded, monitored and resolved, and the plans are revised accordingly

Our ambition

Our goal is to ensure the uninterrupted operation of our facilities, and when this is not possible, to immediately respond to emergencies in order to limit and effectively manage potential impact, and to ensure the availability of resources to implement all the above.

Each facility, and the Group in general, has developed contingency plans for immediate implementation that are continuously updated according to national legislation, international codes and the results of training drills performed periodically or unexpectedly.

Performance

Managing emergencies (e.g. Major Accidents Hazards or/and Environmental Incidents with
significant impact) is of utmost priority for the Group and this is reflected in its performance too, since the goal for zero Major Accidents and Environmental Incidents with significant impact was achieved once again in 2020.

Our most important performance milestones/actions 

ZERO major accidents or environmental incidents with significant impact.

40 emergency response drills (major accident,marine pollution, terrorist attack, etc.) in cooperation with the Authorities at all Group facilities.

Technological support to constantly improve and develop critical safety systems/equipment and emergency plans. Use of new technologies..

Anual cooperation – training with the Fire Academy and the Armed Forces.

We treat all incidents as likely to lead to Major Industrial Accidents or Environmental Incidents with significant impact, which could damage the company’s reputation or finances. Emergency plans (such as fires/marine pollution response/malicious acts etc.) are examined annually and reviewed with the aim of improving them continuously. These plans are closely linked to the Operational Safety Management System, which constitutes the framework for the operation and management of the integrity of all systems and processes.

There are mutual assistance – cooperation protocols with neighboring companies and other refineries in order to manage emergencies more effectively.

Training

Apart from all the above, in order to reinforce existing collaboration with responsible state authorities, and exchange experience and technical expertise, special training is carried out on an annual basis on site, but also at external entities (Falck Risk), where active members from the local Fire Brigade, Special Disaster Units and the Firefighting Academy participate.

Next steps

  • Continuous upgrading of firefighting equipment and infrastructure/facilities to support the activities that are required in order to deal with emergencies. These include warning, information, communication, mitigation, personnel protection and security systems, depending on the type of emergency, and are compatible with the respective resources of external entities/Authorities.
  • Regular independent assessment (e.g. inspection by an external consultant) regarding fire protection and the means of risk mitigation, and implementation of recommendations/ proposals.
  • Improvement of strategies and response time in emergencies, if deemed necessary from the results of the drills.
  • Preparedness exercises are carried out annually,
    together with the Fire Brigade, in order to sustain
    cooperation and efficiency at high levels.

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