At Transoccidente, through the amendment of the HOT TAP records, a strategy was implement to eliminate risks when working in confined spaces.
At Compañía Energética de Occidente, 83% completion was achieved in compliance with Resolution 5018/2019, which establishes guidelines on electrical risk in the Occupational Safety and Health Management System.
Atmosphere measuring equipment in confined spaces was acquired.
The following goals and objectives were set for 2022 with the aim of strengthening the Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS) at the corporate level:
Implement the project to ‘Strengthen the safety aspect of the corporate culture’, which will be carried out during three years at all affiliates starting in the first quarter of 2022. Implement the safety administration, management and monitoring software at the corporate level.
Complete implementation of the ‘E-Synergy’ Project to standardize safety guidelines at the corporate level.
Deliver a course for process safety managers at the corporate level for managers and coordinators.
At the companies of the Transportation and Distribution SBGs, complete the diagnoses and implement the process safety action plans, according to the guidelines of Promigas.
Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS)
The Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS) covers all direct employees, workers on assignment, suppliers and contractors of Promigas and its companies. All the above workers are
100% covered at the workplaces and at the sites where they carry out activities related to the operations or projects.
The design, implementation and verification of the OSHMS of Promigas and its companies is based on national and international laws and regulations. We comply with these regulations through the design and implementation of programs and plans aimed at ensuring the safety and health of all workers present, in the regulatory framework of the Single Regulatory Decree of the Labor Sector (Decree 1072/2015) and the minimum OSH standards of Resolution 0312/2019, the NTC ISO 45001:2018 standard, the risk-based process safety guidelines of the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), and the ASME B 31.8 standard.
The following were the results of the design, implementation and improvement of the OSHMS in 2021:
A reportable work-related injury rate of
2,07% among non-employee workers.
A reportable work-related injury rate of 0,71% among employees.
Hazard identification, risk assessment, and incident investigation
We have an established procedure for the identification of hazards and the assessment of risks, that includes a methodology implemented to determine the mechanisms for obtaining information and assuring its quality, along with their identification, and risk assessment. This process is carried out by the safety area at each affiliate, with the support of occupational safety and health contractors and technical supervision companies. This process is also monitored and verified by internal and external audits through the corporate Control Department.
The following hazard identification and communication mechanisms have been established for employees:
Worker participation, consultation, and communication on occupational health and safety
In order to ensure employee participation in the processes implemented by this Management System, we have COPASST and labor coexistence committees in place at each company.
These committees ensure the promotion and oversight of occupational safety and health standards and regulations at the Company. Their responsibilities include workplace inspections, participation in accident investigation and supervising compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Program.
In accordance with the objective established in the corporate strategy of assuring a safe operation, safety is a priority for the entire Organization. Consequently, management programs have been established to maintain the integrity of both direct and contractor employees. These programs identify the risks and controls associated with each task and establish the normal operating conditions. Otherwise, the activity is not performed until all necessary controls are in place to safely perform the activity.
The Organization also has a procedure that defines the methodology for reporting, investigating and analyzing the causes of accidents, depending on their nature and classification. This same methodology establishes an investigating committee with cross-disciplinary members and the person responsible for the OSHMS, depending on the type of incident, in order to define the corrective, preventive and improvement actions to be implemented.
Based on the results of these processes, indicators and corrective, preventive and improvement actions are determined for the Occupational Safety and Health Management System, with the purpose of determining the adjustments to future action plans and management programs, with a focus on top priority risks, and also on the training program. These results are periodically monitored by each leader responsible for following up on the findings until the event is effectively closed.
Employee training on occupational safety and healthIn order to strengthen Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), every year an OSH training program is established focusing on the main risks. It is organized into the following learning units and topics:
Basic OSH training:
• Orientation in occupational safety and health
• Training for the Employer-Employee Occupational Safety and Health Committee (COPASST, for the Spanish original)
• Training for the Coexistence Committee
• Personal protection equipment
• Training on work at heights
• Training on dangerous energies
• Training on confined spaces
• Certification in load lifting
• Training on measurement of explosive atmosphere
Road safety
• Defensive driving and road safety
• Investigation of driving accidents
Chemical risk management:
• Transportation of dangerous goods
• Chemical hazard management-GHS
• Healthy lifestyles
• Auditive and respiratory conservation
• Prevention of psychoactive substances
• Ergonomic measures
• Process safety management
• Training on classified areas
Work-related injuries
Due to the nature of the operations, the risk with greatest consequences is the risk of fire and explosion during natural gas transportation and distribution. This risk has not been expressed as consequences on people.
In the case of electric power generation companies, the risks with greatest consequences are electrical and work at heights risks. Management programs are in place to prevent such risks under risk-based national standards.
Electrical risk
Engineering controls at the source strategies have been established, along with following the five golden rules (disconnect, block, verify that installations are dead, earthing and cordon off the work area), provision of personal protection equipment, certified personnel and monitoring of activities.
Risk of explosion
Engineering controls are in place for risks of this type to eliminate and minimize their consequences, because they can produce major accidents, and they are conceived during the design phase of gas infrastructure in accordance with international standards, such as ASME B 31.8. These standards are also used for the construction, operation and maintenance of the gas pipelines. These risks are identified in operating risk assessments using methodologies such as Hazop, What If, LOPA, process safety audits and inspections of classified areas, among others. Other controls focus on ensuring the competence of the technical personnel involved in the operation and maintenance of the gas pipelines.
Traffic risk
Because this is one of the most frequently occurring risks, an individual corporate strategy is determined for each company, focusing on:
- Strengthening administrative management over commuting
- Changes in the drivers’ behavior
- Use of safe vehicles for the operation
- Identification of highway hazards with a scope covering both contractors and direct personnel
Work at heights risks
Risks related to work at height and work in confined spaces have been addressed through engineering controls at the source strategies, training for employees, provision of certified protection equipment and access systems for rescues.
No work-related accidents with major consequences occurred during 2021.
Promigas and its companies carry out traceability related to accident rate indicators, according to GRI indications. The following data are obtained from such traceability:
At Promigas and its affiliates, we are aware that the safety and health of our employees, contractors, customers and communities is our priority in order to fulfill our mission and achieve our vision as a company that assures the safety of all its internal and external stakeholders.
Day by day we work to consolidate and promote the safety of our processes, in a manner that enables us to anticipate risks and prevent accidents in our operations.
The following are the targets of our process safety management : We established a LTI FR target of 4.04, which was surpassed with an end result of
1.77.In 2022, we will set more challenging targets both at the corporate and individual company level.
Workers covered by an occupational health and safety management system
One of our strategies for continuous improvement is ongoing assistance for our significant contractors, through advice, inspections, auditing, training and indicator monitoring, in order to develop their occupational safety and health management systems and to achieve our corporate objective of ‘Assuring a Safe Operation’.
In 2021, the following was the measurement of their OSH performance:
