OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

GRI 403-2

 

The QHSE Policy defines the goals and directions of the Group companies’ activities in those areas and embodies their commitment to ensuring that products and services satisfy relevant quality requirements, building positive relations with customers, operating in compliance with applicable laws, and continuously enhancing the effectiveness of the quality, environmental protection, and OHS management systems. It is also the Company's commitment to take pro-active measures to prevent injuries and occupational diseases as well as environmental damage.

The PGNiG Group performs its tasks on a systemic basis, in accordance with the best standards defined in the international ISO 9001:2015, 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001:2007 standards, taking account of good industry practice. The tasks performed result from the commitments made by the Company's Management Board in the QHSE Policy and from the need to implement and maintain the Company’s Quality, Environment, and OHS Management System. 

All employees have access to OHS training and extensive medical care. Each employee has been instructed about the occupational risk level at their workplace. The training courses are conducted regularly, their frequency depending on the job and related risks. Increasing the level of safety is also the subject of annual meetings organised by the Company's Head Office, devoted to OHS conditions and experience sharing, and attended by representatives of external bodies, such as the National Labour Inspectorate.

PGNiG builds a safe work culture among employees, which translates into their correct behaviour, attitudes and actions. We undertake measures aimed at continuous improvement of safety of all persons staying on our premises, including visitors. 

The PGNiG Group QHSE Policy regarding health and safety was implemented through the following measures:

• Identifying hazards and conducting job and workplace risk assessments;
• Identifying and ensuring compliance with applicable laws and other requirements;
• Setting improvement goals;
• Implementing corrective measures;
• Applying state-of-the-art safeguards and process solutions designed to prevent accidents, mechanical failures and occupational diseases;
• Building relationships with contractors;
• Identifying and reporting near misses;
• Promoting and implementing safety improvement and safe behaviour awareness programmes.

Best practice and initiatives 

Key initiatives and best practice in 2019 include:

• Awarding PGNiG the Silver Card of the Forum of Safe Work Leaders, a prestigious organisation coordinated by the Central Institute for Labour Protection – State Research Institute, currently associating 146 companies which may serve as role models in safe work culture. The Forum aims to build partnership between its members as well as between employees and employers who use science and technology achievements (in particular the solutions developed by the Central Institute for Labour Protection – State Research Institute) in shaping working conditions.

• Depending on the results of their efforts for occupational safety and employee healthcare, as well as on the extent and results of cooperation with the Institute, Leaders are awarded Green, Silver or Gold Card of a Safe Work Leader. The Card holder is entitled to take advantage of privileges offered by the Card when cooperating with the Institute.

• The ‘Safe in the Workplace’ competition at PGNiG – With a view to promoting OHS and fire safety rules, promoting best practices in OHS, as well as motivating employees who, through their behaviour and adherence to applicable laws, contribute to better OHS conditions, each year PGNiG organises the ‘Safe in the Workplace’ competition. The competition comprises written tests covering OHS, fire safety and first aid principles and rules, as well as practical skills. Similar competitions for employees are organised by other Group companies. In 2019, PSG held the 6th edition of the OHS, fire safety and environmental protection competition, and Geofizyka Toruń organised the ‘Work Safety’ OHS competition to celebrate the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
• For PGNiG’s Head Office, six automated external defibrillators (AED) were purchased and located in the office buildings at ul. Kasprzaka 25. 125 PGNiG Head Office employees were trained in first aid and use of AEDs. First aid training is also provided by other PGNiG Group companies: PGNiG OD and Exalo trained 195 and 123 employees, respectively.
• OHS services from the PGNiG Group meet regularly to share knowledge and experience and to establish OHS-related cooperation across the Group.
• Pilot training sessions were carried out using the VR technology. Innovative training using the state-of-the-art VR technology (glasses with controllers) allows the trainee to be transferred into a virtual reality to train in fire safety and first aid (101 employees trained).
• OHS staff publish, on a regular basis, educational articles in company periodicals to promote safety at work.
• PSG has offered free vaccination against Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) for employees working outdoors and running the risk of a tick bite.
• Geofizyka Toruń Mission Zero Programme – designed to raise OHS awareness among employees and encourage them to identify hazards and assess risks prior to performing a task.

Number of accidents at work at the PGNiG Group (GRI 403-2)

Work safety metrics

Safety-related activities are monitored continuously by way of:

• proactive monitoring, which consists in monitoring the effective implementation of procedures and measures designed to eliminate or minimise risks, defined at the planning phase. Its purpose is to assess the effectiveness of preventive measures;
• reactive monitoring, which provides information on loss events (accidents, failures and occupational diseases) and facilitates drawing appropriate conclusions and improving OHS management. It is a post-event preventive measure, designed to eliminate similar loss events in the future.

All accidents, events and conditions which are related to the Group’s operations and which result in a loss or could potentially result in a loss are required to be reported. This applies to the operations of both the PGNiG branches and the PGNiG Group companies, as well as contractors and suppliers carrying out work for the PGNiG Group. 

Number of accidents at work at the PGNiG Group

In the PGNiG Group, the number of accidents at work fell by 18.8% year on year. The number of persons who were injured in accidents at work decreased by 22.5%. However, two fatalities were reported by two PGNiG Group companies. 

The Group takes action to prevent fatalities by investigating the causes of past incidents and taking preventive measures to minimise the risk of fatal work injuries. The employees of both affected companies received additional OHS training explaining in detail the causes and circumstances of the accidents and possible consequences of similar incidents. They were also reminded of the preventive measures available to them. The instructions and occupational risk assessments for the jobs concerned were reviewed, and an order was issued that the need to exercise clear judgment and the ability to predict possible hazards be communicated to employees before performing high-risk work.

The following tables present detailed information on the accidents that occurred at the PGNiG Group and other OHS issues.

Number of accidents and casualties in 2019
Organisational unit	Total accidents	Casualties		Total casualties	including persons injured:		Number of group accidents in total number of accidents
		W	M		in accidents at work	in accidents treated as accidents at work	number of accidents	number of persons
PGNiG	20	4	16	20	14	4	-	-
PGNiG Group	160	18	144	162	154	6	2	4

 

Types of injury in accidents at work in 2019
Organisational unit	Type of injury
	death			severe bodily injury			minor bodily injury
	W	M	Total	W	M	Total	W	M	Total
PGNiG	-	-	-	-	-	-	4	15	19
PGNiG Group	-	2	2	-	-	-	18	141	159

 

Post-accident absenteeism in 2019
Organisational unit	Days lost			Indicators
				incidence rate per 1,000 employees		severity rate (days of absence per accident)
	W	M	Total	W	M	W	M
PGNiG	81	796	877	3.94	4.33	20.25	49.75
PGNiG Group	468	7,432	7,900	2.97	8.19	26.00	52.34

 

F, SR, LDR, IR in 2019
Organisational unit	Accident frequency (F)			Severity rate (SR)				Lost day rate (LDR)
	W	M	Total	W	M	Total	W		M	Total
PGNiG	3.94	4.33	4.25	20.25	49.75	43.85	10.42		25.53	22.52
PGNiG Group	2.97	8.19	6.84	26.00	52.34	49.38	9.53		50.84	40.45

 

Diagnosed occupational diseases at the PGNiG Group in 2019
Organisational unit	Total number of diseases	Occupational disease certificates issued by the National Sanitary Inspectorate
		Occupational loss of hearing	Vibration syndrome	Pneumoconiosis	Other
PGNiG	3	0	-	-	3
PGNiG Group	6	2	-	-	4

 

OHS-related initiatives (e.g. number of employees who received OHS training) in 2019
Organisational unit	OHS training					Number of OHS meetings with technical and operational staff
	Induction training for new employees	Periodic	First aid training	Other	Total
PGNiG	230	2,806	637	62	3,735	89
PGNiG Group	1,831	13,163	2,352	1,255	18,601	305