Annual cooperation/ training
with the Fire Academy and the Armed Forces
Introduction of new technologies
to improve systems and equipment as well as Internal Emergency Plans
ZERO
Major Industrial Accidents
103 drills
to deal with emergency situations (major accident, marine pollution, etc.) in all installations
HELLENiQ ENERGY has in place a Crisis Management and Business Continuity Plan, appropriate for its size and complexity, with clear roles and responsibilities, which ensures business continuity capability. In addition, each Group facility has Internal Emergency Plans linked to the Crisis Management and Business Continuity Plan. The Internal Emergency Plans are kept up-to-date and are in accordance with national legislation, international Codes and the conclusions of drills of preparedness performed periodically or on an ad hoc basis in the Group’s facilities. In the context of a continuous open dialogue, HELLENiQ ENERGY takes into account suggestions for improvement coming from the local communities (Municipalities, Communities, local bodies) in order to further enhance the effectiveness of its response.
The Group ensures that the necessary resources are available in all its facilities and activities to adequately manage potential safety or environmental incidents. Prompt response to emergencies, ensuring continuity of operations and/or returning to normal operations as quickly as possible effectively limits their potential negative impact. Therefore, uninterrupted operation and proper management of critical incidents are linked to the sustainability of the business. It is recognised that, in the event of a safety or environmental incident, timely and effective reporting to all stakeholders is essential to deal with emergencies and minimise the consequences associated with them.
The Plans developed by the Group include strategies for responding to emergency scenarios, both internal and external. Apart from them, there are additional procedures for:
The Group’s Crisis Management and Business Continuity Plan additionally includes:
Processes and Plans are reviewed annually to check the ability to respond against the initial planning and the readiness/effectiveness of resources, infrastructure and equipment. Any observations/suggestions arising from drill evaluation and incident analysis are recorded, monitored and resolved, and plans are revised accordingly.
Zero Major Industrial Accidents without affecting the environment or humans demonstrate the excellent organisation, up-to-date and effective procedures and the Crisis Management and Business Continuity Plans adopted by the Group.
The following chart shows the evolution of the Group’s (HELLENIC PETROLEUM RSSOPP & ΕΚΟ1 ) process safety event rate (PSER) index, compared to those of CONCAWE2 for the last 6 years.
In 2022, new procedures were issued and a review of the training topics for all operators was conducted, following the investigation and corrective actions of PSER process incidents, especially those that were not associated with significant primary leaks, but resulted in absence from work.
1EKO SA performance also includes KALYPSO KEA SA and Headquarters performance.
2CONservation of Clear Air and Water in Europe (European Organisation for Health, Safety and the Environment in the petroleum sector).
CONCAWE data for 2022 will be available in July 2023.
All incidents are treated as likely to result in Major Industrial Accidents that could damage the Group or its subsidiaries’ reputation or financial position and cause (more or less) significant impacts on local communities and the environment, depending on the nature of the incident and the Group’s management method. The Internal Emergency Plans (such as fires/ marine pollution/malicious acts etc.) for each facility are reviewed and revised annually with the aim of continuous improvement, and are inextricably linked to the Holistic Safety Management System which is the framework for operating and managing the integrity of systems and processes.
In 2022, 103 planned preparedness and implementation drills of the Internal Emergency Plans were carried out at all Group’s facilities, of which 69 were carried out at the Industrial Facilities of Aspropyrgos, Elefsina and Thessaloniki. The preparedness drills are carried out jointly with the Fire Service, the Greek rescue team EMAK and the Police and Port Authorities on an annual basis, in order to maintain the highest possible level of preparedness, cooperation and effectiveness.
Finally, as part of the strengthening of cooperation with the supervising state bodies and the exchange of experience and know-how on fire safety issues, training sessions are held on an annual basis in the refinery’s training area. Specifically, in July 2022, a special (theoretical and practical) five-day training on refinery firefighting planning & response practice was conducted by RelyOnNutec’s Fire Academy (formerly FALCK RISK), which was in accordance with NFPA 472, 600, 1006, 1081 and 1500 standards. The training took place at the RelyOnNutec (formerly Flack Risk) training centre facility at “Training Centre MaasvlakteRotterdam” in the Netherlands in a specially designed training field, where firefighting incidents similar to actual refinery incidents were considered (e.g., fire outbreak on a tank roof, leakage and fire in a tank wagon following a collision, fire/leakage in tanks, pumps, etc.). HELLENiQ ENERGY participated with 11 employees from the Fire Safety Departments of the Industrial Facilities of Aspropyrgos and Elefsina as well as from other Departments (Department of Production Units & TSA) of the industrial facilities with the main objective of training their personnel.