Emergency Preparedness and Response

  • 40
    emergency drills at all Group facilities

  • € 18 mil.
    on safety improvements in all Group facilities in Greece and abroad

Health & Safety

Ensuring Emergency
Preparedness and Response

Why is it material?

Immediate response to emergencies, continuity of business operations and/or immediate return to normal operation effectively limits 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 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, which is interconnected to the Group’s Plan. 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 support.

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 design 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 resource availability in order 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 2019.

Significant Achievements

Zero major accidents or environmental incidents with significant impact.

40 emergency response drills in cooperation with the Authorities.

Technology to improve/develop critical safety systems and emergency plans.

Annual emergency response drills (Seveso or marine pollution) conducted at each facility in cooperation with the local authorities.

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 (for fires, marine pollution response, malicious acts, etc.) are examined annually and reviewed with the aim of continuous improvement. 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 as well as 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.

At regular intervals, preparedness exercises are carried out, together with the Fire Brigade, in order to maintain cooperation and efficiency at high levels.

Next Steps

  • Continuous upgrading of firefighting equipment and infrastructures/facilities to support the activities that are required in order to deal with emergencies. These include warnings, information, communication, mitigation, personnel protection and security systems, depending on the type of emergency, and are compatible with the resources of the corresponding external entities/Authorities.
  • Regular independent assessment (e.g. inspection by an external consultant) regarding fire protection, 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.
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