Prevention, detection, control and mitigation of accidents

Top management is responsible for creating an environment that enables and motivates the Organization to report incidents, ensuring and supporting formal and informal reporting of incidents, findings, recommendations and lessons learned.

In accordance with the internal Incident Reporting and Investigation procedure, HSE incidents are classified into 5 Classes, according to their severity, being class 0 the report of near-accidents. In 2018, no class 5 accident was registered.

(1) Personal accidents include accidents with employees, contractors, and community, and also first aid accidents, medical treatment, work restriction, and leave of absence.

We investigate and analyze our accidents

The incident investigation process at Galp includes activities ranging from classification to analysis of all possible causes, as well as monitoring the effectiveness of the actions taken.

• When an incident occurs the responsible area should report it within a maximum of 3 days and have 12 days to close the investigation.

• In the first 3 days, the investigation team, the investigation responsible and the person responsible for the final report approval are defined. Those responsible are defined according to the severity of the incident, when the accident is more severe, the Company first line managers are involved.

• When the investigation is closed and the final report is approved by the area, the corporate safety department evaluate the report according to a checklist to verify the required fields and conclusions. If nonconformities are detected the incident is reopened and the investigation team must correct them.

• Every month, 50% of the incidents submitted for closure are selected in order to evaluate the quality of the investigation. The accidents selection process is random, except for high-severity accidents, which are evaluated in totality.

The quality evaluation of investigation is a rigorous process, done by an external entity, in which the 5 points mentioned below are classified:

1. Characterization and Communication of the Incident
2. Investigation Team
3. Incident Investigation
4. Recommendations / Actions
5. Lessons Learned

In order to reinforce the whole process and stakeholders involved, in 2018, all employees with accident investigation and approval responsibilities received training in this subject, through 248 hours of specialized training, being that 360 people from across all Galp’s geographies are now better prepared to carry out this job.

At Galp, we act in the following dimensions:

Emergency management

Galp’s priority is to ensure quick and effective action, guaranteeing that the adverse effects on people, the environment and assets are minimized.

In addition to focusing on prevention actions, we ensure emergency management based on a quick and effective action, guaranteeing that the adverse effects on people, the environment and assets are minimized. It is necessary to plan, train and prepare the emergency response to mitigate potential impacts on people, the environment, facilities and the community.

Emergency management is carried out in a systematic manner, with plans for internal emergencies being defined for all our facilities. Given the identified risk scenarios, actions are planned so as to ensure a rapid intervention by the internal and external resources, as well as an articulation with the relevant authorities and/or organizations, whilst always prioritizing the safeguarding of people, environment and assets.

• In our facilities, activities and/or services, training and information of all those whose action is required if the emergency plans are activated is ensured.
• Tests are carried out on emergency plans regularly (drills and periodic simulation exercises), in which the various risk scenarios identified and the response of all the participants are tested. Based on the results obtained and on its critical analysis, the emergency plans are continuously updated.
• The Emergency Preparedness and Response requirements that are applicable to GALP operations are set in our HSE management system. 

We encourage a culture of prevention and promote the reporting of near-accidents. We classify as near-accident, any event with the potential to cause injury to people, property damage or to the environment, but which has been avoided by circumstances. Near-accident reporting is a prevention management tool that contributes to the reduction of accidents. We raise awareness and encourage our stakeholders to report near-accidents.

Galp’s incident reporting app

We have developed a mobile application for reporting these near-accidents application, with the aim of facilitating the process and thereby increasing the reporting rate of those occurrences, which could potentially turn into accidents later on. This app enables any employee, via a smartphone, tablet, or computer, to report essential information in a simple way, such as a description of the event, and the GPS location, and even to upload photos.

Seveso Directive

We follow and apply the requirements established at EU level for the Prevention of Major Accidents involving hazardous substances. We incorporate the guidelines issued by the regulating entities on this matter in our management systems. We analyze systematically the accidents that occurred in the sector, seeking to integrate in our operations the lessons learned. Internally, we publicize and promote the interdisciplinary discussion of accident reports.

Check the European Commission’s Accident Reporting System.