Safest energy company in the world

There are three essential factors to Galp’s operations: the safety of people, the protection of the environment and the attention to assets.

The management commitment and the responsibilities of the organization’s hierarchical structure are expressed explicitly in our Safety, Health and Environment Policy (HSE) and HSE our Management System, safeguarding the integration of these issues in the corporative strategy and in the decisions that we take daily at our Company.

Risk assessment activities are ensured in all our operations to identify and manage the main HSE risks. We identify and manage the relationships with stakeholders in order to solve identified problems and maximize opportunities. We define programs and action plans with measures to monitor and mitigate the impacts generated by our activity. We periodically monitor our health, safety and environmental performance towards annual goals and targets established by facility and/or globally. Together with the monitoring of the performance, there is a context follow-up at the Sustainability Committee and Board meetings, ensuring the involvement of the top management in issues related to these dimensions.

In addition, our operations and our performance are periodically and systematically subject to third party independent audits.

Safety is what makes us return home every day. It is a value and a non-negotiable commitment we share in our DNA, that translates into ensuring the safety of people, the value of our assets and the pursuit of environmental protection. 

Our ambition is to elevate health, safety, and environmental protection as core values. Following recognised international guidelines and implementing safety best practices, we ensure that safety management systems is comprehensively integrated across our operations. We aim to enhance performance by ensuring asset integrity and fostering a safety culture throughout the organisation.

Our vision

• We believe that safety really matters, it’s in our hands. It is our license to operate.

• We are here for the long term, growing and thriving from the care we have for safety. We attract great partners, new opportunities and the best talent.

• We are recognised for our deep care for people, management of our assets and pursuit of environmental sustainability.

• Our people are engaged, disciplined and positive. Our facilities are clean and well organised to the highest standards.

• We are trusted. We are the safest energy company in the world.

Guarantee no personal harm for all

Galp works to reduce accidents based on the firm belief that all events can be avoided. The top management team has a weekly safety performance status report, including LTIF and TRIR performance, along with relevant highlights. Galp has a structured process for assessing risks that spans the entire organisation, and mitigation measures are established when needed.

This year, we implemented several initiatives to enhance safety, including dedicated programs that address the specific challenges associated with driving.

We continued to carry out awareness activities across Galp’s facilities. These include dedicated to safe driving, namely simulations of the Safe Driving Life Saving Rule – Driving Speed and using mobile phones.

Galp acknowledges the significant safety risks associated with road transport. We regret that, despite our efforts, during 2023, a fatality occurred in Guinea-Bissau, involving a Galp tank driver and another vehicle. Immediate assistance was provided to the injured individuals. Following the incident, a thorough investigation was conducted by a multidisciplinary team to ensure an independent and robust examination. Galp also provided full support to the family of the victim.

Road Safety Program

A Road Safety Program was implemented in Commercial transporters, with the following operational key focus areas:

• Emergency response
• Driver competences & risk awareness
• Medical surveillance
• Vehicle maintenance
• Journey management plan
• Fatigue management

Travel security app

An international assistance application was launched in the Company, in 2022, applied to all employees and mandatory for all journeys outside the country of origin. This app provides personalised travel advice, real-time updates, incident alerts and 24/7 assistance, when needed, anywhere around the globe. By using this app, employees will travel safely, get real-time alerts while traveling, get assistance on demand and connect easily.

Security

Galp, as an operator developing activities in different geographies that are subject to different geopolitical conditions and socio-economic contexts, recognizes the importance of assessing the level of threat at the locations of its assets.

The Security area of our organization ensures the following:

• Risk analysis of the geopolitical situation of the countries where Galp has stakes in, per country and on a regular basis;
• Regular analysis of the security risk per location where Galp operates
• Analysis of health risks and regular monitoring of their evolution, per location where Galp operates
• Active promotion of employee awareness, by issuing alerts with the main care to be carried out at each location and by each travelling employee
• Support in planning and managing crisis situations.

Security risk analysis and control in our facilities

Due to its nature, the Oil & Gas industry is constantly exposed to political and, consequently, security risks. The way to mitigate them is through direct collaboration with international experts in the field, which guides our strategic actions for providing accurate and timely information on the situation at any time in countries and regions where we operate. At the same time, we maintain close contact with the authorities and we participate in the Security Committee of the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP).

In addition, we take several actions to pro-actively address security, namely:

• We promote that each employee is responsible for their own protection, ensuring that they act in line with the criteria defined by the company.
• We investigate all security incidents in a systematic way, integrating the lessons learned
• We ensure a dialogue with communities, governments and other entities on security and on acting responsibly, ethically and with respect for human rights

Emergency Response

We work for an effective emergency response to guarantee a proper response management for all our assets. We follow Company’s standards and collaborate with the relevant stakeholders to define plans for internal emergencies at our facilities. Our strategy also involves developing plans, emergency training programs, and drills.

Safety Performance

In 2023, overall safety performance decreased compared to 2022. There was an increase in accidents resulting in sick leave and involving 18 employees and 27 service providers. This was partly due to the Sines Refinery turnaround. However, it is worth noting the positive developments in several business departments related with the reporting, which reflect a growing safety culture.

Prevent major industrial accidents

Galp ensures proactive risk management through the comprehensive analysis and prevention of activity risks. Prevention is key for us and is achieved through effective safety practices such as regular maintenance and inspections across all assets.

We offer communication and training programs to ensure that individuals involved in the operation, maintenance, and inspection, have the necessary information and knowledge of the safety process. One example is the adoption of the IOGP Process Safety Fundamentals (PSFs), a complement of the Galp Life Saving Rules. This is intended to prevent process safety events and enhance awareness, particularly for front-line workers and contractors. These principles began to be implemented in the Sines refinery and are expected to be extended to other teams in 2024.

Sines Refinery Turnaround

The Sines Refinery conducted a significant turnaround in 2023 encompassing most of its units. It required more than one year of preparation and more than 50% of the scope was related to Safety/Integrity.

The turnaround involved around 2,500 people and proceeded according to plan, was performed safe and without any significant incident.

Turnaround main goals:

• Guarantee equipment integrity and safety for the next cycle
• Assure business continuity
• Compliance with European legislation, namely the Pressure Equipment Directive (2014/68/EU)

Process Safety

We consider that process safety is at the heart of accident prevention, and results from applying good design and engineering principles, as well as robust operating and maintenance practices.

Galp guarantees a proactive action, based on analysis and prevention of activity risks. The company identifies the risks involved and implements suitable risk measures which apply to its assets. Also, we update all the processes safety information on a regular basis, in accordance with the management changes procedures and the results of risk analysis, having a robust risk management and acting on the accident prevention.

Our process safety events rate (both tiers) has significantly improved since 2021 partly due to our focus on Asset Integrity.

Product safety

We continuously manage safety information with our stakeholders, regarding the products we produce, use and market, taking into account their hazards and safe handling. The dialogue with clients and suppliers is carried out systematically in order to promote the exchange of information on the hazards of the products and the risk management measures to be applied according to their uses. Our employees and contractors are informed about the hazards of the products in our premises and the way to handle them safely. We use the Safety Data Sheets and the package labelling as the preferred vehicle for communicating the safety information concerning the products we market, highlighting the hazards they pose and the safest way to handle them.

We work to ensure that the processes of product purchase guarantee that we have the safety information on the products purchased, in compliance with the applicable regulations.

We’re part of several European Associations and Consortia related to this subject, such as:

• CONCAWE, Environmental Science for the European Refining Industry (division of FuelsEurope, European Petroleum Refiners Association)
• LOA, Lower Olefins & Aromatics Reach Consortium
• HCSC, Hydrocarbon Solvents REACH Consortium.

The REACH and CLP Regulations are two key elements to ensure the safe use of chemicals in the European Union.

• REACH, which refers to the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals, establishes the framework policy for chemicals within the European Union.
• CLP which refers to the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals, establishes the framework policy for chemicals within the European Union.

The substances we produce and buy – fuel, bitumen, aromatics, solvents, and base oils, among others – are registered under the REACH Regulation and have their classifications notified under the CLP Regulation, in accordance with what is required by these pieces of legislation.

Safety of product road transport

With regard to product transport, we have set requirements in terms of the vehicles’ passive safety (tractor and tank), drivers training and complementary equipment – requirements that go far beyond the legally compulsory ones. We believe that the adoption of these guiding principles has been decisive for the reduction in the number of road accidents of the vehicles that are used daily in Galp’s service.

Safety of product maritime transport

In accordance with our HSE policy and international benchmark practices, we have established procedures for our charters and for the ships of suppliers and customers destined to the transport of our raw materials and products. We aim to promote integrated processes that ensure transparency, control in the organization and, in particular:

• minimizing the risk associated with the maritime transport of oil products
• encouraging partners, such as Ship Owners, Operators and Ship Managers, to manage their fleets and crews in accordance with the best practices established within the Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), promoting a culture of safety
• promoting the training of our people that are responsible for the Shipping activities
• ensuring the sharing of information and the development of the best practices through the participation in specialised sectoral organizations.

We guarantee the verification of the conformity of the ships operated in our maritime terminals, according to risk and operational criteria. We have procedures for inspection and verification of the ships’ condition, certifications, crew qualifications and respective operational management. After each inspection, a vessel inspection report, and the corresponding request for corrective actions, if applicable, are sent to the ship owner.

Seveso

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 analyse 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.

• European Commission’s Accident Reporting System
• Seveso documents

 

Incorporate safety culture in our DNA

We are focused on working continually to build a strong safety culture, bringing our employees, contractors and suppliers together in this journey, sharing the same vision. We ensure that our employees and partners are fit for their roles on a physical, mental and technical level. We take the skills and the empowerment of our employees and partners as a basic condition for the fulfilment of our commitment and responsibility. The selection and training of people based on a proper management of change is a basic principle that increases individual performance capacity and risk awareness concerning the activities to be carried out.

Galp promotes training and learning opportunities, sessions for the exchange of experiences and dissemination of safety knowledge. These opportunities lead to continuous performance improvement and dissemination of best practices in identifying and managing risks, while at the same time promoting attitude and behaviour changes.

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.

Accidents occurring in Galp are investigated and the most relevant results are disseminated in the form of HSE Alerts. With this practice, we intend to disseminate the lessons learned from internal occurrences or those registered at international level in companies of the sector, ensuring that with this information everyone can act in order to eliminate the possibility of recurrence.

In 2023, Galp promoted initiatives to reinforce its safety culture, which impacted the geographies where we operate:

• Galp Safety Leaders Way (GSLW)

We continued to promote the leadership programme and involved three main focus groups – senior management, frontline leaders and the workforce – in order to embed a safety vision in all company employees and contractors.  In 2023, we created the first “Lead Safe Work Champions”, with the first training sessions in the Industrial business unit.

• Galp Safe Energy Day

As part of our safety journey, we celebrated our Safe Energy Day on the 12^th December 2023. The theme chosen for this year was the Stop Work Authority. Although this is not a new topic at Galp, its scope of use has been enhanced, clarifying that everyone, partners included, has the responsibility and authority to use this tool when faced with a situation that puts themselves, others, the public, or the environment at risk.

Our CEO, as well as other members of the Executive Committee and Leadership Team, used the day to emphasise the importance of our partners' role in this process.

• TRIPOD Beta methodology

We adopted the TRIPOD Beta methodology, as a tool to support our current incident investigation analysis. This new method is mainly used for complex incidents, due to its detailed nature. Training was provided to various teams to ensure the acquisition of skills and competence necessary for the effective application of this new approach throughout the organisation.

Incident and analysis of our accidents

Prevention, detection, control and mitigation of accidents

At Galp, we act in the following dimensions:

 

Of our people	Of our processes	Of our assets
We guarantee the training of all employees and partners and value operational discipline	We implement technologies and procedures that guarantee the operation of the facilities and that include expeditious and safe working practices	We ensure the integrity of assets, at all phases of their life cycle: formulation, design, operation, maintenance and deactivation

 

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