Occupational and industrial safety

Establishing and maintaining safe working conditions has been the Company’s core priority from the start. Health and safety of our employees are the top value for us. DTEK ENERGY spares no effort in this area. Everyone, from members of the Supervisory Board to rank-and-file employees, is involved in OHS matters. Year after year, the Company has been channeling its efforts to create a safe working environment and, ultimately, to reduce occupational injury rates. The Company provides all the financing required to support these efforts.

DTEK ENERGY’s investment priorities related to occupational health and safety remain unchanged and are:

• creating safe environment at workplaces;
• providing employees with efficient personal protective equipment;
• training and increasing the levels of OHS knowledge among employees;
• personnel medical support; and
• bringing the main assets to compliance with the occupational safety laws and regulations. 

The efforts are currently concentrated on promoting safety culture among all members of personnel and developing leadership qualities and absolute commitment to ensuring occupational safety among the management. This is why the Company has developed a number of OHS initiatives and is currently implementing this program in all business blocks. The progress is constantly monitored by the Management Board and the Supervisory Board.

On the one hand, the efforts to enhance occupational safety are aimed at creating a safe workplace for employees. The other objective is preventing industrial emergencies. The Company does everything it can to this end, from introducing new occupational safety standards to implementing incentives to encourage compliance with OHS rules.

To help raise the employees’ responsibility for OHS compliance, Cardinal Rules that include disciplinary liability up to dismissal for violating OHS rules are in effect at mine offices and TPPs. 

OHS Management Systems and Standards

OHS management systems in line with the global best practices have been introduced and operate at DTEK ENERGY’s facilities. All electricity generation and distribution enterprises received certificates of conformity to ISO 45001:2018. The Company’s mining enterprises have OHS management systems conforming to international standards to the fullest extent.

The Company has developed an Occupational Health and Safety Policy. This Policy is the Company’s official declaration of its commitment to the matters of occupational health and safety and serves as the basis for setting objectives and tasks in this area.

To carry out the Policy, DTEK ENERGY’s enterprises have developed and implemented corporate standards and instruments aimed at creating safe working environment and preventing occupational injuries and accidents. This includes occupational safety committees, risk assessment and management using the HAZOP technique, internal investigation of incidents and accidents, internal audits and control of OHS compliance, management of hazardous activities and situations using a continuous improvement system, visualization, incentive programs, training and education as well as many other instruments. 

Occupational Safety Training

An occupational safety training system helps maintaining the required level of qualification of employees and their readiness to undertake various professional tasks in line with OHS requirements. This system includes a variety of briefings, trainings, educational courses, and tests.

The main training tools and methods are:

• Visualization during training sessions: demonstration of video tutorials and slides
• Video briefings
• Differentiation of employees by qualification level and specialization
• Involvement of all members of personnel into a training process
• A multi-level knowledge testing system

Occupational Safety and Health Incentive Programs for Personnel

All mine offices of the company give the personnel video briefings before the shift. Training and testing of employees are based on the PROTEK Software. This software includes various occupational safety programs covering both statutory and corporate requirements. Personnel of the company’s mine offices receive off-the-job training in work techniques and corporate OHS standards twice a year. Almost 20 thousand members of personnel have completed this training in 2021.

TPP personnel have an opportunity to attend training and upgrade their skills at production and training centres. The production and training centres operating at DTEK Skhidenergo, DTEK Dniproenergo, and DTEK Westenergy are unrivalled anywhere in Ukraine. These centres use unique educational computer software and simulators, up-to-date equipment and hardware. They help the employees receive training in occupational safety, fire safety and operation of equipment and acquire vocational skills required for safe and efficient operation and maintenance of power plant equipment. The employees can receive on-the-job training as well.

We conduct regular drills to master the skills and actions to be taken in emergencies:

• training top management and specialists in civil defence and safety management in training centers;
• individual in-house training in civil defence;
• drills of the electrical network emergency response centers, together with the relevant local authorities and natural disaster response centers;
• drills of the emergency response centers in case of emergencies at radiation and chemically hazardous production facilities;
• drills in actions to be taken if communities are shelled (sheltering employees in basements and semi-basements).

The companies are developing the following measures to protect production facilities against natural disasters:

• emergency prevention plans;
• emergency response and recovery plans;
• patterns of interaction with the main emergency department for emergency response and recovery;
• schedules of civil defence and fire safety drills;
• a program of briefings on civil defence and technogenic safety.