Occupational Health and Safety

Abengoa’s Occupational Risk Prevention Policy abides by the different occupational health and safety regulations in force in the countries in which the company operates, while seeking the integration of occupational risk prevention into company strategy through information and training.

Occupational Health and Safety Management Objectives

Fulfillment of the objectives set throughout the year within the companies, the integration and participation of workers in the execution of prevention activities, follow-up and control of the system by management, and the advice received by the company in prevention issues, all ensure implementation at Abengoa of an occupational risk prevention culture that has a significant impact on reducing work-related accidents and illnesses and on the continuous improvement of safety within the workplace.

All Abengoa companies have designated specialized technicians working part- or full-time on the development, management and control of the prevention systems. The organizational models implemented in risk prevention are aligned with the legal requirements of each country, and the formula chosen by Abengoa is having its own prevention services, which means having specialized technicians in this area on staff.

In accordance with Abengoa’s prevention policy and the Common Management Systems, prevention committees have been set up throughout all group companies to monitor and control the system. These committees comprise company management, departmental heads and the prevention service technicians. The committees meet regularly to establish objectives; monitor and analyze the occupational accident rate together with the corresponding statistical indicators; conduct studies on the Annual Prevention Activity Plan (PAP), in accordance with the results of the risk assessment; prepare Troubleshooting Reports (TSR) and Improvement Actions (IA); and address internal audit reports and new legislation.

Each company monitors work-related accidents and illness occurring at the worksites (official report, medical leave and discharge certificates, etc.), as well as investigation reports prepared by prevention service technicians and other components of the preventive organization, in accordance with internal management and the general procedure of the PGP-000/08 prevention system. This information is reported monthly to Global Human Resource Management (GIRH) in order to prepare the corresponding indicators so that effective control and follow-up of the Improvement Action (IA) proposal may be conducted if necessary.

In accordance with the PGP-000/08 standard, serious accidents must be reported immediately to the management departments involved and to Abengoa’s most senior management, followed by immediate investigation and circumstantial analysis through two channels:

  • The Incident and/or Accident Investigation Report form
  • The pertinent Troubleshooting Report.
Figures on Incidents

Work-related incident rates are remarkably low at Abengoa in comparison with figures from similar sectors and taking into account the nature of the company’s activities. Thus, the number of incidents, in 2009, number of incidents entailing medical leave for every one thousand workers, totaled 34.72, and a serious incident rate, number of working days lost for every one thousand working hours, of 0.33.

Figures for 2009:

  • The total percentage of absenteeism at Abengoa (disciplinary proceedings, illness, accident, and justified and unjustified absences) stood at 1.59%.
  • Absenteeism deriving from common illness amounted to 1.02%, whereas the total for labor-related accidents stood at 0.25%.

By region, the absentee rate is as follows: Spain 2%, Europe 6% (ex. Spain), Asia 2%, Latin America 1%, North America 1% and Oceania 1%.

The number of work-related accidents leading to authorized sick leave over one day totaled 957, of which 62 occurred during commutes to and from work. These accidents led to 16,901 lost working days, of which 1,494 are attributed to in itinere accidents.

Four very serious work-related accidents occurred in 2009, all resulting in fatalities: two through train impact, one after becoming trapped and the other the victim of cable laying.

As established in the statement on preventive policy, training in prevention is a basic underpinning of the Prevention Management System. Training action contents are geared towards ensuring that people are able to identify the occupational risks associated with their position, and to disseminate the preventive, protective and emergency measures implemented to eliminate and control them. Thus, particular priority and attention is given to personnel exposed to risks of a more serious nature and to new employees.

The VIII Seminar on Risk Prevention for Executives was held in 2009. The aim of this gathering each year is to advocate continuing efforts in raising awareness on all levels, stressing the importance of maintaining the preventive culture dictated by Abengoa in all areas. This past year, the seminar was presided over by Felipe Benjumea, and involved analysis of different incidents occurring in different activities and geographies with the aim of understanding their consequences and extracting conclusions with a view to improvement.

Furthermore, and with the aim of forestalling and controlling factors that could create an imbalance for workers, a wide range of training events are being offered. These range from stress prevention to an explanation of ergonomic, health and psycho-social issues. The events are informative and also provide participants with the guidelines to stimulate physical and/or psycho-social situations to diminish the stress factors acting to block effective professional, personal, social and family development.

In this regard, the work climate surveys also focus on these issues.

Occupational Health and Safety Training. Continuous improvement of the ORP Management System

The involvement and commitment of all employees to ongoing improvement of the Prevention System at each Abengoa company continue to represent one of the underpinnings of the management system.

All employees have access to Abengoa computer management applications, Troubleshooting Reports (TSR) and Improvement Actions (IA). It is the duty of the management to promote the use of these tools throughout the entire organization.

In order to verify the safety conditions under which the activities of the work centers and worksites are carried out, visits were conducted in order to assess occupational health and safety conditions. The corresponding TSRs and IAs were generated from the deficiencies and anomalies identified.

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In accordance with defined goals and programs, the number of visits made to companies and organizational units in 2009 totaled 2,072, including audits, inspections and measurements. The corresponding TSRs and IAs were duly opened for all non-conformities detected and recommendations issued.

At Abengoa, we are constantly striving to provide our employees and their families with information on, and training in serious illnesses. Over the course of 2009, our medical service issued a raft of practical recommendations on how to prevent Influenza A (H1N1).

Combating work-related stress is one of the key focal points of our training program.

Based on the prevalence of different illnesses in different countries, numerous countries have staged informal chats and training sessions on acute respiratory illnesses, parasitosis, hypercholesterolemia and HIV. The group has also staged various workshops to heighten awareness of the consequences of emotional and mental stress caused by a variety of factors: work, personal life, family life, etc.

Certification of Prevention Models according to OHSAS 18001

Abengoa’s Common Management Rules establish, as a strategic objective for all companies, the implementation and certification of prevention management models in accordance with the OHSAS 18001:2007 standard.

At present the number of certified companies amounts to 75.

Occupational Safety Requirements imposed on Contractor Suppliers

In accordance with the company’s internal rules, companies assess compliance by contractors in the field of occupational risk prevention. These internal rules require that suppliers and contractors adhere to Abengoa’s Social Responsibility Code, which expressly specifies occupational health and safety conditions for all employees.

Case Study
Mandatory Procedure for ensuring Worksite Safety and Security Rules

The checklist is a mandatory verification procedure that Abengoa has established as yet another step towards ensuring compliance in the area of occupational risk prevention. These succinct guidelines address potential occupational risks, enabling the individual in charge of the projects to verify the safety of his or her workers.

This helps ensure that projects are not initiated without being checked by the project head beforehand, or without due regard to the safety criteria defined in the protocols.

2009 Milestones
  • Firm commitment to occupational health and safety: more than 270,000 hours of training in this area.
  • Seminar on risk prevention for executives.
  • Occupational health and safety awareness events for middle managers.
  • Definition of the Mandatory Compliance Procedure (POC) to ensure worksite safety rules.

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