We are committed to protecting our employees, contractors, customers and the general public against health and safety risks. This commitment and our management approach are clearly outlined in our Health and Safety Policy.
Occupational Safety and Health
On top of the commitment to fully comply with all applicable health and safety legal requirements and other requirements, Towngas has set a non-zero LTIFR target of 0.7 accidents per 1,000,000 work-hours for our employees in 2023 for performance improvement. We also strive for preventing ill health and injuries related to psychosocial risk, and to promote well-being at work. This goal is supported by an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management system, which is established in accordance with international standards such as ISO 45001 that cover the work scope of all employees and contractors. The safety standards of workplaces under the Group are the same among employees and contractors. Both health and safety management and performance are evaluated and assessed through inspections and audits (either internal and external).
A Corporate Health and Safety Manual is in place to outline the framework of the OSH management system, with standard operating procedures and detailed guidelines. These documents are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure our practices comply with the legal requirements as well as the latest industrial practices.
Hazard Identification, Risk Management and Incident Investigation Our OSH management system includes a comprehensive register of risks and opportunities to identify work-related hazards including high-consequence injury and ill health risks assessments through risk analysis such as Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) and risk evaluation, as well as control measures for continual improvement in order to minimise risks and ultimately eliminate hazards.
To ensure quality of the processes for identifying and assessing work-related hazards, training on the application of these tools is provided to relevant personnel regularly, we also check and verify the competence and experience of personnel who conduct such processes.
If our workers consider that they are exposed to an imminent and serious danger to their life or health, they have the ability to remove themselves from work situations, as well as the arrangements for protecting them from undue consequences for doing so.
Contractors are issued with our Safety Handbook before commencing work, so they are aware of the standards we expect with regard to health and safety. In the case of contractors’ poor performance, intervention for management improvements will be conducted by Towngas to improve contractors’ safety performance.
Work-related incident investigation policies and processes are in place. In the event of an incident, we will conduct an investigation and submit a comprehensive report providing the root causes, recommendations and corrective actions for the concerned department’s reference. The goal is to determine the cause and identify ways to prevent its recurrence.
Additionally, to safeguard workers’ health and safety, Towngas provides medical and healthcare services to address their work-related injury and other health issues. |
Monitoring and Reporting Chaired by the Managing Director, the Group Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) Committee comprises top management of each Business Unit to oversee health and safety issues of the Group. The variable compensations of the Managing Director and senior executives are linked to ESG material issues (including health and safety) in order to enhance accountability beyond shareholders and drive performance improvement.
Under the Group HSE Committee, each Business Unit formulates HSE Committee to monitor the health and safety performance and provide two-way communication about health and safety issues for comprehensive governance. Different levels of employees (from managerial to general) and contractors are invited to participate in the regular meetings of these committees.
Various reporting channels and promotion schemes, such as HSE Suggestion Scheme, Near-miss Reporting Programme have been set up to encourage employees and contractors to report work-related hazards and near-miss cases for rectification and improvement. To encourage reporting, we reward employees and contractors who flag cases and provide incentive schemes to those demonstrating responsibility, awareness and a high level of safety performance.
Additionally, on the Chinese mainland, we have established an internal Safety Responsibility System and set up key performance indicators (KPIs) for our project companies, including third-party damage, regular safety inspection, incident rate, etc. These KPIs are closely monitored and reported to senior executives. |
Training and Promotion
To help our employees and contractors deepen their understanding of our safety culture, we organise training courses, workshops and activities. A Towngas HSE and Caring Programme is also in place to provide mentorship and HSE training for new joiners. Additionally, we provide health and safety briefings to employees operating in various roles. Examples include safety for work above ground and in confined spaces, as well as excavation work close to our gas pipelines.
Before a new project begins, we inform contractors about any associated safety and health concerns there might be and the emergency handling procedures they should take. Health and safety messages are disseminated through communication channels such as internal publications, emails and online library.
|
Customer Safety
To ensure our products and services meet the strictest safety requirements, our staff follow a rigorous set of internal guidelines and comply closely with all laws and regulations pertaining to safety. These guidelines cover the installation, replacement and maintenance of gas appliances and gas meters as well as gas pipes and fittings.
When developing new products for our customers, we follow the latest safety and quality control systems that govern how we source raw materials and produce and deliver end products. Our suppliers are also required to comply with our product safety requirements.
Product Development
- Gas appliances are equipped with innovative safety features such as anti-scorch protection, timer controls and flame failure devices. Besides, with the support of Wi-Fi services and mobile apps, remote monitoring and alert of abnormal condition can also be enabled
- Gas meter emergency shut off in abnormal condition
|
Quality Assurance
- Compliance checks are conducted to ensure consistently high standards across all our product lines
- All gas appliances are tested according to rigorous quality control systems
|
Product Labelling
- All gas appliances come with operating instructions on their safe and proper use
|
Customer Service
- Regular Safety Inspections are conducted to check all gas installations and external service risers, as well as to test installation pipes
- every 18 months in Hong Kong
- every 12 to 24 months in mainland China
- 24-hour Emergency Hotline with a team dedicated to handling all gas emergency incidents and carrying out investigation
- Manual of Remedial Measures, with established remedial actions to ensure domestic gas appliances are safe for public use
|
Customer Engagement
- Safety exhibitions and talks, customer surveys and focus groups, as well as Customer Focus Team visits to raise safety awareness and understand customer needs
- Safety messages are also provided through leaflets, videos, posters and the corporate website
- Bi-monthly customer satisfaction surveys conducted by an independent research company
|
Public Safety
Towngas adheres to well-established design, engineering and operating principles to maintain the safety of our facilities and equipment. By combining these principles with a rigorous maintenance regime, we are able to ensure our processes and assets are safe, reliable and in good working order.
Our gas production plants and transmission and distribution network have all been certified to the ISO 55001 Asset Management standard, with an Asset Management Policy to optimally managing the physical infrastructure assets. Managerial staff at the Group and asset levels have responsibility for upholding the standard, while employees at all levels shall provide support. A Process Safety Management (PSM) system is also in place for our chemical plants in Hong Kong and mainland China, which allows us to identify and record critical hazards and develop measures to control and mitigate risks.
Emergency and Crisis Management
Towngas has a robust Corporate Crisis Management Plan (CCMP) in place to outline management roles and responsibilities, response procedures and processes, crisis classification, communication protocol with external stakeholders such as media, affected customers and political parties, and investigation procedueres. The CCMP has a three-tiered approach to ensure high levels of preparedness to respond to and recover from an emergency situation in a timely and effective manner, while ensuring disruptions to the public are kept to a minimum.
Regular training exercises and drills on crisis management are conducted for employee for better emergency preparedness. We also conduct regular table-top exercises to further enhance our management team’s ability to handle emergency situations.
-
Tier 1 - Corporate Crisis Plan
Senior management deploys company resources, liaises with government authorities and handles the media
-
Tier 2 - Departmental Emergency/Crisis Plan
Managers and key emergency personnel outline general actions to take during emergency situations
-
Tier 3 - Specific Emergency Procedures
Frontline staff take appropriate action to tackle specific incident
|
Comprehensive Monitoring
We continuously monitor our facilities in order to identify potential hazards and mitigate risks while looking for ways to make improvements.
From our 24-hour Grid Control Centre at our North Point Headquarters in Hong Kong, we are able to monitor our network in real time. We also conduct a gas pipe leakage survey at least once a year and carry out regular trench inspections of our gas pipes and other facilities.
In the Chinese mainland, the general managers of mainland utility business project companies conduct a safety inspection every month to identify and address any issues that may arise. Safety and risk management audits of our utility project companies are conducted once every two years, while PSM audits for our chemical plants in full operation are conducted annually.
In addition, regular safety and risk management training workshops are organised in a hybrid mode to improve safety management practices and safety awareness.
|
Community and Industrial Relations
We connect with stakeholders to enhance their safety awareness and build trust. We also work closely with the government authorities to formulate strategic plans, such as a facilities utilisation framework and preventive maintenance index, to ensure optimal safety.
In order to maintain a high standard of safety not just within Towngas but across the industry, we share our safety experience and standards with corporations, contractors and professional organisations.
In the Chinese mainland, we have taken part in the compilation and revision of relevant standards and specifications on both the national and industry levels. We have also shared our experience to promote the development of the gas industry in the Chinese mainland.
|