OMV’s HSSE vision is “Committed to Zero Harm – Protect People, Environment, and Assets.” This vision is embedded in the HSSE Policy, which is OMV’s public commitment to health, safety, security, and the environment. Our chemicals subsidiary, Borealis, is committed to implementing the guidelines of the Responsible Care Global Charter, which is the chemical industry’s voluntary initiative aimed at continuous improvement in health, safety, and environmental performance. To manage the identified negative material HSSE impact related to our own workforce and value chain workers, our Code of Conduct and Human Rights Policy Statement act as overarching documents outlining our general commitments. The HSSE Directive, Health Care Standard, Reporting, Investigation, and Classification of Incidents standard, and the Occupational Safety Management Standard outline specific requirements for employees and contractors that are part of OMV’s own workforce.
Code of Conduct
As part of our Code of Conduct, we are committed to eliminating hazards and threats by identifying them and preventing, controlling, or reducing risks to an acceptable level. To achieve this and make our workplace safe for all our employees, we provide training and personal protective equipment. We aim to support our employees in improving both their mental well-being and physical health. Additionally, we are dedicated to training, empowering, and encouraging people to work safely. We invest in technology, programs, and processes to ensure that our facilities and operations are safe for employees, external stakeholders, and the environment. These commitments form the foundation of our HSSE policies, which provide guidelines to address the negative impact on our own workforce and workers in our value chain resulting from inadequate occupational safety and health management. For the Code of Conduct, unless otherwise specified, the process for monitoring, the scope of the policy, involvement of senior-level management, reference to third-party standards (where relevant), interests of key stakeholders in setting the policy (where relevant), and how the policy is made available to potentially affected stakeholders are covered in E1 Climate Change.
Human Rights Policy Statement
Ensuring a high level of care for our employees’ well-being and physical and mental health across the Group is a commitment outlined in our Human Rights Policy Statement. OMV aims to adhere to the committed OMV Group health standards to provide its employees and contractors/suppliers with safe workplaces within OMV. Our Safety Management System is based on the OMV HSSE Policy, the HSSE Directive, and various corporate regulations. For the Human Rights Policy Statement, unless otherwise specified, the process for monitoring, the scope of the policy, involvement of senior-level management, reference to third-party standards (where relevant), interests of key stakeholders in setting the policy (where relevant), and how the policy is made available to potentially affected stakeholders are covered in S1 Human Rights.
HSSE Directive
This directive and its annexes set out the principles and rules for the management of Health, Safety, Security & Resilience, and Environment (HSSE) throughout the life cycle of the OMV Group’s business and activities, including capital projects, mergers, and acquisitions. It provides a framework for how we, as OMV, manage all HSSE aspects to protect people, the environment, assets, and our reputation in line with our HSSE Policy and in view of our HSSE vision: “Committed to Zero Harm – Protect People, Environment, and Assets.” This directive also defines the key HSSE responsibilities of all OMV Group employees, partners, and contractors; the HSSE Policy; the Major Accident Prevention Policy; HSSE Terms and Definitions; Life-Saving Rules; and the continuous improvement of HSSE performance.
The HSSE Directive is underpinned by a set of HSSE regulations and processes that include, HSSE Risk Management, Process Safety Management, Occupational Safety Management, Contractor HSSE Management, Management of Hazardous Substances, and Personnel Transportation, as well as Reporting, Investigation, and Classification of Incidents. Together, they form the safety management framework. Our Major Accident Prevention Policy outlines the main goals and guidelines for managing the risk of major accidents in OMV’s operations. Recognizing the significant risk of major accidents in onshore and offshore oil and gas activities, and their potential severe impact on people and the environment, OMV believes that strong HSSE awareness embedded in company culture is essential. Our Contractor HSSE Management Standard sets the minimum requirements for addressing HSSE issues throughout the contract life cycle and contractor management process, from selection to contract close-out. Spot checks and internal audits are used to monitor the effective implementation of the policy.
All HSSE policies apply to all employees of OMV globally, with specific provisions for local legal compliance being considered. This includes OMV Aktiengesellschaft and all its subsidiaries, Borealis AG, and OMV Petrom S.A., along with their respective subsidiaries, but excludes SapuraOMV Upstream Sdn. Bhd. and its subsidiaries. Minor exclusions apply, for instance within Borealis, where separate guidelines that cover entity-specific operational incidents are provided. The HSSE policies also apply to value chain workers, including external experts who provide subject matter advice to OMV Group companies, as well as all contractor employees. Members of the Executive Board (EB) represent the most senior level accountable for approving and implementing the HSSE Directive, Health Care Standard, Reporting, Investigation, and Classification of Incidents Standard and the Occupational Safety Management Standard. This also includes all the environmental policies providing guidelines on minimizing our operational environmental impact. Responsibility for their implementation lies with the respective business units or the members of the Executive Board. The corporate functions are responsible for supporting the implementation and, to a certain degree, overseeing their governance and monitoring.
OMV subject matter experts and employees from business functions (e.g., refineries, legal) were either directly involved in the development of the HSSE policies or consulted during the internal consultation process to seek their feedback to the draft policies to ensure that, wherever possible, their interests were not undermined. All the HSSE policies that are governed by the HSSE Directive are made available to all OMV employees via OMV’s Regulations Alignment Platform in OMV’s Intranet and training sessions. Relevant aspects for suppliers are incorporated into the contractual agreements and detailed health and safety management aspects are covered during contractor onboarding.
Risk Assessments
Our risk management approach involves identifying hazards, assessing risks, and implementing appropriate controls. Risk management regulations are developed, maintained, and applied. HSSE risks for acquisitions and divestments are evaluated to enable robust decision-making. All sites and activities are systematically and periodically reviewed. Processes and regulations are assessed for their HSSE impact. Occupational health examinations are conducted to prevent harm to employees from their specific work or work environment. Risks are controlled according to the hierarchy: Eliminate – Tolerate – Reduce – Transfer. The process of hazard identification and risk assessment is documented, maintained, and available at the point of use. Findings are reported and addressed, with follow-up actions implemented in a timely manner according to their priority, and their effectiveness verified. Individuals exposed to hazards are made aware of the risks, the controls implemented, and their responsibilities. Hazard registers and risk assessments are regularly updated and reviewed as part of the management of change process.
Major risks and the respective mitigation measures are evaluated and monitored within the Enterprise-Wide Risk Management (EWRM) system, and documented in the Group-wide Active Risk Management System (ARMS) database. They are reported to top management twice a year or as necessary whenever issues arise. Senior management are directly involved in reviewing risks identified as a top priority. This preventive measure manages all our material impacts.
Audits
To assess the effective implementation of HSSE regulations and identify areas for improvement, we have established an audit and review system. This system ensures that HSSE relevant information and data are regularly gathered, reported, compiled, and analyzed. Our HSSE regulations are subject to independent review to achieve continuous improvement. HSSE aspects of all activities undergo regular self and independent audits according to established procedures. We ensure that sufficient and competent resources are available to conduct these audits and reviews. Actions arising from audits and reviews are assessed for quality and monitored until they are satisfactorily resolved. We determine that systems, design, work processes, activities, or tasks conform to specified regulations and verify the ability to access valid HSSE regulations.
Incident Reporting and Investigation as a Remediation Measure
All employees and contractors are encouraged to report any unsafe conditions and behaviors to line management to identify and resolve potential issues that could lead to future incidents or accidents. We acknowledge these suggestions for improvement submitted by employees and contractors locally. All incidents, hazards, HSSE walks, audits, findings, and defined actions are reported and tracked within a central HSSE reporting tool. Online training is regularly organized via the My Success Factors learning platform to ensure the effective use of the tool, emphasizing the importance data quality.
We investigate incidents and accidents using the expertise of our incident investigator pool members and other technical experts. Our goal is to identify the root causes of incidents and implement measures to prevent more severe incidents in the future. This includes focusing on near misses that could have led to serious accidents under different circumstances. Additionally, we verify the effectiveness of actions implemented after severe and high-potential incidents (HiPos), including process safety incidents, by updating our reporting tool with information about past safety events. The incident investigation process has been further developed, and a subprocess to share HSSE information and promote organizational learning has been established. Our Incident Investigation Panel meets quarterly to review the process and implement practical improvements.
Health Standard
The OMV Health Standard provides guidelines to mitigate the negative impact on workers’ health caused by inadequate occupational health and safety management, complex shift and rotation patterns, or project-related pressures. It ensures effective employee health care across OMV with a specific focus on occupational health and safety management for both our own force and value chain workers. It stipulates that OMV Group health care is based on four pillars: occupational health, curative medicine, emergency care and preparedness, and preventive programs and sets out the main principles, roles, and responsibilities, lines of communication within the OMV Group, a framework for managing preventive health measures and curative health care, and collaboration among HSSE specialists. It supplements local legal requirements, allowing us to establish a harmonized level of health care services and access to medical facilities at all OMV sites.
The OMV Group Health Standard governs the work of operative medical service providers in relation to planning human resources, medical facilities and services, and local health plans. It involves operational health risk assessment and management, emergency preparedness, preventive initiatives such as targeted health promotion campaigns, health programs, and training sessions, as well as curative care. This involves ensuring a minimum level of equipment and materials for our clinics, both onshore and offshore, such as ECG machines, defibrillators, suction units, rescue devices, and emergency medication. Regular checks and supplier audits are conducted on medical suppliers, food facility hygiene, and customer satisfaction. Reporting and collaboration with contractors and subcontractors on health and safety are also integral parts of our process.
Active and collaborative health management by OMV, contractors, and their subcontractors is essential to effectively manage health in the workplace where multiple organizations work together. Before such collaboration begins, it is necessary to agree upon and organize the requirements, deliverables, and service levels, clearly define roles and responsibilities, and establish an information policy and reporting requirements.
In addition to what has been disclosed under the HSSE Directive, OMV’s Health Standard also applies to medical staff including value chain workers involved in providing medical services and advice to OMV Group companies. For the Health Care Standard, unless otherwise specified, the scope of the policy, involvement of senior-level management, reference to third-party standards (where relevant), interests of key stakeholders in setting the policy (where relevant), and how the policy is made available to potentially affected stakeholders are covered under HSSE Directive.
Reporting, Investigation, and Classification of Incidents Standard
OMV aims to adhere to the highest standards to provide its employees and contractors with a safe workplace. This is not only a moral obligation but also necessary to ensure seamless operations, without costly shutdowns or delays due to incidents. OMV’s Reporting, Investigation, and Classification of Incidents Standard clearly outlines the systematic approach to be followed (beyond local/national laws) and the regulations, roles, and responsibilities when notifying, reporting, investigating, and classifying incidents within OMV. It also identifies appropriate preventive and corrective actions. It aims to ensure that all incidents are identified and reported in a timely manner. Work-related incidents with potential impacts on human health and safety, the environment, quality, customers, financial and asset loss, reputation, media attention or compliance are thoroughly investigated to determine their direct, root, and systemic causes. Security incidents, including malicious acts, are also investigated to identify the involved parties and circumstances, with serious suspicions addressed similarly. Preventive and corrective actions are implemented to reduce the likelihood of incident recurrence to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). All OMV facilities are required to comply with the relevant local incident reporting and investigation laws. Country-specific legal requirements will always take precedence. Despite this, OMV will always share lessons learned and define actions to prevent recurrence of similar incidents as quickly as possible within the Group.
For the Reporting, Investigation, and Classification of Incidents Standard, unless otherwise specified, the scope of the policy, involvement of senior-level management, reference to third-party standards (where relevant), interests of key stakeholders in setting the policy (where relevant), and how the policy is made available to potentially affected stakeholders are covered under HSSE Directive.
Occupational Safety Management
Occupational safety management is an integral part of the Group’s overall approach to managing HSSE, utilizing standardized instructions, practices, and specifications to ensure safe work. Key components include organization, resources, management processes, performance, safety culture, and documented practices, aligned with ISO 45001. Its aim is to provide a framework for managing the prevention of work-related incidents, developing and implementing occupational safety objectives, demonstrating top management leadership and commitment to occupational safety management, and establishing systematic processes that consider safety risks and opportunities for improvement. This involves identifying hazards, assessing occupational safety risks, and establishing operational controls to minimize these risks. Additionally, it includes raising awareness of occupational safety hazards and how to mitigate them through information, communication, and training, continuously evaluating and improving safety performance, developing the necessary competencies, fostering a mature safety culture, and ensuring the involvement, informing, consultation, and participation of employees and contractors.
For Occupational Safety Management, unless otherwise specified, the scope of the policy, involvement of senior-level management, interests of key stakeholders in setting the policy (where relevant), and how the policy is made available to potentially affected stakeholders are covered under HSSE Directive.
The OMV Group has a workplace accident prevention policy and management system in place. The policies addressing workplace accident prevention are the HSSE Policy, the HSSE Directive, and the Occupational Safety Management Standard, all guided by our HSSE vision and mission: “Committed to ZERO Harm – Protect People, Environment, and Assets.” HSSE management system has 12 important elements, some of them specifically addressing workplace accidents in terms of prevention. The OMV Group emphasizes open and transparent reporting of incidents, thorough root cause investigations, and implementing lessons learned to prevent recurrence. Root-cause analyses cover all causes and management failures. Lessons learned are shared within OMV and with external stakeholders. Investigations use proven methodologies and competent teams.