In 2008, the national vaccination campaign against German measles, measles and tetanus addressed the workforce and surronding communities
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INVESTMENTS IN HEALTH AND SAFETY TOTAL R$ 110.7 MILLION
Petrobras incorporates health, safety and environment (HSE) in its business strategy. From assessments of labor and environmental impacts and health hazards of the workers and surrounding communities, the company runs prevention programs to improve the quality of life, including the physical, emotional and social aspects. Throughout the year, R$ 110.7 million was invested in occupational safety and health.
The company identifies, controls and monitors risks, adapting the safety of processes to best global practices and is prepared for emergencies. The periodic update of the HSE policy, guidelines and goals HSE is designed to maintain compliance with the Petrobras Strategic Plan and the prevailing legislation in the areas of health, safety and environment. The collective labor agreement (ACT) 2007, valid for two years, emphasizes increased efficiency, quality of work, competitiveness and safety and health of employees. A chapter is devoted solely to the issue of health care, detailed in themes such as: periodic medical examination, employee HSE committees, Internal Accident Prevention Commission (CIPA), Prevention in Occupational Health, Food and Periodic Nutritional Assessment Programs, Contingency Program, Prevention in Occupational Safety, Firefighting, Biological Environmental Monitoring and Health Policy, and so on. Periodic examinations free of charge for employees are also agreed with union entities, as well as HSE committees and CIPA.
The company has Occupational Health Standards and Procedures and is developing the HSENET, a software for support in the study, assessment and management of occupational health, safety and environmental aspects and impacts, in addition to emergencies and also management of legal requirements.
The Occupational Health Medical Control Program (PCMSO) helps to monitor and guide all members of the Petrobras workforce. The workers receive an Occupational Health Certificate and the facilities adopt operational procedures with instructions to minimize risk exposure. Moreover, seminars about risks in the work place, Health Policy and the right to refuse work in conditions of serious and imminent risk are held.
MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE
The entire workforce is represented in HSE-related discussions through formal committees such as CIPA, HSE Committee of employees and outsourcees, and Committees for the Benzene Agreement.
The Multidisciplinary Health Care (AMS) provides a health plan to its employees, retired workers, pensioners and their dependents, with medical, dental and psychotherapeutic coverage. Petrobras employees have treatment for psychosomatic and psychological disorders or stress-related problems. The company also offers the Pharmaceutical Benefit, which offers special conditions in procuring medicaments by the beneficiaries of the plan, throughout Brazil.
During the year, campaigns and events were held to invest in accident and disease prevention and in improving health condition of the workforce and surouding communities. Actions were taken and seminars, presentations and playacting developed in relation to themes as HIV, alcoholism, STDs, tobacco addiction and stress. There were also lectures about combating dengue explaining the forms of prevention, main symptoms and care when contracting the disease.
The workers and communities around the Urucu/ Coari/Manaus gas pipeline, Amazonas State, benefit from actions of prevention, diagnosis and early treatment of cases of malaria, dengue, yellow fever, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, filariasis and other diseases. Petrobras also monitors the accidents caused by poisonous animals.
In 2008, a national vaccination campaign was implemented against German measles, measles and tetanus for the company’s workers and surounding communities. Approximately 900 workers were immunized with the double viral and anti-tetanus vaccines.
Petrobras organizes the Anti-flu Vaccination Campaign, immunizing approximately 13,500 people, which corresponds to approximately 62.5% of the expected public and an increase of about 12.6% compared to the 2007 campaign.
The company HIV/AIDS policy emphasizes cooperation for the development of public policies for guidance and prevention of the disease. Diagnostic tests are provided free of charge to all employees, on a voluntary basis. Petrobras offers medicaments, for employees and dependents who are HIV positive. Moreover, the company’s health professionals are trainned to attend this specific public. As preventive measures, campaigns of awareness are organized for the workforce to inform them about the means of transmission, adopting safe behavior and understanding individual risks. The policy intends to avoid discrimination in the workplace, ensuring the confidentiality of services of advice and health care.
Petrobras maintains contact with national and international organizations responsible for the surveillance, assistance and research about the HIV virus.
| FREQUENCY RATE OF CASUALTIES WITH LEAVE (TFCA)* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| TFCA | 1,04 | 0,97 | 0,77 | 0,76 | 0,59 |
| Fatalities | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Total | 16 | 15 | 9 | 15 | 18 |
| FATAL ACCIDENTS RATE (FAR)** | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| FAR | 3,30 | 2,81 | 1,61 | 2,28 | 2,40 |
| PERCENTAGE OF TIME LOST (PTP) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ano | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| PTP | 2,57 | 2,48 | 2,06 | 2,19 | 2,31 |
- * TFCA: Number of casualties per one million men-hours with exposure to risk
- ** FAR: Number of fatalities per 100 million men-hours with exposure to risk
HEALTH AND SAFETY INDICATORS
The Corporate System of Recording Accidents (SISIN) monitors the operations of the company by a system which integrates all the information of the safety area. By means of SISIN the indicators for the accidents with injury of employees and outsourcees workers are consolidated and reports are generated for the follow-up and control of accidents, abnormal occurrences and costs involved.
In certain cases the safety standards adopted by Petrobras even exceed Brazilian legal requirements. With a view to safety standards that place the company on the same level of the global majors oil and gas companies, the maximum limit allowed for the Frequency Rate of Casualties with Leave (TFCA) for 2010 was established at 0,5%, including employees and outsourcees what represents a level of international excellence.
Maintaining the trend of improvement in previous years, in 2008 Petrobras recorded a 0.59 drop in the TFCA. The value matches the number of casualties (employees and outsourcees) with leave for every million man-hours with exposure to risk.
The fatalities in the workforce, including employees and outsourcees, came to a total of 18 cases. Five were caused by an air crash and four in road accidents – a sharp drop compared with the nine fatalities in road accidents recorded in 2007, as a result of the different prevention actions of the company.
Petrobras follows up the results in the health area by indicators such as the Percentage of Time Lost (PTP), referring to the employee absenteeism from work due to illness or accidents. In 2008, the company recorded a PTP of 2.31%.