Occupational health and safety

Acea is committed to a widespread safety culture both in the company, through the direct involvement of employees, and along the supply chain (see the Suppliers chapter). Safety management in the Group is structured at an organizational level and most of the Companies have implemented Certified Management Systems (see also Corporate Identity, Corporate Governance and Corporate Governance and Management Systems chapter).

The Occupational Safety Unit of the parent company is in charge of the coordination and direction in this area, monitoring the companies on the application of legislation, guidelines and company policies.

Each Group Company has direct responsibility for the operational management of safety and takes care of training the personnel, monitoring accidents and assessing the risks to the workers, preparing the Risk Assessment Document (RAD). Following these activities, the Occupational Safety Unit prepares a centralized annual accident report for Group Companies.

The analysis method of the accidents follows the Guidelines for the classification of accidents, prepared by Utilitalia and in compliance with the standard UNI 7249/95, with reference to the INAIL measurement criteria and the instructions of ESAW (European Statistics of Accidents at Work).

During the year, consultation meetings were held with the Workers’ Safety Representatives (RLS), guaranteeing the involvement of the workforce as envisaged by art. 35 of Legislative Decree no. 81/08, and quarterly meetings were held of the Group’s RSPP Coordination Committee (Head of the Prevention and Protection Service), also to share the results of the safety performance analyses along with experiences and good practices.

In 2019 there were 95 accidents during work and 32 in transit, i.e. while commuting between home and work. The days of absence for accidents occurring during work were 2,884, the frequency index was equal to 9.74 and the severity index was 0.30 (see chart no. 42 and table no. 41). It should be noted that the increase in the data compared to 2018 is due to the inclusion of Gori in the scope (see table no. 41). Aware of the critical issues, Gori is launching initiatives aimed at preventing and reducing accidents, including awareness raising meetings, training and safety workshops for staff.

CHART NO. 42 – ACCIDENTS AND INDICES (2019)

By observing the distribution of accidents from a gender perspective (net of those during commuting) it emerges that 90 accidents, equal to 95% of the total, involved male staff, while women were involved in 5 accidents.

The Companies with the highest number of accidents are: Acea Ato 2 (32 accidents), Gori (31 accidents) and Areti (16 accidents), which naturally have greater exposure to the risk of accidents in relation to the type of activity performed.

During the year, Acea developed tools aimed at improving the operational management of occupational safety, including the HSE dashboard (Health, Safety, Environmental) to measure and monitor the performance data underlying the improvement measures, and the new Group Safety Guidelines drawn up also taking into account the findings of the meetings with the Group’s RSPPs.

Among the initiatives intended for employees, in 2019 the awareness campaign The Acea Group SiCura di Te for the prevention of accidents (see the box for details) is worthy of note.

The Parent Company’s Occupational Safety Unit has the task of also overseeing aspects related to organizational well-being, promoting healthy work environments and mitigating work-related stress. For this purpose, in 2019 monitoring was activated to assist and listen to employees in conditions of personal and/or work hardship. Acea also launched the Prevent with Acea initiative with the contribution of the non-profit association Susan G. Komen Italia and the medical staff of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Gemelli in Rome, organizing two days of prevention for employees, who benefited from about 230 free examinations (mammograms and ultrasound, gynaecological, thyroid and dermatological screening), and a conference aimed at providing basic guidance on health and correct lifestyles.

The Group Companies train the workers and supervisory staff regarding occupational health and safety in compliance with current legislation (see also below Staff training and development). Below are some initiatives carried out during the year:

• Acea SpA provided a training course on safe driving mainly for dispatched personnel, which in 2019 involved 175 employees, aimed at teaching proper driving behaviour in different settings;
• Acea Ambiente joined the Acea Cardio-protected Company project launched in 2018, equipping operating sites with defibrillators and training staff in the use of the life-saving device;
• Acea Ato 2 held meetings between top management and operating staff aimed at increasing employees’ awareness of safety at work. It installed “safety boards” at operating locations to share information and data with employees, and thanks to a collaboration with a young Italian start-up called StartSmart it experimented with training in confined spaces in virtual mode to allow operators to practice safely by simulating scenarios and activities typical of an intervention in closed environments directly in the classroom;
• Acea Ato 5 provided courses on the planning, control and placement of road signs for works carried out in the presence of vehicular traffic, on the management of work in confined environments, with suspected pollution and at risk of exposure to vibration and noise. In 2019, a total of 3,500 hours of safety information and training were carried out, for a total of about 600 resources involved;
• in Areti the Training Camp continues to be operational, a space dedicated to training on health and safety at work, even for new hires (safe ascent/descent on medium and low voltage power line poles; safe access to confined underground areas; the use of work/safety tools, training for emergencies in a dangerous environment, etc.). The space is made available to the operating staff of Areti and the other companies of the Group, and, upon request, to external companies/entities. In 2019 a total of 9,113 hours of training took place, involving 815 people;
• Acea Elabori trained personnel performing technical, professional and engineering activities in general (CSP/CSE safety coordinators, safety inspectors, etc.) on electrical risk, with particular attention to the execution of works on electrical systems;
• Aquaser continued to train drivers, with the aim of making them more aware of company procedures and safety, in particular with respect to road safety;
• Gori held the workshop “Leadership in Safety” to promote a culture of safety in the company at all levels, and with a view to prevention entered into an agreement with a specialized company to submit free check-ups to employees over 40 years of age;
• Gesesa developed the basic training course for the first aid specialists and the fire prevention specialists.

TABLE NO. 41 – HEALTH AND SAFETY (2017-2019)

HEALTH MONITORING

Health monitoring, regulated by a company procedure that defines its planning and management, is carried out in cooperation with external professionals in compliance with current legislation (art. 41 of Legislative Decree no. 81/08). Formally appointed physicians subject employees to pre-employment visits; preventive or when changing jobs; periodic, according to the Risk Assessment Plan; at the request of the worker; in the event of termination of employment, where required by current legislation; before resuming work following an absence due to ill health lasting more than 60 consecutive days. Workers exposed to specific risks are included in a targeted check-up programme.
Company physicians work with employers and officers from the Risk Protection and Prevention Service (RSPP), in Assessing the risks to which employees are exposed, which is necessary for the preparation of the health monitoring plan.

At the head office, a First Aid office ensures that staff and visitors have a first line of intervention in case of an illness that does not require an immediate hospital visit. In 2019, 2,633 visits were carried out, for a total financial value of € 274,000 (including the share relating to the company’s first aid service).

Health monitoring includes the prevention of occupational diseases that workers may contract due to prolonged exposure to the risk factors existing in the work environment. In the context of the work performed by the companies of the Group, for which Acea provides the health monitoring service, there are no risk profiles likely to cause occupational diseases. The competent doctor has the task of cooperating with the employer in order to define preventive measures and health protocols for the risk profiles associated with specific duties, monitoring any damage to workers’ health, issuing suitability assessments, and applying limitations and prescriptions, where necessary, in order to prevent possible occupational diseases. In 2019, in Acea, there were no reports of suspected occupational diseases.

⁹⁵ Art. 2112 c.c. e art. 47 legge 428/90 e ss.mm.ii.