Occupational Health and Safety

GRI 2-23, 2-24, 403-1, 403-2, 403-7

The Company’s main goal in occupational health and safety is to ensure workplace safety and protect the health of employees by preventing work-related accidents and occupational diseases, as well as to improve the level of safety culture.

The Company’s management recognises the unconditional priority of preserving the life and health of employees over the results of production activities and takes comprehensive measures to implement the Company’s occupational health and safety policy, in particular by ensuring high efficiency of professional activities and maintaining the working capacity and health of personnel. The occupational health and safety work carried out by the Company’s management at various levels is considered one of the things that shows how good the managers are and how well they can do their jobs.

Health and safety management system

In accordance with the requirements of the Labour Code of the Russian Federation, with the aim of ensuring continuous improvement of occupational safety activities and the preservation of the life and health of employees, the Regulations on the occupational safety management system at PJSC Rosseti South (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations) were approved and put into effect.

The Regulations apply to the activities of all structural divisions of PJSC Rosseti South, as well as to the activities of contractors and suppliers performing work at the Company’s power grid facilities.

In 2024, unscheduled inspections were conducted by the State Labour Inspectorate in connection with accidents. The inspections did not reveal any systemic or significant violations of occupational health and safety requirements. However, they identified isolated cases of documentation violations, shortcomings in the conduct of psychiatric examinations and occupational health and safety training.

The following health and safety violations led to accidents:

• Safety requirements during equipment inspection,
• Unauthorised expansion of the scope of the task assigned,
• Failure to implement organisational and technical measures to ensure the safe performance of work in electrical installations,
• Failure to use electrical safety equipment and PPE,
• Lack of mutual control within crews.

Assessment and management of risks

The procedure for identifying (detecting) hazards and assessing occupational risk levels includes the following measures:

• Identification of workplace hazards in structural units with control measures in place
• Assessment of the levels of occupational risks from each identified hazard
• Assessment of the acceptability (admissibility) of the assessed levels of occupational risks
• Analysis and assessment of the adequacy of existing measures to manage and control occupational risk levels

The results of hazard identification and assessment of risk levels at workplaces are communicated to employees in the following ways:

• By including in workplace health and safety briefings
• By posting summary data on the risk assessment results in publicly accessible places (information stands, occupational safety and health desks, etc.)

Information on detected (identified) hazards and occupational risk levels is used at all levels of occupational health and safety management.

A high professional level of training for the Company’s employees is one of the requirements for the OHSMS to operate effectively.

The professional competence requirements for employees to perform their work are established by regulatory legal acts, professional standards, local regulations and other internal documents of the Company.

Staff training and preparation

Occupational health and safety training activities include the organisation and implementation of the following:

• Occupational safety briefings upon entry to and in the course of employment
• On-the-job training (for certain categories of personnel)
• Training and knowledge testing in occupational safety, safe job methods and techniques
• Training in how to rescue victims of electric shock and provide first aid (for certain categories of workers)
• Training in the use and application of personal protective equipment (for certain categories of workers)

Knowledge and practical skills acquired by workers are analysed with due account of the results of on-the-job training, shadowing, emergency and fire drills, as well as the results of periodic observations (various types of control) of how the employee performs the functions and tasks assigned to them.

In order to make occupational safety training of workers more effective, structural subdivisions ensure the availability of occupational safety rules and instructions, as well as other materials necessary for safe performance of work.

Investigation and recording of accidents

The purpose of investigating the causes of accidents, occupational diseases and other injuries is to prevent the deterioration of worker health and safety and to identify deficiencies in how the OHSMS functions.

Measures to investigate and record accidents and occupational diseases include:

• Organising the reporting of accidents and occupational diseases to the competent authorities and organisations
• Organising and ensuring a proper and timely investigation of an accident and ill health, drawing up investigation materials in accordance with legal requirements

The Company identifies and prevents hazards in the course of the following activities:

• Assessment and management of occupational risks, with special attention paid to high-risk jobs
• Special assessment of work environment
• Implementation of an operational risk assessment procedure immediately at the workplace before work begins
• In-process control of labour conditions
• Prevention of accidents and elimination of their consequences
• Special-purpose, comprehensive and operational inspections
• Use of instruments, devices, equipment and (or) complexes (systems) of instruments, equipment (if available and feasible) that provide remote video, audio or other recording of work processes, and storage of the obtained information

Operation of hazardous facilities

In 2024, PJSC Rosseti South operated 127 hazardous production facilities of hazard classes III and IV (hereinafter referred to as HPFs), all of which are registered in the Unified State Register of Hazardous Production Facilities.

A total of 458 pieces of technical machinery (mobile cranes, crane manipulators, towers, hoists, stationary cranes) are operated at hazardous production facilities of PJSC Rosseti South.

In order to prevent accidents at the hazardous production facilities of Rosseti South, technical machinery is to be operated in accordance with the requirements of regulatory legal acts in the field of industrial safety by trained and certified employees of the Company.

2024 results

In 2024, the following measures were put in place to promote industrial safety:

• Technical inspections and industrial safety assessments of technical units used at hazardous production facilities (473 technical inspections and 321 assessments).
• Insurance against civil liability of owners of hazardous facilities for damage caused by accidents at hazardous facilities was effected under a contract with a specialised organisation.
• A total of 565 people received additional professional education (advanced training) and pre-certification training in the field of industrial safety.
• As part of in-process control to ensure compliance with industrial safety requirements, 538 inspections were carried out and 946 corrective measures were devised to remedy the identified violations. The measures were completed within the set timelines.
• In order to ensure readiness for action to contain and mitigate the consequences of accidents at Class III hazardous production facilities (gas consumption networks), emergency response plans were drawn up and approved, and agreements were concluded with emergency rescue services for the operational servicing of hazardous production facilities
• Actions to be taken by managers and specialists in the event of emergencies and incidents at hazardous production facilities were defined. Actions related to technical investigation and documentation, recording and analysis of accidents and incidents are approved within the framework of the Regulations on industrial safety control at hazardous production facilities of the Company and the Procedure for technical investigation, recording and analysis of causes of incidents at hazardous production facilities of PJSC Rosseti South.

Work-related injuries and ill-health

The Company adheres to the occupational health and safety policy of Rosseti Group. The policy is communicated to all persons, contractors working on behalf of the Company and visitors to the Company during the induction briefing.

To implement the policy, as well as the obligations stated therein, and to achieve the objectives in occupational health and safety, the Company plans, develops and integrate measures to implement OHSMS procedures.

Assessment of working conditions

The main reasons for workplaces not meeting health and safety requirements include the following harmful (hazardous) factors: noise, general vibration, local vibration, chemical factors, stress and heavy workloads (workplaces: overhead line repair electricians, distribution grid maintenance electricians, switchgear repair electricians, electric and gas welders, vehicle drivers).

Additional requirements are imposed on the performance of hazardous work in accordance with regulatory legal acts containing state regulatory requirements for occupational safety, such as:

• Approval of the list of hazardous operations
• Training of employees in accordance with regulatory requirements
• Preliminary and periodic medical examinations
• Performance of work under a work permit with the appointment of persons responsible for the performance of work
• Provision of up-to-date personal protective equipment (including for work at height)

Information about hazardous work, risks associated with this type of work, and measures to reduce hazards is provided during occupational safety training and briefings.

Employees who perform their duties at workplaces that do not meet state regulatory requirements for occupational health and safety are paid compensation for work in hazardous working conditions, are granted additional paid leave, increased wages, and are provided with milk or other equivalent products (monetary compensation).

For protection against harmful and (or) hazardous factors of the production environment and (or) pollution, as well as at work performed in special temperature conditions, employees are provided free of charge with personal protective equipment and washing agents that received confirmation of conformity in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the Russian Federation on technical regulation.

Monitoring of employees’ health

In accordance with legal requirements, the Company organises medical check-ups: once every two years for employees whose workplaces are found to have harmful and/or hazardous production factors and for vehicle drivers, and every year for persons authorised to work at heights. In 2024, the cost of conducting periodic medical check-ups for 7,434 employees (including 4,309 employed in hazardous working conditions) amounted to RUB 21.289 million.

Injury rates

GRI 403-9, 403-10

Despite the work carried out in 2024, five accidents occurred at PJSC Rosseti South, resulting in:

• Three employees suffered serious injuries (Rostovenergo, Astrakhanenergo, executive office of the Company)
• Two employees died (branches of PJSC Rosseti South, Astrakhanenergo, Volgogradenergo)

Breakdown of casualty by type of incident:

• exposure to electric current (3 injured),
• exposure to moving, flying, rotating items and parts (1 injured),
• road traffic accident (1 injured).

The main causes of accidents:

• unauthorised expansion of the scope of the task assigned,
• failure to implement organisational and technical measures to ensure safe working practices,
• failure by affected persons to use the protective equipment provided to them,
• violation of traffic rules.