Occupational health and safety

The number of accidents decreased over the three-year period. More specifically, in 2018 there were 65 accidents during work – compared to 87 in 2017 and 110 in 2016 – and 37 accidents in transit, i.e. during home-work commutes. The days of absence, related to the accidents which occurred during work dropped to 2,453 (they were 3,463 in 2017 and 4,524 in 2016) and both the frequency index, which goes from 10.87 in 2017 to 8.02 in 2018, and the severity index, from 0.43 in 2017 to 0.30 in 2018 decreased (see Chart no. 38 and Table no. 40).

Chart no. 38 – Accidents and indices (2018)

By observing the distribution of the accidents (excluding those commuting to and from work) from the perspective of gender it emerges that: 62 accidents (78 in 2017), equal to 95% of the total, involved male staff who are workmen (45) and clerical workers (17), while 3 accidents (9 in 2017), equal to 5% of the total, involved the female staff who are clerical workers (2) and manager (1).

The breakdown of accidents by company, aggregated into industrial areas, shows a decrease in accidents in all areas compared to the previous year’s figures (see Chart no. 38).
Most of the accidents are confirmed in the two operating companies in the Water and Energy Distribution area - Acea Ato 2 (34 accidents) and Areti (14 accidents) -, which physiologically have greater exposure to the risk of accidents because of the type of activity performed.
During the year, consultation meetings were held regularly with the Workers’ Safety Representatives (RLS), guaranteeing the involvement of the workers, as provided by Art. 35 of Italian Legislative Decree no. 81/08.

In addition to training operating personnel in risk prevention and reduction, Acea pays particular attention to raising awareness of occupational health and safety issues among employees.
In 2018 Acea SpA implemented preventative initiatives to safeguard health and safety at work, including: a review of all Acea SpA safety procedures and emergency plans, the installation of semi-automatic defibrillators (see dedicated box), the campaign to raise awareness against smoking in collaboration with LILT called “LET’S NOT SMOKE AWAY OUR HEALTH”, during which the Group Regulations on the prohibition against smoking were presented and a dedicated page was activated on the company intranet (see also sub-section Internal communications) and the “Acea for prevention” project dedicated to screening and check-ups for employees (see dedicated box).

All the companies arrange to provide the general and specific training of the workers, and the supervisory staff, regarding occupational health and safety in compliance with the legislation in force (see also below the paragraph Staff training and development). Below are some of the numerous activities undertaken by Group companies during the year:

• in collaboration with the Head of the Prevention and Protection Service, Acea Elabori conducted an internal survey aimed at analysing the expertise of the staff and to verify their knowledge of specific issues (safety, certification systems, etc.) necessary for work, and offered training on chemical cancer risks for the technicians of the laboratory and on road signs for members of the Safety Team who perform safety inspections at construction sites;
• in Acea Produzione safety training mainly concerned fire prevention, first aid, working above ground, confined spaces and correct driving of company vehicles. In addition, Acea Produzione, which for some years now has achieved its objective of “zero accidents”, adopted notice boards at all its production sites that illustrate the main safety regulations;
• in Acea Energia and in Acea8cento, the courses organised in compliance with regulations concerned the training of fire prevention personnel, the periodic updating on the safety of administrative personnel, the training of supervisors and the updating of the Head and Person in charge of the Prevention and Protection Service. An email address dedicated to the collection of reports on safety in the workplace was also made available to employees for the purpose of preventing risks and to correctly manage near misses;
• in Areti the Training Camp continues to be operational, a space dedicated to information and training on health and safety at work (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 environments, etc.). The Training Camp is also the place where new hires acquire the basics of safety and where tests are carried out prior to hiring. 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 2018 130 training sessions were held, equal to 7,000 hours of training. Areti also carried out the Pleasant Safety project, dedicated to updating the new employers introduced to the company following the reorganisation, providing basic training on the safety of operating personnel, involving 618 people;
• Acea Ato 5 offered courses for first aid and emergency management, on operating and management procedures and for the correct driving of company vehicles, with the monitoring of risks due to exposure to vibration and noise. The company obtained certification in accordance with the new ISO 45001:2018;
• Gesesa developed the basic training course on health and safety, training for the first aid employees and the fire prevention employees;
• Acea Ambiente participated in the European Week of Safety at Work for the promotion of culture on the subject, with a focus on the presence of hazardous substances in the workplace, and organised training initiatives on the topic of near misses;
• Aquaser launched a calendar of training sessions for drivers with the aim of raising their compliance with company procedures and safety standards, as well as the correct management of emergency and danger situations. Also in the field of road safety, the company earned UNI ISO 39001:2012 - Road Traffic Safety Management System certification to help reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries resulting from road collisions by controlling and managing the variables that are under its influence.

TABLE NO. 40 - SOCIAL INDICATORS: HEALTH AND SAFETY (2016-2018)

Health monitoring

Health monitoring is assigned to an internal structure that operates in compliance with current legislation (Art. 41 of Italian Legislative Decree No. 81/08) and in cooperation with external professional experts.
In 2018, a specific procedure was defined that defines the methods used for adequate planning and management of health monitoring.
Staff health is monitored with the support of formally appointed competent doctors, who submit employees to the following types of check-ups:

• preventive or in case of a change of duty;
• periodic, based on the risk assessment plan;
• at the request of the worker;
• in the event of termination of employment, where stipulated by current legislation;
• before resuming work, following an absence due to ill health lasting more than sixty consecutive days.

Workers exposed to specific risks are included in a targeted medical check-up programme.
Company physicians work with employers and officers from the Risk Protection and Prevention Service, assessing the risks to which employees are exposed, which is necessary for the preparation of the health monitoring plan.

During the year, a total of 2,457 check-ups were completed, the related costs of which amounted to € 258,000.
The presence at the head office of a First Aid Medical Area also ensures that staff and visitors have a first line of intervention, in case of an illness for which a hospital visit is not necessary.

Health monitoring includes the prevention of occupational diseases that workers may contract during the performance of their duties, 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 2018, in Acea, there were no reports of suspected occupational diseases.