The rules in the Code of Conduct in force at Maurel & Prom since 2006, in the form of its “Safety, Environment and Quality Charter”, call for preserving a fair balance between operations, which are risky by nature, and the environmental and human responsibilities fl owing from them.
This Charter makes safety and prevention major issues and elevates environmental protection beyond just another task to a fully integrated component of the quality initiative that the Group has chosen and pursues. Lastly, this Charter raises awareness among all players to take responsibility for the management of exploration and production activities.
Safety and Prevention
Two major Issues Safety, as a corollary of the risks involved in oil activities, is a major concern at the Maurel & Prom Group. It is based not only on ensuring that information and procedures are put in place, but also on the skill, experience and specialisations of our teams. Prevention, by putting in place training procedures, comprehensive internal information as well as impact audits and studies, plays an essential role. Model procedures are adapted to the specifi cs of each subsidiary, based on the particular regulations and constraints in each location where our activities are based.
Maurel & Prom is especially committed to raising awareness among its partners and subcontractors to continuously improve the quality of their activities, and to raising awareness among local populations of the fundamental principles advanced for over 10 years, namely: responsibility, preservation of health and safety, protection, prevention, sharing, durability and solidarity. Our attention to the Charter at every stage of our activities bears witness to the reality of our commitment.
Environmental protection
More than just a task, an essential component of our quality initiative We have multiple environmental protection objectives: Managing risks in areas that may be impacted by our activities, managing our energy consumption, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and managing our waste emissions as effectively as possible. To prevent contaminating the environment in any way, our sites are systematically returned to their former condition once our operations have ended to re-establish the initial fl ora and fauna balance and give back an “identical” milieu to the local populations. The Group insists that all drilling sites be cleaned and the soil rehabilitated. This stage involves civil engineering works, often carried out by a landscaping company along with the use of natural fi ll materials. The Group is working to include site remediation in its agreements with subcontractors.
Our environmental protection policy also pays special attention to water, a particularly precious and rare resource in most parts of the countries where we operate. Our Group recommends effective measures to consolidate road earthworks and platforms to combat degradation of groundwater (and more generally soil erosion) and to prevent all forms of pollution of agriculture and rivers. After the rainy season, Maurel & Prom, through its actions to clean up and clear rivers, guarantees drinkable water for local populations.
The Maurel & Prom Group incorporates its various environmental protection action plans within the framework of the laws and regulations in force in the countries where their activities are based. A systematic approach based on studies and evaluations demonstrates our desire to anticipate the effects of our projects: Upstream “Impact Studies”, and “Impact Assessments” of projects underway (also covered by ad hoc insurance policies), are rigorously conducted. Safety, prevention and environmental protection demonstrate the Maurel & Prom Group’s firm commitment to a dynamic and sustainable development policy, representing the varied illustrations of our responsible approach to managing our activities.
Particular awareness of our responsibilities in managing our exploration/production activities
“Inform, explain, listen” illustrates the approach taken by the Maurel & Prom Group in raising awareness of its responsibilities in managing its activities.
This proactive approach operates on two levels: Firstly an “internal dimension” which involves continually raising employee awareness of the challenges of our exploration/production activities, and secondly, an “external dimension” in our choice of partners, from whom we require equally strong guarantees of how they conduct their own activities.
Responsibility of Maurel & Prom teams
Team responsibility is possible only if it is preceded by rigorous training. To do this, the Group focuses on health and safety at work. Every person is an integral part of their team when it comes to complying with the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) standards defi ned by the Group in accordance with recognised international practices and/or guidelines of major bodies in the oil and gas industry, such as the Accident Prevention Reference Guide of the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), or of the American Petroleum Institute (API).
The procedures laid down in the “HSE Guide” are constantly reviewed and improved within the Group, the result of regular audits and inspections based on the specifi cs of the location of our operations. The resulting procedures are translated and disseminated throughout the Group in multiple languages, but also by the direct contribution of every individual in improving procedures or in developing new ones. Thus, the “Platform Management” procedure issued in October 2008 assigns responsibilities for each stage of the “life” of a drilling platform, from the design stage to site rehabilitation.
For example, preventive programs to improve safety involve training in fi refi ghting and diligent monitoring to update and renew safety certifi cates and procedures for certain operating equipment, which relies on taking and passing controlled inspections. We continue to reinforce safety measures: A special permit must be obtained for any specifi c work that presents a risk, such as contact with a heat source, working a height or while suspended, or handling explosives.
The Group thus seeks to highlight any inadequacy vis-a-vis the safety rules and to emphasise best practices to replicate them across all its operational sites. Tracking records implemented by Maurel & Prom allow procedures to be assessed and improved if necessary.
With respect to health and safety at work, Maurel & Prom has elected to adopt an equally rigorous policy that constantly reinforces its recommendations on the ground. Repeated programmes to raise awareness of infectious tropical diseases, such as malaria in Africa, are conducted in collaboration with agencies for occupational medicine. Since 2008, the launch of a “malaria control kit” in Tanzania allows employees at any time including after returning from a mission and without medical assistance, to immediately check for any signs of malaria, which enables faster action if an infection is detected.
The Group installed defi brillators in 2008 to improve the quality of fi rst aid.
With its experience in implementing a dynamic policy to improve prevention, health and safety, Maurel & Prom is committed to promoting a similar approach among its partners and local populations.
Promoting responsibility among its partners and local populations
The Maurel & Prom Group has selected its partners on the basis of their know-how as well as their commitment to the principles of health and safety in the workplace. This enables us to harmonise the Health & Safety approach of our partners with our Code of Conduct and our HSE policy.
The Group is also pursuing its commitments to local communities, by contributing substantially to developing and improving the economic and social fabric. For a number of years, the Group has been promoting R&D related jobs in the Group by developing effective training programmes. In this way, the Group is fulfi lling its commitment to stay closely linked to local populations and to R&D and exploration projects so as to maintain privileged and absolutely essential links while respecting local characteristics.
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