Page 46 - SAGT Sustainability Report 2023-2024

44 SOUTH ASIA GATEWAY TERMINALS (PVT) LTD
LABOUR PRACTICES AND
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Job categories currently classified as high risk respective work locations. Furthermore, the
include Quay Crane Operators, RTG Operators,
and maintenance staff. All those employed in
these high-risk roles are required to complete
a series of mandatory medical tests every two
years; new recruits to these roles are only
hired once the necessary medical clearances
have been obtained.
A visiting Medical Doctor and a full-time
medical emergency team as well as an onsite
medical clinic are available, and any employee,
contractor, or visitor to SAGT can access their
services free of charge in case of an accident.
The Company also engages workers on a
continuous basis on ensure their stress levels
and any phobias are identified on time. In
the event any employee is found unsuitable
for high-risk job categories, SAGT provides
the employee with financial assistance and
emotional support, if necessary, and assist
such employees to adjust to an alternative role. requirements; the plan is also updated based
403-4 Worker participation, consultation,
and communication on occupational health
and safety
Workers across the Company are encouraged
to get involved in health and safety matters.
Employees have direct access to their
supervisors as well as the Manager - Health
& Safety should they need to discuss
matters pertaining to their safety at work.
They may also communicate their ideas and
recommendations to the management via the
suggestion boxes provided. Trade Unions are
expected to communicate health and safety
concerns in writing or at meetings.
Several committees hold overall responsibility
for ensuring that SAGT complies with
corporate and legislative obligations governing
health and safety.
Emergency procedures are executed by the
Emergency Response Teams (ERT) assigned
to each shift. Such teams are made up of
cross functional teams consisting of shift
managers, executives, operation staff and
technical staff, and are equipped to provide
appropriate emergency procedures in their
HSE Department promotes the safety culture
through staff briefings, toolbox meetings as
well as through electronic displays, notice
boards, suggestion boxes and safety alerts via
mobiles.
403-5 Worker training on occupational
health and safety
Employees and contractors are provided
with Health & Safety Training at regular
intervals through scheduled programmes.
This process is guided by the annual training
plan developed by the HSE Manager and
the Training and Development Manager, in
consultation with respective Departmental
Heads.
The annual plan entails drawing up a skills
training matrix to cover individual training
on actual incidents and/or near misses. Daily
briefings carried out as part of the morning
tool-box meetings also serve as an important
training opportunity.
Employees engaged in high-risk jobs are
given customized training in safe handling
and maintenance of equipment. The Company
draws upon internal resource persons as well
as external subject matter experts to conduct
the specialized training. In addition, all visitors sound safety principles, while any third parties
to SAGT’s terminal premises, irrespective of
the purpose, are required to adhere to the
Health & Safety SOP of SAGT, which includes
a mandatory safety briefing.
403-6 Promotion of worker health
Workers in high-risk job categories have to
undergo a mandatory medical check once
every two years. All expenses in this regard
are borne by the Company. While such
medical checks predominantly cover the
suitability for the job, it also highlights the
workers’ overall health and general fitness
level. Further, the Company works directly with
Contractors to ensure personnel deployed by
such contractors also receive similar medical
checks. Wellness programs are provided
based on the findings from these medical
checks.
403-7 Prevention and mitigation of
occupational health and safety impacts
directly linked by business relationships
SAGT’s comprehensive OHSMS consists of
a framework of SOPs and practices which
have been developed to ensure the safety of
employees, contracted workers and any third-
party visitors at the Company’s premises at
any given time. All workers on-site, irrespective
of their employment contract, are provided
training in health and safety while third parties
receive a mandatory safety briefing before
they enter SAGT premises. The in-house
medical facilities are extended to all workers
and visitors in the event of any accident.
Regular medical checks are conducted for
staff and contract workers, by the Company
and contractors respectively. The Health,
Safety and Environment Department has
provided continuous training online during the
pandemic.
GRI 403-9: Work Related Injuries
Safety is a core value at SAGT. As such, the
Company seeks to minimise any avoidable
injuries and occupational illnesses, providing a
safe and secure work environment through the
adoption of sound risk management principles.
The Company expects its employees follow
visiting the premises are required to follow
SAGT’s Health & Safety policy.
Recordable Injuries
There were no fatalities or high consequence
injuries that were recorded among SAGT
employees in the FY 2020/21. However, 16
recordable injuries (injuries that require a
recovery time greater than 1 day and less than
6 months) were noted across both employees
and subcontractors’ personnel categories,
which resulted in 64 lost days for the year.
This represented a 70% increase in recordable
injuries and this significant increase is mainly
due to a single employee sustaining an injury
which resulted in greater number of lost
days. Of the aforementioned injuries, 5 were
recorded among employees, while the balance
was recorded by sub-contractor’s personnel.