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Safety
PROCESS SAFETY
Our core business is transporting and processing oil & gas and this introduces hazards which must be rigorously managed. We utilise world-class, industry-standard techniques which are fully aligned to UK Health & Safety laws applicable to our operation.
FPS has five locations which are designated ‘Top-tier’ under the ‘Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015 (COMAH). At these locations, there exists the potential for a major accident leading to:
- Serious injury to people
- Major damage to the environment
- Major commercial loss
The aim of our process-safety management system is to reduce the risk of a major accident. This is achieved by either reducing the likelihood or consequence of a hazard by putting in place ‘barriers’ that prevent, detect, control and mitigate the risk.
The overall arrangements are submitted to the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) in the form of a Safety Report or Safety Case. This must demonstrate that the residual risks from FPS operations are As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) and all appropriate measures are in place to achieve this.
Excellence in process-safety management is absolutely essential to achieve our policy goals and we have a highly skilled team of Technical Safety, Process Safety and Risk Management professionals working to continuously improve and reduce the risks arising from our operations.
PERSONAL SAFETY
We have a primary duty of care for our people and a goal of zero injuries. We embody this through our line-management structure. We require and expect all of our employees and contractors to contribute positively to delivering our SHE Policy Commitments and complying with our SHE Policy Expectations.
We strive for a workforce-led safety-culture and everyone is empowered to intervene and stop unsafe acts and rectify unsafe conditions.
We have defined 7 Life Saving Rules (LSR) and 20 Safety Principles that apply to everyone working at INEOS and we will rigorously investigate any non-compliance with these requirements.
To read more please follow the link to our INEOS Safety, Health & Environment page here.
COMMUNITY SAFETY
We operate our facilities in a safe and responsible manner to prevent pollution and minimise our impact on the environment and the communities in which we operate.
This involves running and maintaining complex process equipment on large industrial sites and while some low-level local impact cannot be avoided we strive to minimise this.
We must fulfil safety-critical testing and maintenance obligations set out on our safety reports and occasionally this involves taking equipment out of service. To do this, oil and gas inventory must be safely removed and often this relies on a ‘flare system’ which combusts the product away from the operation often via elevated flare stacks.
FPS is absolutely committed to minimise flaring as it is a waste of natural resource, has environmental impact and is extremely costly as we cannot sell the product that is flared.
In accordance with applicable environment legislation, FPS implements a Best Available Technology (BAT) approach to flaring, with avoidance being the primary objective. FPS is investing in improvements to the gas-compression system at our Grangemouth sites to improve reliability and efficiency.
These improvements will further reduce flaring and industrial noise. It is important to recognise however, that very occasional flaring will remain as a primary process-safety mechanism due to:
- Plant trips and equipment malfunction
- Contaminants occasionally introduced by FPS users resulting in off-spec product which cannot be sold
- Periodic plant start–up and shut- down activity
The majority of elevated flaring is for process-safety reasons and is the least desirable method due to community noise and light pollution impacts.
Occasionally more prolonged flaring is required usually due to a product being off-spec or the time required to repair a critical piece of process equipment. For these events, the preference is to make use of our ground-flare system which is significantly less visible and noisy than elevated flares – the environmental impact and loss of natural resources is unchanged however. FPS are currently investing to improve of the ground-flare system to further reduce community impact.
While highly undesirable, flaring carries no detrimental impact on air quality as it is a complete and clean combustion. FPS monitor air quality across the local community and along the Forth - just one example of our extensive environmental monitoring programme.
To learn more about the other types of environmental monitoring we do, scroll down to our Environment section.
Health
PERSONAL HEALTH
As part of an overall well-being program, FPS is committed to maintaining a healthy, motivated workforce. Occupational health services keep employees healthy and safe through a range of campaigns and ongoing continuous improvement programmes. A key activity is developing and maintaining a range of work practices and procedures based on rigorous risk-assessment for activities with elevated risk that could give rise to work-related ill health if not correctly managed.
INEOS supports and encourages a healthy lifestyle for all of our employees and supports a number of world-class sports teams in cycling and football. Our Grangemouth office has comprehensive gym facilities and a fit lifestyle is encouraged as this is more likely to result in positive health outcomes.
FPS employees have access to ‘INEOS Energy Station’ which offers information and advice on fitness, health and lifestyle tips. Energy-Station is also the portal for various INEOS-wide sport and fitness challenges which are encouraged by the company owners to increase participation and realise the many benefits of a fit lifestyle.
In addition to in-house occupational health services, comprehensive additional support is provided via a high-quality Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced incremental risk to FPS both from the virus and the various Government measures.
FPS has adopted a rigorous risk-based approach coordinated by a Business Resilience Team (BRT). Site Risk Assessments (SRAs) are at the core of the approach and form the basis of measures designed to reduce the overall C-19 risk to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). As critical national infrastructure, all FPS sites and offices have remained open throughout the pandemic with SRAs and associated control measures regularly updated.
To date, this approach has proved highly effective at minimising the impact of C-19 on FPS.
Environment
FPS is committed to operate our facilities in a safe and responsible manner to prevent pollution and minimise our impact on the environment. We recognise the increasing importance of understanding and minimising the environmental impact of our activity.
We also understand the huge societal benefits from the energy and the modern material which are manufactured from the oil and gas we transport and process. The energy transition will require these issues to be appropriately balanced.
We are actively working solutions to meet Net Zero commitments set out by the UK and Scottish Governments. Good progress has already been made and the combined INEOS companies in Grangemouth have already reduced CO2 emissions by 37% since taking ownership in 2005.
NET ZERO
While good progress has been made, the combined INEOS companies recognise the journey must continue and have put in place roadmaps defining the transition to a net zero economy by no later than 2045, whilst remaining profitable, and staying ahead of evolving regulations and legislation.
The heart of the transformation is a progressive shift towards hydrogen as an energy source for our operations. This will involve manufacturing hydrogen from hydrocarbon with the carbon dioxide sequestrated for long-term storage in spent oil & gas reservoirs.
There are exciting technical and commercial challenges to making this a reality although INEOS believes that setting ambitious but achievable targets for 2030 which are in line with our 2045 commitment to be an essential element for our continued success.
More information is available on our Strategy page.
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING
FPS takes care to ensure that its operations do not adversely affect the environments surrounding our operational locations. This is particularly important to protected areas such as Special Protection Areas (SPAs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
In support of this commitment, FPS carries out surveys of the mud tidal-flats at Kerse of Kinneil, the rocky shoreline near Hound Point jetty and the seabed around the effluent outfalls from Kinneil and Dalmeny Terminals. These surveys provide assurance that FPS operations are not affecting the flora and fauna particularly the internationally important bird populations.
FPS also monitors air-quality in the communities surrounding Kinneil and Dalmeny Terminals. These surveys provide assurance that air quality standards set by the Scottish Government are being met.
FPS also monitors the quality of the soil and groundwater at its sites to ensure that the land on which it operates is not being adversely impacted.
Forth estuary wading bird (Red Shank) and groundwater monitoring well sampling.
Forth Estuary mudflat survey and Hound Point rocky shore survey.
Since acquiring the Forties Pipeline System (FPS) in November 2017, we have, and continue, to invest heavily in environmental improvements to deliver our ambitious plans for a sustainable future. Our initial 2022 environmental performance data analysis shows a continually reducing trend in emissions to air, land, and water based on previous years’ performance.
Environmental Performance Update
Statements and Data
Our safety data and public statements are available to download here.
INEOS FPS PUBLIC STATEMENT 2022