Vetoquinol - Universal Registration Document - 2021

2 Vetoquinol Universal Registration Document 2020 Financial report 33 STATEMENT OF NON-FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Overall health, safety and environmental policy 2.3.1 HSE department structure within the Group The HSE department of Vetoquinol operates via a network. Each Vetoquinol entity is served by a legal officer and a local HSE officer. The legal officer is empowered by Group management to apply the Group HSE policy and local regulations. The network is structured as follows: • The Group HSE manager prepares the Group HSE policy and oversees its implementation. He/ she carries out regular audits, defines standards, consolidates performance indicators, lends his/her expertise and supports the HSE network by promoting experience-sharing. • The industrial directors (for industrial entities) or country directors (for sales operations) are responsible for implementing Group initiatives and standards within their entities. • More than 20 local HSE coordinators and officers manage HSE activities within their industrial entities or sales operations in compliance with local regula- tions and internal standards and report to the Group HSE manager. A safety reporting procedure is in place and covers all Group entities. Reporting is done on a monthly basis for the industrial entities and on a quarterly basis for the sales operations. This process is based on the risk pyramid concept, through which the number of acci- dents and near-misses and provisions of first aid are all accounted for (see 2.4.2.5 Health and safety indicators in the workplace). 2.3.2 Development of internal HSE standards A set of internal HSE guidelines (diagnostic tool) has been defined in order to facilitate implementation of the Group HSE policy at the various Vetoquinol enti- ties. These guidelines are a collection of managerial and operational best practices in the key areas of HSE management. All Group entities have been audited in the last three years. An action plan has been prepared for each entity audited and is monitored at least every quarter to assess progress. New audits are expected to be conducted starting in the second quarter of 2021. Between two audits, follow-up visits are made every year to the production plants to supplement the action plan if necessary. 2.3.3 Control of HSE risks at the core of our business List of main HSE risks • Industrial risk of fire or explosion, for example, at a workshop or warehouse, mainly related to the storage and use of inflammable liquids and combustible powders. • Risk of serious bodily injury or occupational sickness related to various operations including handling dan- gerous substances, working with machinery, operation of vehicles, handling or moving goods on site. • Environmental risk related to liquid discharges and atmospheric emissions, waste, consumption of natural resources and accidental pollution. • Legal risk related to non-compliance with HSE regulations. Control of health and safety risks and of environmental impact is a Group priority and is part of a continuous improvement initiative. Employee HSE training is a priority and awareness-rai- sing initiatives are regularly carried out in every sector. All new Group employees receive an HSE induction within several days of their arrival at the company. Given the nature of their work, training in the risks associated with the type of products handled is primordial. Procedures and operational processes such as those related to wearing individual protective equipment, traffic regulations, waste sorting, or hot work operations are implemented on a local basis. Staff are trained regu- larly with a view to applying these procedures. Similarly, all outside companies that carry out opera- tions on the Company’s premises are required to comply with the HSE instructions and procedures of the site concerned. Where applicable, a prevention plan is pre- pared prior to any operation commencing. In each country, the local HSE coordinator or represen- tative monitors changes in HSE regulations. A comprehensive risk assessment is carried out at the design stage of every new workstation and thereafter at regular intervals. Collective safety measures are auto- matically prioritized over individual protective equipment. Particular attention is paid to employees exposed to the risks of handling carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) substances. The Group also endeavors to reduce such risks. HSE audits of premises are organized internally and periodically and any irregularity recorded is subject to corrective action. A preventive maintenance plan cove- ring important health and safety and environmental equipment (firefighting installations, ventilation, lifting devices, etc.) is prepared for each site. Each site has its own designated safety teams and equipment, and regular training is carried out to deal with emergency situations. On production sites that have an emergency plan, the managers and technicians res- ponsible for putting the plan into action receive periodic internal training in emergency measures.