Aboitiz Group, foreign power firms tackle safety standards in plants

MANILA, Philippines – The Aboitiz Group and a number of foreign power firms have joined hands to further improve efforts to maintain operational and environmental safety at the Aboitiz- run power facilities.

To reaffirm their “culture of safety”, SN Power Philippines and SN Aboitiz Power, two units of the Aboitiz Group, hosted the second Global SN Power Operations and Projects Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Workshop in Baguio City last week.

Participants from Chile, India, Nepal, Peru, Norway and the Philippines attended the workshop, following a similar event in 2008 in Norway.

SN Aboitiz Power (SNAP) chief executive officer Emmanuel Rubio said these workshops will also help enhance the Aboitiz firms’ operational safety standards.

“Safety is a hallmark of an excellent work environment and we give high emphasis to safety because our employees deserve no less. By hosting the workshop in Baguio City and in Benguet, we are also casting our vote of confidence in our host province which is recovering from typhoon ‘Pepeng’,” Rubio said.

The Philippines was chosen as a venue this year because “SN Aboitiz Power has been doing exemplary work in terms of HSE practices and performance,” SN Power Philippines country representative Rodolfo Azanza said.

“With reference to its business principles, this is how SN Power walks the talk; by ensuring that organizational expertise in health, safety and security is continually updated and improved through these global workshops,” Azanza added.

SNAP-Magat Inc. and SNAP-Benguet Inc. are jointly owned by SN Power of Norway and the Aboitiz Group.

In August 2009, SNAP-Magat received a second safety recognition award from the Bureau of Working Conditions of the Department of Labor and Employment for achieving 635,793 safe man-hours without lost time accident.

SNAP-Magat is also set to receive an occupational health and safety assessment series (OHSAS) 18001:2007 certification, the standard for occupational health and safety management systems that provide a framework for managing risks.

SNAP’s safety, health, environment, security and quality (SHESQ) manager Nomer Reynaldo said the workshop aimed to further improve competence in managing HSE concerns in construction and operating sites.

Reynaldo said through an exchange of experiences and network building, “participants are expected to apply the safety tools and best practices learned from the workshop in their respective country of operations.” –Donnabelle L. Gatdula (The Philippine Star)