On March 10, 2023, a regular open meeting of the Public Council chaired by Bolat Zhamishev took place in Samruk-Kazyna. The topic of the meeting – Health & Safety in the Fund’s Group of Companies.
The meeting gathered Kazakhstani public figures, politicians and experts. Gibrat Auganov, the Managing Director of Samruk-Kazyna for Public Relations, Social and Labor Relations and Occupational Safety, answered their questions. The event attracted a lot of media attention.
Employee health - the personal responsibility of management
According to him, last year the first specialized H&S forum was held in the Samruk-Kazyna group. The Fund entrusted the Heads of 13 largest portfolio companies with personal responsibility for the safety and health of employees at that event. During the year, similar labor protection events were held for the first time in Kazakhtelecom, KEGOC, QazaqGaz and Samruk-Kazyna Ondeu. The Heads of subsidiaries, branches and structural divisions have already assumed obligations to ensure the safety of employees there.
The Heads of the CEO-1 level of the Samruk-Kazyna companies responsible for H&S have the obligation to check production sites at least once every 2 months. Last year, they conducted 43 such inspections.
Thanks to the work carried out in 2022, the total number of the injured of industrial accidents in the Fund group was reduced by 16% compared to 2021. The rate of injury with disability LTIF was 0.16. The rate of deaths decreased by 11%.
Training according to the best international standards
To improve industrial safety in the Samruk-Kazyna group, training and seminars are constantly held so that employees and managers take a responsible approach to safety issues and demonstrate leadership and involvement by their example. The training is conducted not only according to mandatory programs in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan on labor protection, industrial and fire safety, but also according to the most modern international practices.
Thus, 98 employees have been trained on courses from the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health of Great Britain (NEBOSH). According to the course of the British Institute of Safety and Health (IOSH) - 286 employees. Another 2,430 employees have completed defensive driving course.
Samruk-Kazyna has also developed its own corporate training course “Occupational Safety Culture”, which has been approved by the British IOSH Institute. The Fund plans to train 100% of production workers on it.
In addition, there is a constant exchange of experience in the field of occupational safety, not only within the Fund group, but also with other leading companies in Kazakhstan. Recently, employees of the industrial safety services of Samruk-Kazyna companies have visited colleagues from Tengizchevroil, North Caspian Operating Company, Karachaganak Petroleum Operating. Kazpost employees visited the Trade and Transport Company as part of the exchange of experience. AlES employees got acquainted with electrical safety at the power complex of SKZ-U LLP.
The Fund’s group of companies is also actively implementing digital solutions and automated systems aimed at reducing injuries and preventing industrial accidents. Readiness to eliminate possible emergencies is ensured by conducting joint training alarms and emergency response training with portfolio companies.
Opinions and suggestions of experts
The topic of occupational safety aroused the interest of experts and public figures. The Head of the Labor and Social Protection Committee of the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan Tolegen Ospankulov noted that the work of many production workers, in particular railway fitters, is itself associated with physical exertion and health risks. Gibrat Auganov noted that Samruk-Kazyna controls that an effective accident insurance system works in each company of the Fund group.
Askar Amanbai from Bureau Veritas asked whether the Samruk-Kazyna Group is developing international cooperation in the field of labor protection. Gibrat Auganov replied that each of the holding companies exchanges experience with foreign partners in this area. For example, KTZh cooperates with the International Union of Railways, oil and gas companies - with foreign business partners.
Alimzhan Bekmagambetov from the Republican Research Institute for Labor Protection of the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan suggested that Samruk-Kazyna use not only international experience in this area, but also the achievements of Kazakhstani specialists. Gibrat Auganov said that the Fund is open to new ideas and is ready to meet with domestic experts. Bolat Zhamishev suggested that they conduct an independent examination of the activities of the Fund’s group on labor protection.
“We need to pay great attention to the issue of labor protection and never stop there. Security needs to be dealt with daily. This corresponds, among other things, to the principles of ESG, according to which the Samruk-Kazyna Fund operates. We need to define clearly the level and directions of investments that we are ready to invest in occupational safety. For example, in the purchase of new technical equipment. Our companies already have successful examples of such innovations. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to labor protection not only at our enterprises, but also in contracting organizations”,- Bolat Zhamishev, the Chairman of the Public Council, member of the Board of Directors of Samruk-Kazyna, summed up.