Intensive training and internal auditing for all our HSEQ programs, policies and sistems, have resulted in one more year completed without any major incidents or accidents during the performance of our activities across the country. We also faced considerable reduction in absenteeism despite the fact that we faced four isolated cases of the virus with no internal spread during the period and proved that such infections did not come from within the offices.
Our contribution to recycling to more than 1 ton cumulative for the last 5 years, mostly comprised of technical junk. Our water and electricity consumption during 2020 went also down by 33% and 26% respectively.
This is no easy business. Government strict certification running under R.U.C. give us the green light to participate or continue in public and private tenders for potential business having to do with ship agency. There, our latest rating was clicked at a 97% compliance, which is quite high for the industry, and includes more than 2 days of interviews. This actually means that the certification companies do not find sufficient the paper work we can show, but actually demand that employees chosen at random are familiar with the measures at place.
The B.A.S.C. certification guide us towards implementation of process as well as training of our personnel , to avoid getting entangled with drug trafficking, a systemic global illness attacking many weak sectors. Such certification is required by many of the private ports operating in Colombia, without which access to agency would not be granted. The main purpose is to ensure our personnel and the company as a whole have solid bases and unified measures in place to deter such illness. We have obtained the BASC certification for all of our offices, uninterrupted since 2001.
TRACE is an international quality system focused on avoiding corruption, undue pressure to facilitate actions, and promoting transparency among private business. LBH Group is very demanding in the fact that every unit must keep and provide for the necessary training and verifiable documentation so as to maintain our structure operating within these standards, many of which are also required by large corporations execute their own due diligence.
Drummond, a major coal exporting port in which we operate already as the lead agency for more than 25 years, has demanded contractors to stick to their security programs as from the highest managerial level. Last year, during their own audit carry out on our HSEQ, we scored 95% in compliance and 96% in the implementation plan. For this, we must provide verifiable indicators in line with coal production industry, on regular basis and check and compare our performance with other contractors operating at the port. As a plus from our own initiative, we presented our latest Incident and Unsafe conditions mobile app reporting system, an easy to use tool which allow us to register and report such conditions for prompt preventive or corrective measures to be implemented.
Transportation is a major roll of our functionality as ship agents. The government has now also implemented the regulation of company cars, and not just a regular checkout of the minimum road safety equipment. We therefore adopted another tool where observations concerning technical conditions on major systems within the car functionality how they work and we register these via another app and keep it for records and for the workshop/guarantee periodical inspections. The implementation of these safety measures is also in the eye of those major companies committed to increase the safety of its contractors, including of course state companies.
The commitment of LBH Colombia towards our qualification systems is total, and no energy employed for this activity can be regarded as “not of my business” or “waste of time”. Our people receive monthly trainings or talks on any of the three systems in place as well as basic maintenance and considerations in respect to safe driving company cars. We structure a team of 4 members, all of which fully qualified and trained, to maintain employees morale on these issues high and friendly. Additionally, we count on the support of Copasst, also a 4 member team whose task is to ensure that policies on safety, health and the environment dictated by the management, and in accordance with our Quality Systems are complied with by the company as a whole; they also are in charge of making requests from employees, or adaptations needed noticeable to the upper management so that changes can be formally implemented.
As of this year, we will also test individuals twice a year on key questions concerning our HSEQ programs, so as to have their mindset warm and aligned. Results of such tests will influence their overall bi annual individual evaluation.
We are committed to playing our roll in leaving a clean footprint in the logistic chain of delivering cargoes safely to and from the country. And we appreciate those customers who give us the blink to reassure us we all are walking on the same line at the same rhythm.