While in pursuit of its business objectives, KPRL is strongly committed to pursuing the goal of eliminating all work-related injuries and adverse health effects. The company carried out a statutory First Aid Training at its premises in line with section 7 of Factories (First-Aid) Rules, 1977.
The training took place from 21st to 23rd June 2022 where Thirty (30) members of staff and contractors on site were taken through thorough hands-on modules by a team from The Kenya Red Cross Society.
The First Aiders were equipped with knowledge and skills as per the DOHSS First Aid Curriculum with the main objective being to understand the appropriate medical responses to typical industrial incidents.
Covid-19 is slowly resurfacing in the country and the company continues to enforce internal controls like mask-wearing in confined spaces and an emphasis on continuous washing and sanitization of hands and surfaces. Staff have also been encouraged to have their vaccinations done and in recognition of this KPRL brought the service to the site with a good turnout of employees noted.
Congratulation to all who took the initiative which was spearheaded by the Human Resource Manager, Mr. Martin Wahome, and the company Occupational Health Nurse, Sr. Grace Omare.
The vaccination and booster jab exercise was done in partnership with our Medical service provider Bomu Hospital and 58 employees were administered.
Employee attrition over the last 7 years has left many departments struggling with less than optimal manning levels resulting in excessive overtime costs, employee fatigue, absenteeism, and stress-related conditions. To mitigate this KPRL embarked on an exercise to replace 10 Operators (from the optimal requirement of 32 operators) in the Movements Department.
The onboarding of the operators is expected to lead to a reduction in overtime by lowering work hours to near normal going forward, as well as providing an additional pool of skilled operators for expected projects coming soon at KPRL.
Following the above process, in January 2022 the operators commenced a two (2) month in-house training session that concentrated on;
Health Safety and Environment Induction.
Basic Fire Fighting.
Refinery Operators, Stock Measurement, and Oil Accounting procedures.
This training will enable the operators to perform their duties in an effective and efficient manner in line with KPRL’s Operations Procedures. Below are the proud Operators at their Graduation Ceremony on 4th March 2022 with the Management Team and their Supervisors.
In the spirit of continual improvement KPRL embarked on a journey to achieve 2,500,000 work hours without lost time injury on Monday 12th April 2021. Delightfully, the milestone was achieved on Wednesday, 15th December 2021 after two hundred and forty-eight days (248) of commitment and focus towards good HSE practices by all of staff and contractors. A new target of 3,000,000 work-hours was immediately set and communicated site wide where everyone is expected to focus on it by remaining responsible and accountable for their own HSE performance, that of colleagues and others within the company’s premises.
The KPRL Management also remained true to the promise of rewarding good safety performance as demonstrated by issue of tokens upon achievement of every safety milestone.
As a company we continue to apply the HSE Golden Rules to COMPLY with all procedures and regulations, to INTERVENE when we come across our colleagues not complying, and to show RESPECT to our neighbors, report Near Misses and do Safety at Work Always (SAWA) Audits for us to establish and remedy unsafe situations before they result to incidents.
KPRL also continues to emphasize on observing the Covid-19 protocols established by the Ministry of Health as well as those initiated by the company at the onset of the pandemic.
A satisfactory work-life balance is achieved when an individual’s right to a fulfilled life inside and outside paid work is accepted and respected as the norm, to the mutual benefit of the individual, business and society.
Work-Life imbalance is a major threat for any organization as it becomes a source of mental and physical strain resulting in sickness, and absenteeism thereby affecting productivity, growth, and development of organizations.
To ensure effective work-life balance, which KPRL is committed to attaining, the company sponsored a women’s wellness session on Friday, 21st January 2022 held at The Tamarind Restaurant, Mombasa
The session, dubbed “Women at the Workplace: Work-Life Balance” was organized for purposes of ensuring that the female workforce is given a platform to enumerate its concerns and recommend actions to be taken towards creating a balance in their lives thus increasing productivity at the workplace.
The program was run by internal qualified counselors and senior management members covering a wide range of topics that include:
General Health: Taking Care of ME
Mental Health Check: Getting HELP
Challenges for the Woman at the Workplace
Employer’s Role: What MORE Can Be Done
The topics were well received by all those who attended and left a lasting impact.
KPRL is committed to giving back and in improving the community in its immediate environs and in Mombasa at large. Some of the ways that KPRL demonstrates CSR includes donations, implementing environmentally safe processes, and many more. Most recently KPRL has donated to the below groups;
The Association for the Physically Disabled of Kenya (APDK)
KPRL donated dry goods to APDK through its Sacco (Torch Regulated Non Withdrawable Deposit Taking SACCO) in November, 2021.
Minto Children’s Home
KPRL donated dry goods to Minto Children’s Home after they requested for assistance in this area. The goods were handed over to the school’s administration at the KPRL canteen in Changamwe in December, 2021.
St. Lwanga Primary School
KPRL donated dry goods to St. Lwanga Primary School as per the request. The goods were handed over to the school administration at their school premises in January, 2022.
The need for hands-on, competency-based firefighting training for hydrocarbon-based fires in the Oil and Gas Industry cannot be over-emphasized. KPRL is a DOSHS Certified Fire Training Centre endowed with both technical and infrastructural resources. To this end, KPRL is uniquely placed to deliver an important industry service in the East and Central Africa region.
As a facility KPRL has Fire Engines, Fire Training Grounds, well-trained and experienced Fire Trainers, Fire Suppression systems including Fire Water Ring Main, Fire Monitors, Sprinklers, and Deluge Systems, all of which can be accessed during the training.
The Fire Training ground is equipped with training props that can simulate Live Pump Seal Leak Fires, Live Falling Prop Fires, LPG Leak Fires, Confined Space Rescue, Search and Rescue Drills, Breathing Apparatus Training, and Service by 10bar Water Hydrant System.
The Modules Offered are Basic Firefighting (Theory and Hands-on), Breathing Apparatus, Fire Extinguisher Awareness, Fire Appliance Operations, Incident Command, and Confined Space Entry. Amongst the groups which have trained at the facility are the County Government of Mombasa Fire Fighting Trainees and others in the Oil and Gas sector.
As a company, we boast of highly experienced Fire Facilitators with a combined experience of over 45 years in practical Fire Management hands-on experience. The institution is covered by Three Government Approved, DOSHS Certified Fire Trainers and Auditors who qualified recently.
A Governance and Legal Audit is an independent assessment of an organization with a view to expressing an opinion on the adequacy and effectiveness of the organization’s policies, systems, practices, and processes. It is an effective mechanism of checking compliance with legislation, regulations, and codes of best practices and helps to detect cases of non-compliance and facilitate the taking of corrective measures.
This year the Board of KPRL engaged Robson Harris & Company Advocates to carry out a Governance Audit of the Corporation for the financial years 2016/17, 2017/18, and 2018/19.
In their opinion, the Board of KPRL has put in place fairly good Governance Practices and largely complies with all legal requirements. The governance structures and systems of the Corporation are in accordance with ICS Audit Standards and Guidelines and conform to global standards.
To attain full compliance which KPRL is committed to attaining, a training on Governance was carried out for the Board members and senior management from 1st to 3rd of September 2021 at Swahili Beach Hotel by Robson Harris & Company Advocates in collaboration with the Institute of Certified Secretaries of Kenya. This was well received by those who attended.
Health Safety and Environment (HSE) matters are critical in the operations of KPRL. Consequently, everyone within the organization is committed to the goal of eliminating all work-related injuries and adverse health effects. On Thursday 10th September 2020, KPRL embarked on a journey towards achieving 2,000,000 workhours without Lost Time Injury(LTI) by tracking cumulative work hours. On Sunday 11th April 2021, this target was achieved with elation by both KPRL Staff and Contractors site-wide. This was after two hundred and thirteen (213) days of commitment, resilience, and focus towards Health, Safety, and the Environment by everyone.
KPRL has very robust safety tools on HSE Matters which contributed to this milestone. The tools include;
HSE Commitment and Policy which contains commitment to eliminate all work related injuries and carrying out activities with proper regard to the environment.
HSE procedures including and not limited to Incident investigation and reporting procedures, Job Safety Analysis done for all project and maintenance works to identify/assess the hazards and put in place control/mitigation measures before commencing work.
Permit To Work System which is a detailed system on works done at KPRL keeping in mind the safety of all persons working on that job.
HSE Golden Rules of COMPLY with all KPRL Procedures and regulations, INTERVENE when colleagues are not complying and RESPECT to neighbors (both internal and external)
Conducting Safety At Work Always (SAWA) Audits and reporting and rewarding of Near Misses to generate learning points.
Conducting Standstills which are normally Safety Messages communicated site wide.
HSSE campaign through quarterly safety raffles
KPRL carried out the safety and health committee meetings, work place HSE Management and statutory First Aid trainings as part of capacity building to both members of staff and contractors.
In the spirit of promoting Safety Awareness, the KPRL Management organized a Safety Raffle in commemoration of this milestone achievement (2Million Workhours). The raffle involved participation by all KPRL Staff and Contractors on-site who contributed to the work hours.
COVID – 19
As a company, we progressed the implementation of containment measures against covid-19 in line with all the government protocols and guidelines issued from time to time. This was achieved through preventive strategies such as social distancing, use of face masks, heightened hygiene levels, provision and use of hand sanitizer, temperature screening, and fumigation of work areas to maintain a safe working environment.
There is always time for HSE. Good HSE performance is a win-win situation for everyone whereas accidents create losses for all.
The KPRL Audit Report FY 2016-19 by Robson Harris & Co Advocates was received by Ag. CEO Mr. Joseph Ndoti on behalf of the Board witnessed by Human Resource Manager Mr. Martin Wahome and Manager Internal Audit and Compliance Mr. Anthony Magor.
In both reports, the corporation has substantially complied with material laws and regulations governing its operation and fairly put in place good governance practices, structures and working systems. The management agreed to work on the areas that need improvement as recommended by the Auditors.
KPRL takes this opportunity to thank Robson Harris & Co Advocates for offering a quality service and delivery in time.