Quality, Safety, Health, and Environment
In addition to our mission of electricity generation, EGAT consistently ensures that our operations are managed sustainably, effectively, and efficiently. In order to achieve this, EGAT commits to regulations and laws of Quality, Safety, Health, and Environment.
Occupational Health and Safety
EGAT gives importance to occupational health and safety management in its operations and has formulated EGAT policy of 9/2565 (2022) on quality, security, safety health, and environment to control and prevent risk and hazard which may cause the loss of life, property, electricity generation, and transmission process. However, the unavoidable accident from work can occur and has direct and indirect impact on the employees, workers or stakeholders. EGAT will assign persons to investigate the incident urgently and remedy the affected persons, such as providing financial aid according to EGAT’s regulations or making visits to the affected people’s family by EGAT’s executives.
Concerning EGAT’s operations in occupational health and safety management, EGAT Governor issued a memorandum of 2/2565 (2022) on the Implementation of Quality, Safety, Health and Environment Management System (EGAT QSHE) throughout the organization to confirm EGAT’s determination to carry out the work concerning quality of service and taking care of the safety, health, and environment of the employees, society, and surrounding community. Moreover, EGAT Deputy Governor – Administration issued an announcement of 3/2565 (2022) on guidelines on the implementation of EGAT QSHE in accordance with EGAT Governor’s memorandum and to increase the efficiency of EGAT’s occupational health and safety management.
EGAT QSHE Management System
EGAT QSHE management system is equivalent to the international standard. The system focuses on compliance with laws, regulations, and requirements of quality, safety, health and environment, is consistent with the State Enterprise Assessment Model (SE-AM) and refers to the international standards ISO 9001: 2015, ISO 14001: 2015, ISO 45001: 2018, and Green Office 2021.
Moreover, EGAT has specified the target and target value at the organization level and unit level to be consistent with the State Enterprise Assessment Model (SE-AM), the 6th criteria: Human Capital Management (HCM), sub-clause 4.3 Safety and Working Environment through the system of EGAT QSHE management. Efficiency and effectiveness of the operations according to the target, indicators, and work plan in Safety, Security, Health and Environment (SSHE) has been reviewed. Statistical data collection system of the incidents has been improved to promote continuous and sustainable development.
Occupation Risk Identification and Assessment
According to EGAT regulations on risk management and environment, it is required to identify occupational hazard, regular and irregular risk assessment, and environmental impact which may occur during the operations of the workers and stakeholders. Risk management and environment issues have to be reviewed every time if there are changes and measures to reduce risk and environmental impact have to be prepared. If the incident happens, EGAT will investigate the causes which result in injuries, sickness or occupational disease, damage of property, and accident in the generation process in the responsible area and nearby area according to EGAT regulations on investigation of the cause of the incident incorporated in EGAT QSHE and EGAT regulations No. 289 on incident management.
For the workers who want to avoid highly hazardous or high-risk situation or work which they cannot solve by themselves, they can refuse to do the dangerous work by explaining to the chief about the possible danger in accordance with EGAT regulations on Refusal of Hazardous Work in EGAT regulations on Control of Safety Operations.
Health Services
EGAT provides annual health check-ups for employees at least once a year according to the welfare scheme required by the law. The check-up items are according to the general criteria, risk factor, and characteristics of special task which has to be ensured of their health readiness for work. Medical and Health Division is responsible for health promotion and prevention, disease control and monitoring, and referral to hospitals or outside organizations with the assistance of health liaison officers of the division which will communicate and follow up healthcare matters. Moreover, EGAT has prepared “Hearing Conservation Project” for employees working in contact with loud noises in accordance with the Notification of Department of Labor Protection and Welfare concerning criteria and Method in Preparation of Hearing Conservation Measure in the Establishment. When hearing abnormality is found, the patient will receive consultation or treatment.
Employee Engagement
All levels of executives offer an opportunity and urge their employees to participate in quality, safety, health, and environment activities, such as indication of hazard and assessment of risk and opportunity, control measure, finding cause of incidents, training, communication, formulation and review of policy and objectives of management system, recommendations concerning management system, participation in management system, and revision of safety regulations.
Furthermore, EGAT organizes consultation with employees and stakeholders in several matters, such as demand and expectation of stakeholders, formulation of policy and objectives of management system, role, duty, and responsibility in the organization, method to meet the requirements, control of process carried out by external organization, monitoring, measurement, analysis and assessment, change or improvement of working process, obligation, design, characteristics, standards and types or quality of raw materials, significant change of administrative and human resource structure. In addition, consultation also includes contractors hiring, improvement of control measure of safety equipment, law amendment or other legal requirements, occurrence of severe accidents and high loss incidents, remedy and prevention of new kind of hazard or changing hazard, assessment and continued improvement.
Promotion of Knowledge and Safety Culture
EGAT organized training course in safety according to the law and other training courses necessary for the employees and stakeholders. The training method has been developed to be able to conduct by e-learning. In 2022, 10 training courses according to the law and on occupational health and safety were conducted for 2,607 trainees (65 classes). The occupational health and safety training embraces several aspects, such as risk assessment, incident assessment, basic firefighting, assessment of EGAT SMS system, hearing conservation program for those who work in contact with loud noise, occupational disease, resuscitation, and basic first aid course. Moreover, EGAT has prepared a list of health liaison officers in central and provincial areas to be responsible for occupational medicine service or related service. In public relations, media has been prepared and healthcare application which gives result of health examination and healthcare advice has been developed. Healthcare infographic and video are available. Healthcare online and on-site training which promotes three aspects of healthcare, namely physical (Knowing-Preventing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Healthy Organization), mental (Happiness Organization), other healthcare (Preventing Office Syndrome), etc. Furthermore, after sickness or injuries and return to work, employees can have an examination of returning to work by occupational physician for safety. EGAT has implemented the vaccination project to facilitate employees to be accessible to basic and alternative vaccines for promotion of immunity against influenza, cervical cancer, etc.
Safety Management of Contractors
EGAT places importance on the safety of contractors in the area of EGAT and has issued EGAT regulations No. 396 concerning Safety Management of Contractors to be enforced throughout the organization. The regulations cover all steps of working and consist of five steps, namely selection of contractor, contractor management prior to working and during working, work delivery, work acceptance and evaluation, and report. Safety requirements included in the regulations are as follows:
- Basic safety requirements are included in the condition of contract
- Before starting to work, the contractor must provide EGAT with important information both in safety management in general and in the work of specific characteristics. Such information includes training certificates, permission according to the law
- Wearing personal protective equipment according to the standard and appropriate to the risk during all the operation time. Without such equipment, they will be stopped from working temporarily until the PPE is worn.
Moreover, EGAT has preventive measures and measures to mitigate impact on occupational health and safety of the contractor. The contractor can communicate and give his views concerning quality, safety, health, and environment in accordance with the integrated regulations of EGAT QSHE.
Environmental Quality Monitoring
EGAT has continuously monitored the environmental impacts which may occur as a result of EGAT’s operations, such as air quality, noise quality, water quality, water ecosystem, society, economy, quality of life, as well as garbage and waste management. In 2022, EGAT submitted reports on the result of implementation of environmental impact prevention and mitigation measures and monitoring measures of environmental impact of its 36 projects to the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning, Office of the Energy Regulatory Commission, and related regulatory bodies every six months.
Air Quality Management
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions
As an energy organization in the main business sector which creates greenhouse gas emissions, EGAT has given support to the commitment of the country in complying with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by attempting to reduce continuously the greenhouse gas emissions and to take part in keeping the intensity of the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere at the nonhazardous level to human’s life. In 2021, EGAT has declared its goal of “EGAT Carbon Neutrality in 2050” in order to mitigate the cause and impact of natural disaster such as drought and flood and to respond to the national policy of Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Thailand after 2020 to be 40% in 2030.
EGAT has quantified the greenhouse gas emissions of the organization (corporate carbon footprint) in accordance with ISO 14064-1: 2018 covering EGAT’s operational areas, such as power plants, mine, dams, offices, and transmission system. In 2022, the direct greenhouse gas emissions from the organization’s activities and the indirect emissions from energy use (types 1 and 2) amounted to approximately 32.93 MtCO2e. Moreover, the information on greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity generation process was used in the eco-efficiency assessment as guidelines for sustainable production and consumption.
In 2022, EGAT’s goal of greenhouse gas reduction was 4.5 MtCO2. From the operation throughout the year, EGAT could decrease greenhouse gas emissions of 8.38 MtCO2 (from the preliminary assessment) resulting from three measures comprising electricity generation from renewable energy, efficiency increase in electricity generation, and standard criteria and No.5 labeling. EGAT’s measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) has been endorsed by the EGAT Committee on Greenhouse Gas Management before being annually proposed to the Energy Policy and Planning Office for conducting the country report.
- NOx, SO2, and PM Emissions
EGAT has installed Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) to measure sulfur dioxide (SO2), oxides of nitrogen (NOX) and particulate matter (PM) throughout 24 hours in order to control the air quality from electricity generation to comply with the requirements of the law and with the least impact. The result is reported to the Department of Industrial Works and as information for the surrounding community through the display on the billboard in front of the power plant and on EGAT’s website.
Moreover, EGAT has installed the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Systems (AAQMS) to measure the air quality on a 24-hour basis as well as the interval air inspection system which conducts inspection from time to time twice a year to monitor the ambient air quality of the community area around the power plant. Inspection of the total suspended particulate (TSP), PM10, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is conducted with modern equipment and technology and the inspection result is made available to the community. If there is a tendency the community will be impacted, the measuring system will give a signal to the power plant to solve the problem immediately and to control the environmental quality without delay.
Water Quality Management
To prevent and mitigate the impact on the environment and surrounding community from EGAT activities, EGAT has given importance to holistic water management from the step of water withdrawal to water discharge. Monitoring of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) of the projects have been conducted. Moreover, EGAT strictly complies with applicable law and standards, such as the Water Resources Act B.E. 2561 (2018), standard for waste water discharged from factory (2560) (2017) of Ministry of Industry, standard for waste water (2548) (2005) of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and ISO 14001:2015.