State-of-the-art technologies, consistent upgrading of the production facilities, smart investment policy, proper management and concern for people’s well-being. This is only a minor part from the list of approaches followed by TAIF-NK. Even with our hardware-focused approach, still the prime concern for us are people, creation of favorable, and what is more, safe working conditions.

Advanced complex of production facilities, where some of them are unique with no analogues anywhere in the world. Thousands of employees, whose job is directly involved in operating the hazardous process. This is all about TAIF-NK – one of Russia’s leading Crude Oil Refining Companies. Occupational and Industrial Safety are the key aspects of the Company business profile, since this entails an enormous running “organism”, where advanced technologies, sophisticated equipment and human resources are interacting together.

TAIF-NK: Keeping Pace with Changing Times

Operation of the state - of- the -art technologies is among the TAIF-NK’s strengths. Among the latest procured items are the 4-channel gas analyzers for monitoring air at the production site.

    These instruments are designed for air analyzing for methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and oxygen content. Thus, each employee, while performing his work, is protected from exposure to harmful gases and vapors: when the gas analyzer signal actuates, an operator can immediately quit the hazardous area. Such innovation is available not in all production plants of Russia. But TAIF-NK has equipped with these instruments all its Plants where monitoring of the surrounding air composition and safety are of utmost importance.

   This is not the only procured item by TAIF-NK from the list of innovations. In addition, for our Refinery we purchased infra-red cameras for the optical detection of gas leaks from the process plants. According to the operation philosophy of such camera, a screen visualizes leaks in the form of released smoke. IRR camera automatically records video, identifies the exact location, and then analyzes the situation. An important point is that all this is done remotely, thus providing additional safety for the operator performing an inspection.

 - We regularly monitor the public domain to find out what science developments and process start-ups became available in the field of Occupational Health and Industrial Safety. We have been investigating the technical possibilities of the instrument samples when in operation and doing our best to procure the latest product innovations to ensure safe and reliable operation of our Plant. All Services of the Company shall be focused on the achievement of three goals– occupational safety, protection of employees’ life and health, minimization of negative impact on the environment, – states Maksim Novikov - the General Director of TAIF-NK.     

    TAIF-NK has been continuously advancing the personal protection equipment, giving special attention to protective clothing. This year, all the employees operating the process plants, were provided with clothes made from fabrics based on a meta-aramid and para-aramid fibers combination, instead of the typical cotton clothing with fire-proofing impregnation. Even if visually and by touch, such fabric does not differ from the standard one, among the numerous advantages are the following: strength, lightness, resistance to mechanical effect from acids, alkalis, and they do not ignite and melt. By providing such multifunctional clothing for the comprehensive safeguarding of employees against occupational risks, combining a high level of protection, bodily comfort, durability and functionality, Company proves once again its zero-tolerance approach to Occupational Health and Industrial Safety issues.  

    During the maintenance turnaround Company procures additional personal protection equipment and advanced full body harnesses, life lines, rescue and evacuation equipment and etc. in order to ensure safety at elevated jobs.

 - Prior to purchasing personal protection equipment, the dedicated departments develop Technical Assignments which specify the scope and completeness of equipment and materials, in compliance with the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union, the requirement of Conformity Certificates. For a complete analysis, samples are requested, and only after that personal protection equipment is selected being in line with all the requirements, - says Rinat Kurmanov - Head of TAIF-NK Labor Protection Dept.

Consistency in professional advancement

Employees’ professional advancement and improvement of competence is another area of Company focus in the field of Industrial Safety. TAIF-NK clearly understands that the safety of the Company in general is closely related to the responsible attitude of everyone at their workplaces. For training purposes, some trainees – operators of different process units, train their skills at the special test-beds simulating a real pipeline, they train how to install and remove the Instrumentation, how to assemble and disassemble electrical circuits to Transformer Substations and Switchgears. All employees get theoretical knowledge at a specialized center. The lectures are given by qualified specialists with big working experience in the personnel training centers. The classes are equipped with computers and specialized programs for testing the trainees. After the completion of training course, all trainees shall pass exams and thereafter get certificates to be up to their current job position.

TAIF-NK employees undergo as well a special test to check their knowledge on the safety issues. Online qualification test is carried out by Rostekhnadzor, under the spotlight of video cameras. Having entered the system using a personal username and password, an employee passes the test. Each specialist has individual number of sections on industrial safety issues. Weekly 30-40 Company’s employees pass the qualification test.

Comfortable working conditions - is the guarantee of effective performance.

     TAIF-NK carries out a systematic work to improve working conditions at workplaces by regularly monitoring potential hazards. The main tool for assessing working conditions and managing them is the procedure governed by Russian Law - a Special Assessment of Working Conditions (SAWC), became effected in 2014 and substituted the previous procedure for certification of workplaces based on working conditions. Since the beginning of 2020, TAIF-NK has carried out a Special Assessment of Working Conditions at no.159 workplaces; in total, over the past few years, SAWC has been carried out at no.2260 workplaces. Such systematic approach resulted in an increase by 964 of workplaces with allowable working conditions (Class 2).

     The special certified sanitary-industrial laboratory of TAIF-NK performs inspections of each employee’s workplace. Laboratory staff visits the workshops to measure the level of noise, vibration, lighting, humidity and air temperature in the working area. The measurement results allow to identify harmful and hazardous process factors. When certain deviations are identified, we elaborate the plan of activities for the subsequent elimination and prevention of injuries and the occurrence of occupational diseases. Specialists of the laboratory are constantly monitoring atmospheric air in the process area, composition of waste water, air pollution at the border of the sanitary protection zone of the Nizhnekamsk industrial hub.

Company’s Core Value - Healthy staff members

     Company programs for health improvement include a full cycle of activities aimed at maintaining the health of employees. The first and most important here is carrying -out of preventive measures. At this stage, the Company makes every possible effort to diagnose the determinants of disease at the earliest stage and prevent disease progression. At the next stage, for rehabilitation needs, each employee is insured under the program of additional medical insurance, and also has the opportunity to undergo rehabilitation in health care centers.

      Periodic health check is of utmost importance for Companies operating hazardous production facilities. This year, traditionally the health check of TAIF-NK employees included: general blood analysis and biochemistry, electrocardiogram tracing of heart, sense of sight and hearing, and etc. The employees were examined by such doctors as otolaryngologist, ophthalmologist, neurologist, neuropsychiatrist, addiction psychiatrist, dermatologist, therapist and occupational therapist. Over the past few years, thanks to the support of the TAIF Group and TAIF-NK management, employees have had more thorough medical examination, which included additional screenings to detect serious diseases and risks of their progression. This year, all employees of the Company had an additional screening of the digestive system to detect diseases of the gastrointestinal tract at an early stage. Company management believes that early diagnosis of diseases will allow employee to restore health and start working at minimal cost and efforts. Periodic health checks are not the only way to take care of TAIF-NK employees. Company personnel also have the opportunity to be vaccinated against a number of diseases on a free of charge basis. For example, from seasonal flu or from tick-borne encephalitis.

Today TAIF-NK is an advanced Crude Oil Refining Complex that fully meets the global industry development trends laying as well the foundation of the world economy. Creating safe working conditions, preserving the life and health of employees, ensuring a reliable operation of hazardous production facilities are still among the key priorities of TAIF-NK business profile. The whole team of the Company contributes to the achievement of a common goal being totally dedicated. This is a Company’s formula for success, since occupational safety and high-quality of TAIF-NK products output is achieved mainly due to the highly -skilled specialists.