Environmental Management

The integrated system for the management of Health, Safety and the Environment (HSE) constitutes a single model of reference for the HSE activities of the operating units and aims to harmonise the process of identification, measurement and evaluation of HSE performance and to promote continuous improvement. In addition to considering the protection of health, safety and the environment as priority corporate objectives, the companies are committed to contributing with their respective technological and professional skills to the wellbeing and improvement of the quality of life of the communities in which they operate.

The model foresees the extension of the certification of management systems to all sites and/or business of the divisions and subsidiary companies in order to demonstrate, both inside and outside the company, the effectiveness of the systems adopted and to guarantee continuous compliance with best international practice. In order to verify the complete and correct application of the HSE management system, Eni applies a process of control through a Technical Audit and HSE Conformity Verification plan.

Technical Audits determine, at the divisions and subsidiary companies, the effectiveness and functionality of the HSE Management Systems and their consistency with respect to the model. They are carried out at least every three years and conducted by the HSE staff of the business units, supported, when necessary, by qualified external specialists and end with the production of a report highlighting the results emerging and a programme to make necessary adjustments and improvements.

HSE Conformity Verifications aim to ensure the conformity of the technical-operational solutions adopted with applicable legislation or sector specificities. HSE Conformity Verifications are carried out by teams of specialists from the interested BU, assisted when necessary, by qualified external consultants, and end with the production of a report highlighting the results emerging and any eventual action identified for improvements. The frequency of these verifications is not more than three years.

The coordination of environmental issues is conducted through an integrated approach to issues relating to health and safety and overseen by a HSE Coordinating Committee (COHSE), set up in the second half of 2006. The committee is chaired by Eni's head of Health, Safety and the Environment and includes the managers responsible for HSE in the business units.

The role of the Committee is to:

• promote the development and integration of HSE management systems and the adoption of solutions in line with established best practice and national and international standards of reference;
• analyse proposals concerning models for information systems and reporting for HSE activities, and identifying integrated, homogeneous and efficient solutions;
• agree common policies for the acquisition of relevant certification services;
• identify options and course of action of common interest, also with reference to energy efficiency, GHG emissions and renewable sources of energy, consistencies with Eni's sustainability model and flows of information to be provided in this area;
• analyse technological developments of pertinence to HSE to be presented to the structures that commission R&D projects; and evaluate the results of R&D projects of common interest;
• coordinate initiatives aimed at promoting, in the appropriate quarters and in conjunction with other functions within the company, the interests of the Group in the health, safety and environment area;
• define initiatives for the development and exchange of knowledge.

With the aim of  capturing every possible aspect of knowledge to ensure that accumulated information does not get lost,  Eni has designed its own Knowledge Management system in order to make explicit, and therefore usable on a broad scale, the tacit and implicit knowledge of individuals within the organization.
Initiatives undertaken to achieve these objectives in the field of HSE have included:

• the inauguration in September 2008 of the first English edition of the 2nd level  University Master on "Management of Health, Safety , Environment and Quality Systems"  held at the Eni Corporate University headquartes in San Donato Milanese. The Master, which lasts 9 months, is addressed to the HSE professional area and aims at training experts in the field of HSEQ integrated systems planning, development and management.
• the promotion of a number of awareness meetings on the Health and Safety Law enforced in Italy;
• the launch of  "Practice Communities" that bring Eni experts on particular environmental issues into contact (the first community brings together experts in the soil reclamation sector) and facilitate the exchange of knowledge across the different business units.