Public safety assurance

Prevention and liquidation of emergencies

Taking into account severe climatic conditions of the Northwestern region of the country there is an increased risk of occurrence of emergency situations at energy facilities resulting in failures of power supply to consumers due to negative acts of nature, such as windstorms, heavy snowfalls, glaze ice, low air temperatures. Operating repair and emergency-rescue brigades function in the Company, whose activities are aimed at prevention of occurrence of emergency situations and minimization of possible damage caused by dangerous events to socially important facilities of the region and to the population.

Work of operating personnel for prevention and liquidation of emergencies

Operating employees carry out monitoring of the condition, maintaining a required operation mode of the electric grid, operating switches, giving access permits to repair brigades, conduct of operating analysis and forecasting emergency progress in the electric grid complex on the basis of information received in normal conditions of operation and in case of an emergency situation, technological violation, unfavorable natural and climatic impacts and during special periods of electric grid operation (flooding, thunderstorm fronts, extremely low temperatures, etc.).

As preventive measures, inspections and checks of equipment (including reserve equipment) are carried out.

In the event of occurrence of an emergency situation, OTM personnel immediately commences emergency liquidation operations; performs required operating switches in electric plants; remove damaged equipment for repair; where possible, connects disconnected consumers, gives permissions to repair brigades to commence emergency and recovery works; transfers operative information to the management of IDGC, operational dispatch service, Russian Grids, enterprises of main electric grids, Federal Service for Environmental, technological and Nuclear Supervision, EMERCOM of Russia. In the course of liquidation of an emergency situation, operating employees ensure prompt information exchange and comprehensive interaction between subdivisions of IDGC of the North-West and the energy sector participants.

Work of emergency response centers and mobile subdivisions

In order to increase the efficiency of response to emergency situations resulting in failures of power supply to consumers, to minimize consequences of technological violations and to reduce time of emergency and rescue operations, an emergency response center is established in IDGC of the North-West. Its objectives include:

• coordination of activities of structural subdivisions aimed at prevention by the Company of complex technological violations;
• assessment of the current situation, analysis of consequences of complex (mass) technological violations, taking measures for their liquidation, development of measures for reducing risks of their further progress and consequences;
• development of technical solutions for elimination of consequences of complex technological violations;
• mobilization of technical, financial and human resources for performance of emergency-rescue operations and carrying out control over the performance of such operations.

In order to respond promptly to emergency situations the Company sets operation modes aimed to increase the reliability of the energy system operation under the conditions of thunderstorm or dangerous factors: increased readiness mode (IRM), high risk mode (HRM), and special operation mode (SOM).

For prevention and elimination of technological violations and emergencies operating field service, emergency-rescue and mobile brigades function in the Company. Personnel working in the brigades are provided with all-terrain vehicles, protective equipment, tools, appliances, rigging equipment, communication means, wide skis, individual packed meals for three days. All members of the brigades are trained and in constant readiness to act as soon as possible in any region of the North-West.

Emergency response center structure

Increase of the efficiency of emergency prevention activities

In order to minimize possible damage caused by dangerous natural and technology-related phenomena and to develop skills of professional mastership and interaction of operating repair brigades the Company conducts preventive trainings and exercises on actions of employees aimed to prevent and liquidate possible accidents and emergencies.

In order to increase the efficiency of operating personnel, a regular assessment and qualification upgrade is carried out: emergency prevention, fire protection and specialized trainings, personnel knowledge testing, development of individual training programs, fieldwork and back-up of operating personnel, special trainings, instruction briefings, professional mastership competitions.

In 2012 7,669 emergency prevention, fire protection and specialized trainings for operating and operating repair personnel were conducted.

In order to increase the efficiency of interaction in liquidation of emergencies, joint trainings and exercises are conducted together with regional bodies of the EMERCOM of Russia, administrations of cities and towns, executive authorities of the RF constituent entities and other energy sector participants. Trainings are conducted in the closest representation of real-life conditions.

In 2012 19 exercises for perfecting cooperative skills in organization and performance of emergency-rescue works were conducted. Regional centers for electricity supply safety assurance, the emergency response center of IDGC of the North-West, emergency response centers of branches and production departments, Commissions for Emergency Situations and Fire Safety at the Administration of the Ministry of Defense, emergency and rescue subdivisions of the Main Administration of the EMERCOM of Russia, branches of JSC SO UPS, branches of JSC FGC UPS, enterprises of main power networks, unified on-duty dispatcher services of municipal establishments and contractors took part in joint trainings and exercises.

Third-party electric injury prevention

Prevention of electrocution accidents with third parties is an important and responsible task for us. The Company performs continuous work for prevention of unauthorized access to electric facilities resulting in injuries and death of third parties, including children and teenagers. By implementing the third-party electric injury prevention policy we attempt to reduce the risk of accidents in the Company’s zone of responsibility to zero.

The most common causes of accidents are: unauthorized access by third parties to energy facilities to steel wires, ferrous and non-ferrous metals; illegal cutting of trees close to exclusion zones of overhead lines; and attempts of unauthorized connection to electric grids. These unlawful actions provoke emergency situations, threat electricity supply to medical institutions, kindergartens, schools and seriously endanger the health or life of a lawbreaker.

We take the following measures to prevent electric traumatism jointly with government authorities, educational institutions, law enforcement agencies and representatives of public organizations:

• unscheduled inspections of energy facilities to ensure adequacy and integrity of fencing; availability, adequacy and legibility of caution signs, banners; availability and reliability of locking devices;
• implementation of PR programs for reduction of third-party traumatism level and child traumatism prevention at facilities of the electric grid complex;
• explanatory work with the population (rural meetings, lessons in educational institutions and summer camps for children);
• distribution of graphic propaganda materials.

Child electrical injury risk reduction

We developed a target communication program “Make friends with electricity” aimed to prevent accidents involving children and teenagers at energy facilities. Program provides guidance on safe use of household electric devices and rules of conduct close to energy facilities. Special attention is paid to safety issues during summer holidays and rules of conduct in dangerous situations.

Within the framework of the Program implementation in the territory of seven regions of the Northwestern Federal District lessons on electric safety are given in schools, kindergartens, orphanages and rehabilitation centers, creative contests on the electric safety topic are organized. Methodical, graphic and souvenir materials are distributed at such lessons.

Lessons are given, among others, by young specialists participating in the corporate volunteer movement of the Unified Youth Council of the Company. They plan scenarios of lessons for small children, prepare graphic materials, and organize topical lessons, games and plays.

The experience of volunteer movement in the form of open lessons presented in the First All-Russian Practical Conference “Children’s Electrical Safety is Above All Else” obtained a positive review of expert representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science and was recommended for implementation in the electric grid complex of the RF.

Methodical, graphic and multimedia materials prepared by professional psychologists with the participation of children themselves as consultants and co-authors are used as training manuals.

Portal “Make friends with electricity” is opened on the Company’s corporate site (“Make friends with electricity”), which contains learning programs, films, lesson scenarios and news of the program. All materials are published in a typeset quality, available for downloading and used in preventive conversations with children at life-safety lessons. A series of flash games developed by employees of the PR department of the Executive Apparatus of IDGC of the North-West is presented on the portal. Computer games help to remember different information blocks on electric safety through testing, active action and puzzle. Separate games are developed for boys and girls.

“The Tale about Brave Tilly-Tukky, Terrible Villain Gorgonar and Magic Power of Mysterious River Electra”, a book for primary school aged children, was published in 2012. Safety rules for using electrical devices and fundamentals of the electricity nature are laid out in the form of an entertaining fairytale.

Pskovenergo branch jointly with the Main Administration of the EMERCOM of Russia and the Main Administration of the Department of Education of the Pskov Region traditionally co-organize a contest “Me and Fire Safety”. About 5,000 fourth graders from all educational institutions of the region take part in the annual event. In the contest children rehearse actions in case of fire and reinforce fundamentals of electric safety.

School children take part in topical homerooms, theatrical plays, learning games on stations. Based on the results of the contest a collected book of best methodical materials for teachers of life safety fundamentals and organizers of class work was published.

In 2011 the PR department of Pskovenergo branch prepared an educational film “The Secret of Yellow Triangle” which popularizes rules of conduct close to energy facilities. The film became the winner of the III ConTEXt Competition of the Ministry of Energy and was highly evaluated at the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference “Children’s Safety is Above All Else”.

In 2013 we plan to continue working in this field and actively involve mass media to increase the audience.