NIPCO PLC is committed to conducting all its operations — across petroleum storage and distribution, LPG processing and marketing, retail fuel stations, natural gas distribution and upstream activities — in a manner that protects the health and safety of our employees, contractors, customers and the communities in which we operate, preserves the quality of the environment, and delivers products and services to the highest quality standards.
1. Our Commitment
The Board and Management of NIPCO PLC are committed to:
- Providing a safe and healthy working environment for all employees, contractors, and visitors across all NIPCO facilities and operational sites.
- Preventing pollution, minimising environmental impact, and continuously improving our environmental performance in line with applicable national and international standards.
- Delivering products and services that consistently meet or exceed the requirements and expectations of our customers, regulators, and other stakeholders.
- Complying with all applicable health, safety, environmental, and quality legislation, regulations and other requirements to which NIPCO subscribes.
- Setting measurable HSEQ objectives and targets, and reviewing performance against them at least annually.
- Providing the resources, training, equipment and systems necessary to achieve our HSEQ objectives.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all NIPCO PLC subsidiaries, joint ventures in which NIPCO holds a controlling interest, and all employees, contractors, sub-contractors and agents acting on behalf of NIPCO. It covers all activities conducted at NIPCO-owned or operated facilities, including the Apapa Depot, all LPG storage and processing facilities, all branded retail stations, natural gas distribution infrastructure, and any upstream exploration and production activities undertaken by NIPCO Upstream Limited.
3. Health & Safety
NIPCO shall maintain and continuously improve an occupational health and safety management system that meets the requirements of ISO 45001:2018. Our specific commitments include:
- Conducting formal risk assessments for all activities involving significant hazards, and implementing appropriate controls to eliminate or reduce risk to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP).
- Ensuring all employees and contractors receive mandatory HSEQ induction training before commencing work, and role-specific safety competency training on an ongoing basis.
- Maintaining a robust permit-to-work system for all non-routine, hot work, confined space entry and high-risk operations.
- Investigating all incidents, near-misses and dangerous occurrences, identifying root causes, and implementing corrective and preventive actions within defined timescales.
- Maintaining emergency response plans for all sites, conducting regular drills, and co-operating with relevant emergency services and regulatory authorities.
- Providing occupational health services and conducting periodic medical surveillance for employees in roles with potential health exposures.
Our target is zero lost-time incidents (LTIs) and zero fatalities across all NIPCO operations. All incidents are reported to senior management within 24 hours, and serious incidents are reported to the Board within 48 hours.
4. Environment
NIPCO recognises that its operations — particularly petroleum storage, handling and distribution — carry inherent environmental risks. We are committed to:
- Preventing spills, leaks and releases of petroleum products through rigorous tank inspection programmes, secondary containment maintenance, and the use of automated leak detection systems.
- Managing waste — including waste petroleum products, contaminated soil, used PPE and chemicals — in accordance with the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) requirements and the Hazardous Waste Management Regulations.
- Minimising air emissions from our operations, including VOC emissions from storage tanks, flaring from gas operations, and exhaust emissions from our vehicle fleet, through the adoption of best available technology and operational best practices.
- Conserving water resources, treating all process and sanitary wastewater to applicable standards before discharge, and monitoring discharge quality on a regular basis.
- Integrating environmental considerations into all capital investment decisions, including conducting Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for new or expanded facilities as required by law.
- Supporting Nigeria's energy transition goals by investing in LPG, CNG, and other cleaner energy infrastructure.
5. Quality
NIPCO is committed to delivering petroleum products and energy services that meet the specifications set by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). Our quality commitments include:
- Receiving and storing only petroleum products that meet NMDPRA specifications, verified by third-party laboratory analysis at the point of receipt.
- Maintaining product integrity throughout the storage and distribution chain through segregated storage, tank cleaning protocols, and equipment calibration programmes.
- Ensuring all retail dispensing meters are calibrated and sealed by authorised metrology officials, and that customers receive accurate measures of correctly specified products at every NIPCO-branded station.
- Actively soliciting customer feedback and using it to drive continuous quality improvement.
6. Legal Obligations
NIPCO complies with all applicable federal and state health, safety, environmental and quality legislation in Nigeria, including but not limited to the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, the NESREA Act, the Factories Act, the Employee Compensation Act, and applicable SON and NMDPRA product specifications. NIPCO also subscribes to relevant international standards including ISO 45001, ISO 14001, and ISO 9001, and references international best practices from organisations including the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP).
7. Roles & Responsibilities
HSEQ leadership is the responsibility of every NIPCO employee, contractor, and agent. Specific responsibilities are assigned as follows:
- Board of Directors: Sets the strategic HSEQ direction, approves this policy, and reviews HSEQ performance at least annually.
- Group Managing Director: Has executive accountability for HSEQ performance and the implementation of this policy across all business units.
- Group HSEQ Director: Owns the HSEQ Management System, sets HSEQ standards, monitors performance, and reports to the Board HSEQ Committee.
- Divisional Heads and Site Managers: Are accountable for HSEQ performance within their operations, for ensuring resources are provided, and for embedding the HSEQ culture within their teams.
- All Employees and Contractors: Are responsible for following HSEQ rules and procedures, reporting hazards, near-misses and incidents, and for never compromising safety.
NIPCO tracks HSEQ performance through a suite of leading and lagging indicators, including Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), Lost Time Incident Frequency (LTIF), environmental spill volumes, number of regulatory non-compliances, and customer product quality complaints. These are reported monthly to the HSEQ Director and Executive Committee, and quarterly to the Board. This policy is reviewed annually or following any significant incident, regulatory change, or organisational restructuring that may affect its relevance or adequacy.
Questions about this policy should be directed to the Group HSEQ Directorate at hseq@nipcoplc.com or via the main switchboard at +234 811 559 0117.
Signed on behalf of the Board of Directors, NIPCO PLC. This policy supersedes all previous HSEQ policy statements.