Safe production
Safety is an absolute priority and strategic objective for all aspects of our business.
Safety is an absolute priority and strategic objective for all aspects of our business. We ensure the safety of production and high quality throughout the life cycle of our products. Since the dominant component of our portfolio is fertilizers, the entire Grupa Azoty Group has special responsibility: our fertilizers are supplied to food producers and have a direct impact on the health of consumers of products made from plants grown by the Group’s customers.
Food safety is our priority. We strive to ensure it by operating in accordance with the guidelines for the development of new products and the market supervision over the products we currently manufacture, which include:
In 2020, there were no incidents of non-compliance with regulations and/or voluntarily implemented codes concerning the health and safety impacts of the Group’s products and services on customers. We are proud of our products, and we view them as a showcase of the Group as a whole and of each of our plants. The superior quality of our portfolio is guaranteed by qualified personnel, who perform their responsibilities based on robust management systems meeting international standards.
Compliance with the standards which the Grupa Azoty Group deems fundamental, that is the highest quality, commitment to plant safety and care for the natural environment, is subject to ongoing supervision. The Integrated Management System is structured around the principles of giving priority to customers, reducing environmental losses and hazard risks, and working on continuous improvement.
The key document in the food safety area is the Grupa Azoty Food Safety Policy, implemented through:
- ongoing monitoring of the parameters specified in the Policy that are crucial to the quality and safety of products;
- observing high standards of hygiene at the stages of production, storage and distribution;
- making consistent upgrades and improvements to the production infrastructure and technology;
- building health and safety awareness among the staff;
- managing internal and external exchange of information about hazards to product safety in the food chain.
We feel responsible for our products across the supply chain. Therefore, as part of our membership in Fertilizers Europe, we run the Product Stewardship programme, based on international regulations and quality standards. All of our companies ensure that their fertilizers, as well as the raw materials and semi-finished products used in their production, are processed, transported, stored, distributed and used in a responsible manner, which is safe to people and the natural environment. In 2020, no cases of non-compliance were reported at the Grupa Azoty Group in relation to health or safety impacts of its products and services. Likewise, there were no instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic area.
All of the Grupa Azoty Group’s products are properly marked and labelled.
It is essential to ensure that the information on the packaging helps to identify the product and any hazards that may arise from its use or handling. All our packagings bear information about the products they contain (product trade name), manufacturer (name and address) and product weight. In the case of substances and mixtures classified as hazardous, the provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (“CLP Regulation”) apply. The mandatory contents of a label for fertilizer products is specified in Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003, stipulating that the product information should include designation of fertilizer type, identification as ‘EC Fertilizer’ (if applicable), content and form of nutrients, as well as directions for use and basic safety precautions. If a fertilizer is sold in bulk, an accompanying document is made, containing all the required label elements. In addition, the Regulation allows directions for use to be included. Such directions appear on the unit packaging of the products. The mandatory content of the label for feed additives is defined in Regulation (EC) No 1831/2003. In addition, the Grupa Azoty Group’s products are registered in accordance with the EU REACH Regulation. More than 85% (by weight) of our products have been registered, meaning that the requirements are fully met. The remaining 15% are mainly polymers which do not require registration and evaluation. For each registration, we also prepare chemical safety reports. Appropriate instruction manuals and data sheets describing possible effects on living organisms have been prepared for each product. Periodic inspections and other measures have revealed no irregularities. The Integrated Management System implemented at the Group, which includes procedures and instructions for product labelling, protects consumers’ interests, providing assurance about the safety and quality of the goods they purchase. The documentation of the manufacturing processes confirms the Grupa Azoty Group’s efforts to manufacture top quality products so as to minimise the number of potential complaints.
Packaging for fertilizers, labels and/or accompanying documents are marked as follows:
- the words ‘EC FERTILIZER’ in capital letters;
- identification of the type of fertilizer, where it exists;
- the additional markings specified in Article 19, 21 or 23 of Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003;
- nutrients, identified both in words and by appropriate chemical symbols;
- the net or gross weight and, optionally, volume for liquid fertilizers;
- the name or trade mark and the address of the manufacturer.
Substances or mixtures classified as hazardous that are sold in packaging bear a label including the following information:
- the name, address and telephone number of the supplier;
- the product identifier for the substance/mixture as specified in detail in Article 18 of the CLP Regulation;
- pictograms showing the type of hazard in accordance with Article 19 of the CLP Regulation, if applicable;
- signal words in accordance with Article 20 of the CLP Regulation, if applicable;
- hazard statements in accordance with Article 21 of the CLP Regulation, if applicable;
- appropriate precautionary statements in accordance with Article 22 of the CLP Regulation, if applicable.
Labels are drawn up in the official language of the Member State in which the substance or mixture is placed on the market.
In addition, there were no instances of non-compliance with product and service labelling regulations in 2020.
In 2020, no penalties were imposed on any of the Grupa Azoty Group companies for non-compliance with the laws and regulations governing the supply and use of products at any stage of their life cycle. In addition, the organisation was not subject to any non-financial sanctions for non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic area.
The safety of our products also depends on their proper transport. Chemicals may present a risk not only at the place of manufacture and storage but also in transit. The risk is particularly high when chemicals are carried by road, so we use rail transport to a large extent at the Grupa Azoty Group. However, this is not always possible, so, in cooperation with transport companies, we have introduced strict guidelines for transport and requirements for means of transport and driver training, as well as for loading and unloading at customers’ facilities.
When transporting particularly hazardous materials, we apply the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR, L'Accord européen relatif au transport international des marchandises dangereuses par route). Together with transport companies, we take into consideration the age of the vehicles and their compliance with the Euro 5 and Euro 6 emission standards.
Chemical raw materials that are subject to RID regulations are transported in railway tanks with vapour recovery systems for the liquid and gaseous phases. The fittings mounted on railway tanks are adapted to the fittings at loading and unloading points at our customers.
For short distances we largely use battery forklifts, and we apply environmentally safe recycling procedures for the related waste, such as spent batteries and tyres.
With the safety of local communities and the environment in mind, our companies provide support for their trading partners in the event of accidents in transport of hazardous materials. Grupa Azoty, Grupa Azoty Police and Grupa Azoty Puławy are signatories to the agreement on the SPOT System of Assistance in Transport of Hazardous Materials, which was established to improve the safety of hazardous materials transport in Poland and, in case of any incidents, facilitate elimination of accident consequences by joint efforts of the national rescue and fire services and the SPOT members.
All companies of the Grupa Azoty Group have the necessary monitoring systems, safeguards and procedures in place to prevent accidents and to contain their consequences. These include preventive plans, production process controls, particularly hazardous work procedures, emergency/accident response plans, monitoring of health and safety at work, operational controls, assessment of compliance of the adopted safety objectives with applicable standards, and storage procedures.
