A regular emergency exercise took place at the production site in Kralupy and Vltavou on Tuesday, 18 June. This year, it focused on the leakage of a mixture of hydrocarbons and toxic hydrogen sulphide. The drill did not have any impact on the environment or the site’s operations. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group regularly organises emergency drills at its production plants to verify the readiness of rescue units and employees on site.
“The emergency drill allowed us to test the readiness of our rescue teams and production site employees for emergencies in practice. Such exercises are a good opportunity to verify the equipment used in emergencies and mutual communication with the Integrated Rescue System units. Now, we will thoroughly evaluate the drill and reflect its conclusions in continuous improvements of the response efficiency,” says Pavel Ballek, Director of the Kralupy Refinery Unit.
As the only local oil processing company, the ORLEN Unipetrol Group is also part of the national critical infrastructure. Tactical emergency drills are held regularly at both refineries, in Kralupy nad Vltavou and Litvínov. These exercises verify the efficiency of the corporate emergency plan, the current operational and safety documentation, and the cooperation of all rescue units addressing an emergency.
Emergency drills usually focus on specific situations. This year, the exercises in Kralupy focused on the leakage of a mixture of hydrocarbons and toxic hydrogen sulphide. The exercises also check the collaboration of individual units dealing with emergencies and the technical readiness of the equipment used in the full response. The exercises also verify the system of communication with external entities and rescue units.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing and the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. It belongs among the key players on the Czech and Central European markets in all these areas. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, REMAQ in Otrokovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes the ORLEN Benzina network of petrol stations in the Czech Republic and the ORLEN network in Slovakia and Hungary. ORLEN Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. It employs almost 6,000 people. ORLEN Unipetrol is also a socially responsible company, particularly in the areas of supporting sustainable development, education, local communities and the environment. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the ORLEN Group, the largest oil refiner in Central Europe.