BPCL

COVID-19 Pandemic : Health Care Initiatives

Ever since COVID 19 cases were detected first time in India in January 2020, BPCL Kochi Refinery has been meeting the challenges of the pandemic through various initiatives.

Initial period: During the beginning stages, KR had created awareness about the disease and put in place the different protocols in the work site. It developed its own hand sanitizer Aroma which is being used all over the refinery. Pro-actively, by the end of Financial Year 2019-20, KR helped the society by supporting Government Health machinery with infrastructure development as ventilators to Government Hospitals and PPE kits for health workers.

Lockdown & beyond: National level Lockdown came in to place on 25 March. Starting from this period, KR initiated a range of programmes to protect the employees and reach out to the underprivileged of the society, especially those in the vicinity. KR along with its business partner Air Products supplied Liquid Oxygen.

Second Wave: In the present pandemic situation, Kochi Refinery is focusing on the Oxygen supply for the society and vaccination for the employees. The initiatives taken for Employees and the Larger Society including neighbourhood are given below.

For Employees

COVID Protocol Measures: For ensuring different COVID Protocol Measures, KR put in place different facilities as (a) Thermography Camera (b) UV Baggage Scanners (c) AHU Sterilization (d) miscellaneous items like UV Box, Non-contact thermometer, Pulse-oxymeter and dispenser systems. Fumigation and special cleaning is being carried out at Plant Area, Administration Office, Canteen periodically every day. To maintain social distance, additional buses were also provided.

CFLTC : Kochi Refinery has set up a Covid First Line Treatment Centre (CFLTC) with a capacity of 30 beds at Jwalagiri, Ambalamugal as a Primary level Health Care Centre. With a vision to extend the best medical care to BPCL employees and family members during the present crisis, this facility has been set up based on the protocol of Health Department and the District Administration. The CFLTC acts as a primary level healthcare centre for treating all mild and moderate symptomatic persons under surveillance. The facility has been operational from 2nd October 2020.

Hospitalization and Hospitals Tie-ups : Kochi Refinery has tie-ups with 7 hospitals in Ernakulam city namely Sree Sudheendra Medical Mission, Sunrise Hospital, VPS Lakeshore Hospital, Renai Medicity, Rajagiri Hospital, Aster Medicity and Ernakulam Medical Centre for hospitalization of KR serving employees and retired employees

Vaccination drives. Three Vaccination camps were carried out for employees and spouses above 45 years of age in April 2021 where over 627 people were covered. Government of Kerala has presently approved Ambalamugal Medical Aid Society (AMAS), an NGO established and operated by Kochi Refinery, as a vaccination center. 200 employees in 18-44 Age Group were vaccinated from Government Quota at AMAS on 27th May 2021. The rest of the employees will be covered in the coming days.

COVID testing: 38 camps were organized in coordination with District Corona Control cell, Medivision Lab and DDRC Lab. Majority of the camps were carried out by District Corona Control Cell under District Administration free of cost.

A total of 70 COVID awareness programmes were conducted by OHC for both employees and contract employees.

AROMA – hand sanitiser : With personal cleanliness and safety being of paramount importance for the self, others and for the company, the Centralised Quality Control Lab indigenously developed a hand sanitiser – AROMA for Kochi Refinery when the pandemic first struck last year. The sanitiser was distributed to all employees and BUs in Kochi. It was also made available to HQ and few other locations. Presently it is being made available within the Refinery for employees at all common areas and work stations.

Hygiene Kits: Kochi Refinery distributed Hygiene kits to its employees during July 2020. The kit contained digital thermometer, steam inhaler, facial masks, facial shield masks, hand sanitizers, liquid soap with dispensers, Covid Key and vitamin supplement.

COVID 19 Tracker : The Covid Tracker, is an online application launched by Kochi Refinery for Risk Profiling and Employee data collection to manage the pandemic related situation in a more effective way and prioritize the actions based on the risk associated with an employee. The Tracker has been developed by the Kochi Refinery Occupational Health Centre with the support of the Refinery's IS Department. Health and vaccination status of employees are recorded on the COVID Tracker by facilitators from each department. A Corona Care Cell has been formed for anchoring the COVID care and awareness drive in the Refinery.

COVID Dashboard: Kochi Refinery launched the COVID Dashboard a year ago, for collating and disseminating information relevant to COVID -19 which includes Go Guidelines & Notifications, Recent Broadcasts in the Company and Awareness videos. Action taken reports are also updated on the Dashboard.

For Society

FY 2021-22

GASEOUS OXYGEN SUPPLY FOR COVID HOSPITAL: BPCL Kochi Refinery is providing Gaseous Oxygen, power, water and infrastructure to a 500-bed make-shift COVID treatment centre at the old campus of Cochin Refineries School, adjacent to its premises, in Ambalamugal, Kerala. Gaseous Oxygen is being produced in the VPSA Plants at Kochi Refinery. This make shift COVID treatment centre established by Ernakulam District Administration is being expanded to 1,500 beds in phases.

LIQUID OXYGEN SUPPLY: In view of the second surge, BPCL along with its business partner Air Products commenced the supply of medical oxygen from Kochi Refinery again from 19 April 2021. BPCL is supplying around 3.5 tonnes per day of Liquid oxygen to Government Hospitals in Ernakulam District from this facility. As of 27 May 2021, 140 Tonnes of Oxygen has been distributed during the second surge.

Last year, BPCL supplied 46 tonnes of medical oxygen when the average daily cases spiked in October-November 2020. The build-own-operate (BOO) unit of Kochi Refinery has a provision to produce and store liquid oxygen of 99.7% purity.

Cost of Production for Liquid Oxygen for a month comes to Rs 10 Lakhs.

FY 2020-21

BPCL supported various welfare schemes during FY 2020-21 to the tune of Rs.7.20 Cr. Some of these include (a) Infrastructure for Hospitals and Covid First Line Treatment Centres (b) Food, nutrition, medicine and sanitation kits to the poor (c) PPE kits for hospitals (d) Television sets to support online education (e ) Support to COVID War room

FY 2019-20

Provided infrastructure, equipment and facilities to Government hospitals in 2019-20 to the tune of Rs.3.35 Cr. These include (a) ICU facilities to Government Medical College, Ernakulam and Kannur and General Hospitals at Pathanamthitta (b) PPE kits for health workers, hand sanitisers to public and infrared thermometer.