Health and Safety

Everybody must get home safely and in good health.

Our strategic framework is based on the rigorous and systematic implementation of prevention and safety promotion tools, generating a culture of self-care whose pillars are identifying and managing risk, observing tasks, stopping unsafe activities, assuring operations by applying industry best practices, and incident analysis.

Three simple steps (Observe – Intervene – Record) define the methodology to identify hazards, act, and monitor the behaviors and conditions observed. Observation is based on identification of hazards and dangerous energies. Intervention applies the concepts of “If you saw it, you own it” and ADA (Authority to Stop an Activity). Recording is implemented through software for recording and monitoring observations.
ADA is a risk prevention and task assurance tool, with which all employees and contractors have the power, responsibility and obligation to stop a task or activity when it is identified as unsafe and may result in an unwanted event. Part of the “Intervene” phase of the POP program, this tool empowers all those involved in the Company’s work to have the best safety conditions in their work areas.
Our safety operating standard is comprised of easy-to-use, practical guides during job setup and implementation. SOS are standards based on legal requirements and industry best practices, applicable to all our operations and are part of other elements of risk analysis such as Work Permits, Change Management and Simultaneous Operations. The checklists of each SOS allow verification of conditions and safe work practices, and are easily carried out by any direct employee or contractor. Today we have 10 standardized processes that guide our corporate actions.

Road Safety

Our “Yo le apuesto a la Seguridad Vial” program aims to reduce or eliminate the possibility of traffic accidents in and around our operations, and to protect pedestrians, the community, workers and drivers.

The program includes activities such as satellite speed monitoring, road improvements, training with transport unions and highway management organizations, preventive inspection and vehicle insurance days, awareness-raising activities and training with transport unions and promoters of highway management, which have brought us closer to all highway actors in a comprehensive way. 

COVID 19: Response

We are committed to maintaining the well-being of our employees, contractors, suppliers, our neighbors around our operations, and all our stakeholders; supporting authorities and those who need help most.

GeoPark has systematically followed the evolution of COVID-19, monitoring the directives issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and national and local authorities to establish and implement protocols to protect the health and safety of our employees and contractors, as well as of all stakeholders in our area of influence.

GeoPark’s COVID-19 Crisis Committee was formed at the beginning of the global spread of contagion and before active cases were detected in Latin America. At an early stage and responding flexibly to the situation, the Company instructed its teams to develop protocols for each of the phases of the health emergency caused by COVID-19.

Our protocols continue to evolve and are constantly communicated to field and office teams, as well as to suppliers and contractors. Our leaders in the areas of operations, nature and neighbors keep in contact with local and regional authorities, providing guarantees and evidence that our business continuity is maintained without any risk to neighboring communities. The Company has also worked closely with authorities at different levels in the supply of food and medical equipment for vulnerable populations in operational areas.

The GeoPark Biosafety Protocol focused on the prevention of COVID-19 and was created to guarantee the health of employees and contractors in Colombian operations and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in GeoPark, and has been adapted for its application in all units of the Company’s business.

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Response Measures

The readiness and response measures implemented by GeoPark to handle the COVID-19 pandemic include:
  • The creation of an Emergency Committee to make and fulfill protocols and emergency plans.
  • Actions and protocols based on directives from the WHO, local and national governments, and best practices.
  • At-risk employees and all office staff starting to work from home before country-wide lockdowns.
  • Focus on main fields: teams kept at the operational minimum with work shifts extended and back-up teams.
  • Procurement of COVID-19 tests performed before every work shift in the Llanos 34 and Platanillo fields in Colombia.
  • Protocol for field workers and contractors: health evaluations, social distancing and enhanced sanitization.
  • No GeoPark employee visiting, meeting or being in physical contact with anyone in the communities in the areas of direct or indirect influence of our projects, in order to guarantee the health and welfare of the populations in those areas.
  • New closed-loop transport system to avoid tanker drivers interacting with communities.
  • Pandemic-focused drills for Operations and HSE teams.
  • Support for local communities with medical and food supplies.

Bureau Veritas Safeguard Certification

Renowned international certification and inspection entity Bureau Veritas awarded GeoPark the Safeguard certification, highlighting its compliance with good biosafety practices and standards aimed at preventing COVID-19.

After rigorous evaluations, the Company was rated at 99.9 points out of 100, making GeoPark the first company in the oil and gas sector in Colombia to obtain the Safeguard quality certification.

We want to be the preferred neighbor and partner, based on a sustainable relationship of learning, exchange and mutual benefit with the local communities where we operate.

Learn more about our performance in our SPEED/ESG 2022 Report

Our Progress

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