Gazprom: Gazprom maintaining stable operation since beginning of coronavirus pandemic

The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the Gazprom Group’s areas of activity affected by the coronavirus pandemic and endorsed the measures that are being undertaken by the Company to help the Group adapt to the sanitary, epidemiological and other quarantine-related restrictions.

It was highlighted that Gazprom’s response to the spread of the COVID-19 infection had been prompt and efficient. In a short timeframe, the Company had adopted measures to preserve the health of its employees and maintain the operational reliability of its facilities.

Gazprom set up a task force to monitor on a daily basis the epidemiological situation within the Group’s entities and coordinate their activities aimed at curbing the proliferation of the infection in a prompt manner. Special access control measures were put in place at facility checkpoints across the Company. Daily medical monitoring and regular testing for COVID-19 was organized for employees, who were also provided with protective equipment and disinfectants. For a certain period of time, only the minimum staff required to ensure the reliable functioning of the production facilities was present at the workplaces. Some employees were temporarily switched to remote work.

For the companies with shift personnel, Gazprom adopted additional safety measures by, inter alia, creating temporary accommodation points (observation places) where workers would spend 14 days in isolation under medical observation and would undergo COVID-19 testing prior to being sent on their shift. A pool of personnel was formed to promptly replace sick employees or people who had been in contact with them. Regular disinfection procedures were introduced to ensure the safety of workplaces, common areas, vehicles, and special-purpose machinery. Hospitals for COVID-19 patients were established near some production facilities.

All this allowed Gazprom to maintain the operational stability of its expansive industrial complex and continue reliably fulfilling its obligations to consumers in Russia and abroad, including during the periods of peak demand in winter, and implementing its key investment projects.

Strict anti-epidemic rules and restrictions remain in force at the Gazprom Group. The measures undertaken by Gazprom are consistent with the recommendations of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor). This includes stringent control over the mask mandate for employees. At the start of every workday, employees undergo contactless temperature screenings. As before, access to Gazprom’s facilities is limited for outside parties. The task force is closely following the epidemiological situation.

In addition, vaccination capabilities are provided at Gazprom and its subsidiaries, including via corporate medical facilities. Vaccination is voluntary. A total of 78.6 per cent of employees at the parent company and the core subsidiaries of the gas business have been vaccinated to date.

The Board of Directors also took note of the information about the impact of the Western sanctions on the Gazprom Group in 2021 and the corresponding response measures.