Safety and Health

PROTEG is our Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management system and program, structured around three fundamental pillars: People, a Safe and Healthy Work Environment, and Strategy. This system is fully aligned with the Company’s Sustainability Strategy, its Organizational Culture (“Jeito de Ser e Fazer”), and other existing management systems.

It complies with the requirements of ISO 45001:2018 and is guided by a policy that defines its guidelines, scope, and assumptions. Its scope extends from senior management (Executive Committee) to all stakeholder groups that may be affected by the Company’s activities.

For the 2025–2028 period, PROTEG’s planning is based on five Strategic Focus Areas: Risk Communication, Training and Awareness, Structural Adjustments, Ergonomics, and Measurement and Monitoring.

To protect is to prevent someone from harm, to remain alert for oneself and for others — a true act of collective care.

PO.09 Occupational Safety and Health Policy
PROTEG’s Pillars - Strategic Focus Areas
People

Ensure the engagement of all workers (including employees, service providers, suppliers, visitors, and other stakeholders) in matters related to health and safety, through visible leadership commitment, clear assignment of roles, responsibilities, and authorities for everyone, effective communication of occupational risks, and the promotion of active listening and care.

Safe and Health Work Environment

Provide and maintain a work environment — including facilities, machinery, and equipment — that ensures compliance with legislation and the application of best practices related to occupational health and safety, process safety, and the overall well-being of employees.

Strategy

A set of guidelines, intentions, actions, alignments, best practices, programs, and drivers that help define the processes and integration of PROTEG Elements with other management systems within the organization.

People

Communication

  • Effective communication of occupational risks consolidated in the risk inventories and of the preventive measures (ODP2);
  • Recap of Critical Incidents and Lessons Learned (ODP5).

Training and Awareness

  • Leadership development through PROTEG Modules (available on the Unidexco Platform and in in-person training sessions) (ODP8);
  • VIDAS Program (initiatives aimed at strengthening relationships through active listening) (ODP6 and ODP8);
  • Annual Training and Capacity-Building Plans for all workers (ODP2 and ODP3).
Safe and Health Work Environment

Structural Adjustments

  • Annual resource allocation plans of the units (investments) (ODP2, ODP3, ODP4, and ODP5).
Strategy
Measurement and Monitoring
  • Biennial assessments of PROTEG Maturity Level in the units (ODP7);
  • Internal and Third-Party Audits (ODP7);
  • Evaluation of the effectiveness of preventive measures through Precursor Inspections at Facilities (IPRI tool) (ODP4 and ODP5);
  • Monthly monitoring of the units’ Alert Level (potential incidents with or without injury and presence of precursors related to fatal accidents or life-altering events) (ODP5).
Key Monitoring and Performance Evaluation Indicators of PROTEG (targets)

To ensure the achievement of the intended results of PROTEG and to monitor progress toward its Objectives (ODP) — with special attention to those driven by the 2025–2028 Strategic Focus Areas — DEXCO uses a set of Proactive (Leading) and Reactive (Lagging) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Alert Level: Monthly assessment of the units based on the SIF potential (serious injuries and fatalities) of incidents and the results of precursor inspections. Each unit is classified, based on a “decision tree,” with a “traffic light” indicator: green (no incidents or precursors with SIF potential), yellow (precursors with SIF potential identified during inspections), or red (at least one incident with SIF potential). According to the number of months classified under each “traffic light” color (green, yellow, and red), a percentage Alert Level is determined (e.g., all months classified as green traffic light correspond to 100% achievement).

Precursor Inspections at Facilities (IPRI): Periodic inspections conducted by the Occupational Safety Technicians team that adopt concepts from the SIF methodology (serious injuries and fatalities). The premise is that the higher the “number of precursors” identified during an inspection, the greater the risk and uncertainty. The precursors mainly relate to Section 2 of PROTEG, which addresses prevention measures for key SIF incident precursors such as portable ladders and scaffolding, energy source lockout, working at height, motorized equipment, confined spaces, hand and portable electric tools, machine and equipment guards, hot work, electrical installations, lifting operations, among others.

Maturity Level: A process that includes cross-audits among business units, covering the 43 PROTEG topics. Units are classified into five different levels: vulnerable, reactive, calculative, proactive, or resilient (the highest maturity level).

Leadership Training and Development in PROTEG: Aims to develop DEXCO leaders at all levels to fulfill their role in promoting a preventive culture and valuing life, aligned with DEXCO’s organizational culture. Provides “literacy” in key concepts of occupational risk management and process safety.

Reportable Accident Frequency Rates: All Dexco’s safety rates and figures are calculated based on 1,000,000 hours worked (for more information, see the 2024 Integrated Report).

Cuidar Juntos (Taking Care Together)

In addition to PROTEG, we also have Cuidar Juntos, Dexco’s Health and Wellness Program, which covers the company’s employees and their dependents across the board. Cuidar Juntos is structured in four pillars:

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Health-related educational and communication actions and preventive interventions.

Occupational Health Management

Strategic occupational health appointments, medical certificate management, and leave of absence management.

Preventive Health Management

Actions aimed at employees’ preventive health care, including chronic patient monitoring, mental and emotional health, vaccination campaigns, and pregnant women monitoring.

Integral Health

Services and actions focused on employees’ integral health.

In each one of these pillars, actions are developed focused on the employees’ integral health. Learn more about three of them:

PAP - Pronto Atendimento Pessoal (EAP - Employee Assistance Program)

Support service for psychological, financial, legal matters and social service orientation for employees and their immediate families. PAP was especially important during the pandemic, mainly for psychological care.

Gestar Juntos (Maternity Program)

Monitors employees and their pregnant dependents’ pregnancy and postpartum periods, providing support and guidance for each phase to ensure the well-being of pregnant women and their babies, minimizing the risks of premature birth.

De Bem com a Mente (Mental Health Program)

Mental health promotion through prevention, identification, support, and rehabilitation measures. These actions represent an advance in the valorization of the employees’ quality of life and consolidation of actions and promotion of integral health.

*Documents available only in Portuguese