OREANDA-NEWS. July 9, 2007. LUKOIL has completed certification audit of its Unified Corporate Safety Management, Labor and Environmental Protection System (HSE System) to meet ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:1999 standards.

In 2001, LUKOIL became one of the first companies in Russia to undergo a certification procedure to comply with ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:1999 standards. It was then that the Company resolved to certify its Unified Corporate HSE System. Having completed certification of its subsidiaries in 2006, LUKOIL and its subsidiaries underwent а certification audit aimed at certifying its existing Unified Corporate HSE System to meet ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:1999 standards.

Bureau Veritas Certification, which conducted the certification, confirmed a high level of integration and effectiveness of LUKOIL's vertically integrated corporate HSE System and recommended that ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:1999 compliance certificates be obtained.

According to Bureau Veritas Certification, the following System strengths have been identified while conducting the audit:

-      superior top management leadership and competency of management and employees in terms of HSE System operation;

-      top-quality production management;

-      efficient management tools to ensure industrial and environmental safety;

-      reduction of occupational hazard exposure and environmental efficiency of management programs;

-      innovations introduced to cut environmental impact and minimize production hazards and risks;

-      information openness and responsibility to various stakeholders in terms of providing information on material environmental issues and risks in the Company's different business segments.

One of the most efficient HSE management tools in LUKOIL recognized according to the findings of the certification audit is a system of corporate supervision over compliance with the HSE and accident prevention requirements, based on ISO 17001 standards and experience of the world’s leading companies.