Southern Ute Indian Tribe Seal

Environmental Protection, Health, and Safety

Aka Energy endeavors to provide a safe and healthy workplace for all employees and the following principles are the foundation of the safety philosophy of the Company:

  • Injuries and accidents are preventable through the establishment of and compliance with safe work procedures;
  • Employees are expected to take an active role in the promotion of workplace safety;
  • Employees are expected to know and follow established safe work procedures;
  • All facilities have and are trained in the implementation of written Emergency Response/Emergency Management procedures;
  • Process Safety Management (PSM) is a consideration for all facilities and a full PSM program is in place for those facilities which fall under the OSHA PSM requirements;
  • We conduct internal audits of our facilities regularly to assess the effectiveness of our of Health and Safety programs;
  • We hold our contract service providers to the same high Health and Safety standards and regularly conduct audits of our contractors.

Aka Energy is committed to conducting operations in an environmentally responsible manner.

  • Each facility complies with written plans and/or permits for the protection of water quality and air quality as well as management of waste materials;
  • We conduct internal audits of our facilities regularly to assess the effectiveness of our of Environmental Protection programs;
  • We hold our contract service providers to the same high Environmental Protection standards and regularly conduct audits of our contractors.

With regard to both Environmental Protection and Health and Safety issues, Aka Energy, through its employees, shall strive to:

  • Comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and performance standards in all operations both to the letter and in spirit;
  • Employ “Best Management Practices” in all operations;
  • Maintain effective and cooperative relationships with regulatory agencies;
  • Ensure that all personnel are aware of regulatory requirements that directly affect their jobs and that they are equally committed to compliance with these requirements;
  • Stay informed with respect to state-of-the-art technology in order to improve safety and reduce risk;
  • Implement corrective actions, when necessary, to address any identified areas in need of improvement.

SECMG

In addition to managing commercial enterprises such as Aka Energy Group, LLC, the Southern Ute Growth Fund manages a Safety and Environmental Compliance and Management Group (SECMG) which assists every Growth Fund enterprise in all aspects of understanding and implementing industrial health and safety and environmental protection practices.

SECMG sets high level policy and procedures for Growth Fund entities, assists with researching and filing of permits, keeps up with proposed regulation changes, provides expertise in project design, completes internal audits for EHS issues, maintains incident statistics and assists in incident reviews and responses, provides training, and assists in due diligence and in auditing of partners and contractors.

SECMG provides a welcome additional layer of oversight and expertise in maintaining the Growth Fund’s high standards for Environmental Protection, Health and Safety.

The Aka Energy Safety Manual serves as a guide and reference for our safety policies and procedures. It is the responsibility of each employee that is issued a manual to read and to understand thoroughly its contents.

Table of Contents for Aka Energy Safety Manual

  1. Management Letter and Policy Statements
  2. Safety Management
  3. Drug-Free Workplace
  4. Motor Vehicle Use (Including Commercial Motor Vehicles)
  5. Hazard Communication
  6. Bloodborne Pathogens
  7. Hearing Conservation
  8. Personal Protective Equipment
  9. Fire Protection
  10. Stop Work
  11. Electrical Safety
  12. Respiratory Protection
  13. Fall Protection
  14. Excavation
  15. Confined Space
  16. Hot Work
  17. Lock Out – Tag Out
  18. System Protection and Control
  19. Preparing Equipment for Opening and Inspection
  20. Hydrogen Sulfide
  21. Safe Work Practices – Contractor Expectations
  22. Visually Instructive Plants and Pipelines (VIPP)
  23. Automated External Defibrillators
  24. Cell Phones