How we operate

We believe we have a positive role to play in meeting growing energy demand around the world. We strive to be a world-class operator, a responsible corporate citizen and a good employer. 

Within bp, our operating businesses are accountable for delivering safe, reliable and compliant operations. They have the responsibility to identify and manage risks and bring together people with the right skills and competencies. It is an explicit requirement of our OMS that sites carry out self-verification for health, safety, security and environment checks. They work in collaboration with deployed safety specialists and are subject to independent scrutiny and assurance.
 
Our ability to be a safe and responsible operator depends in part on the capability and performance of our contractors, suppliers and partners. We address this in a variety of ways including training and requiring adherence to operational standards in legally binding agreements. 

We seek to identify and manage risks in the supply chain relating to safety, corruption and money laundering and aim to have sustainability-related provisions in our contracts with suppliers and contractors.

• Managing risk: Operating and business functions in Southern Africa use group processes to continuously assess and manage any risks which might prevent us from achieving our business goals.
• Our people: We value diversity of people and thought, and we aim to treat everyone at bp with respect and dignity. We can only operate if we maintain the trust of people inside and outside the company.
  
• We must earn people’s trust by being fair and responsible in everything we do. We monitor our performance closely and aim to report transparently. We believe good communication and open dialogue are vital if we are to meet the expectations of our employees, customers, shareholders, and the local communities in which we operate. 
  
• Supply chain: We seek to work with companies that share our commitment to ethical, safe and sustainable working practices. However, we do not control how our co-venturers and their employees approach these issues.