Prevention

PZU has been supporting GOPR for over 16 years now, by, among others, providing equipment for administering rescue operations, financing rescuer training, carrying out joint educational activities. In collaboration with GOPR, PZU has launched an e-learning platform dedicated to safety in the mountains. Under the cooperation agreement with the GOPR, regional GOPR Groups have used more than 90% of PZU support to purchase specialized vehicles for operations. Specialized vehicles for the search of missing persons, snowmobiles, four-wheeled vehicles (Outlander, Kawasaki), rescue trailers for four-wheeled vehicles, Toyota all-terrain vehicles and vans (VW Caravelle, Opel Movano) were purchased. Activities to improve the qualifications of GOPR rescuers were also implemented, i.e., a GOPR instructor course, a medical workshop for GOPR rescuers, evacuation training, a senior rescuer seminar and a caving workshop. To organize these activities, rescue equipment was purchased: avalanche probes, helicopter stretchers with accessories, thermal mattresses, veterinary first aid kit equipment.

PZU continued its cooperation with the GOPR Foundation on the GOPR Academy educational project. The GOPR Foundation conducted numerous educational and preventive projects, in which GOPR rescuers conducted preventive workshops as well as participated in various educational ventures throughout the country – working to protect and promote health, as well as popularize an active and safe lifestyle. Within the framework of the GOPR Academy, training programs were conducted, educational materials aimed at children and young people were prepared, training equipment and instructor clothing were purchased.

PZU has also got financially involved in avalanche training organized by the Polish Freeskiing Association and TOPR. The participants learn how to engage in proper planning of mountain trips, how to avoid the avalanche hazard and how to behave after an avalanche. Mock rescue operations are also organized with the use of detectors; they learn how to find people buried in an avalanche and how to administer first aid to avalanche victims. All these activities take place in the PZU Avalanche Training Center in Kalatówki.

PZU has been supporting water safety for many years by providing subsidies from its prevention fund to rescue units operating on the Zegrzyński Lake and the Great Mazurian Lakes Trail, among others. Legionowo’s Water Volunteer Rescue Service (LWOPR), which operates on Lake Zegrzyński, has allocated the 2023 grant received from PZU mainly for the purchase of equipment for carrying out rescue operations and maintaining the unit’s rescue readiness, i.e. boat equipment, communications equipment, diving equipment, and specialized clothing for rescuers. With the funding received, LWOPR also purchased the necessary equipment to conduct Qualified First Aid and water rescue training.

In 2023, from a grant received from PZU, the Mazury Volunteer Rescue Service (MOPR) purchased digitalanalog communications equipment, GPS for searching for missing persons, and ice-diving suits. Under the same contract, in 2022, MOPR lifeguards replaced the inflatable tubes in two hybrid RIB-type rescue boats, thereby restoring them to full working order, and purchased phantoms with computer software for teaching CPR.

PZU supports voluntary fire brigade units by subsidizing the purchase of specialized equipment and protective clothing. Voluntary fire brigade units are active even in the smallest towns, and volunteer firefighters are most often the first to help those in need. They put out fires, rescue victims of traffic accidents, provide assistance during floods, storms and other natural disasters.

The Hospital 360 Project, is an innovative project of TUW PZUW. The project involves visits to medical facilities conducted by doctors with medical and insurance experience to diagnose hospitals’ problems and needs in terms of safety. Visits allow to trace the procedures and organization of the treatment entity. The visits result in reports with recommendations for hospitals and adequate undertakings to improve the quality of health care, including free training for doctors and medical staff. They aim to upgrade their skills and improve the quality of health care. They also concern the keeping of medical records, avoiding in-hospital infections and other adverse events. These actions further translate into fewer adverse events at the medical facility.

In 2023, PZU LAB continued its Pyramid of Competences training devoted to issues related to the safety and risk management in enterprises. The second edition of the „Fire Safety of Public Buildings” training course conducted with the Fire Academy was held in February 2023. The training program included, among other things, information on fire safety of public buildings, analysis of risks in facilities such as theaters, museums, archives, cinemas, offices, high-rise buildings. November saw the first edition of Block III, „Fire Safety of Infrastructure Facilities,” which PZU conducted together with experts in this area. The scope of the training included topics such as: power transmission infrastructure, airport fuel depots, data centers – server rooms, protection of airplane hangars on the basis of fullscale fire tests, and fire protection of facilities: subways and tunnels.

During the 5th edition of the Maritime Industry Security Forum in Gdańsk at the World War II Museum, PZU LAB, together with Energa Wytwarzanie from the ORLEN Group, signed an agreement on cooperation in the implementation of projects, including in particular R&D projects in the area of Offshore Wind Farms. ORLEN Group’s Energa Wytwarzanie, together with PZU LAB, will pilot a technology that will help improve the reliability of offshore wind farms, which is key to ensuring energy security. The piloting of the first joint project will be carried out for about two years at an existing onshore wind farm owned by Energa Wytwarzanie, where conditions are as close as possible to those at sea. The data collected on it will then allow the creation of digital tools that predict how wind turbines and their individual components will behave under different conditions and time perspectives. This will identify possible risks that may occur during the operation of wind farms, including especially risks of a critical nature that threaten the continuity of offshore windmill operations. This will allow the development of appropriate countermeasures (e.g., training for farm operators based on emergency scenarios), optimize turbine operation and reduce maintenance costs while increasing efficiency and productivity. Moreover, the digital simulator will reflect the operation of an entire wind farm as well as a single wind turbine in real time.

In 2023, in order to optimize energy consumption in various industries in Poland and implement innovative energy efficiency solutions, PZU LAB and IMP PAN signed a cooperation agreement. By working with experts from the Institute, PZU LAB is able to offer clients proven and certified solutions to optimize energy consumption in various aspects of the company’s operations, such as electricity, water and gas. Thanks to its cooperation with the KEZO Research Center of IMP PAN, PZU LAB can actively support PZU Group’s corporate clients in developing energy optimization, as part of the implementation of the PZU Group’s key ESG strategic goals. Thanks to the innovative solutions developed by the KEZO Research Center, companies can achieve significant savings in energy consumption, which translates into lower business costs. In addition, it is also possible to generate additional income from the surplus energy produced, which makes investment in energy optimization even more attractive. The use of technologies such as photovoltaic installations, recuperation and energy storage allows for increased energy efficiency and thus financial benefits for businesses.