Sustainability Report

Continuing to Build a Sustainable Future

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EPIC is committed to operational excellence and respectful engagement with all of our stakeholders. We are committed to being a good partner in the communities where our employees work and live, in the environment we share with others, and in our overall business activities. Maintaining EPIC’s reputation as a responsible employer and neighbor is a key component of our formula for success.

EPIC’s employees are our greatest asset. We treat our employees with respect, hold them to high standards, and foster opportunities to grow within our organization. We strive to provide our employees with the necessary tools and training to allow them to reach their full potential, which in turn leads to first class service for our customers.

Health and Safety

EPIC is committed to protecting the health and safety of all EPIC employees, contractors, and the communities where we operate. EPIC follows a continual improvement approach for health and safety practices and strives to explore ways to get better at what we do and how we do it.

Protecting the environment, the health and safety of the public, contractors, our employees, and EPIC assets fundamentally supports our commitment to good business practices. EPIC employees focus on minimizing risks in daily operations.
“The success of our Company depends on a focus by leadership on the safety of each employee and contractor. Therefore, we will continue to dedicate considerable resourcesin training and education in this area because at EPIC, every person is critical.”
– Brian Freed, CEO
Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Department
EPIC’s EHS Department works closely with operations in developing EHS Programs in conformance with regulations, industry standards, and generally accepted practices that protect employees, the public, and EPIC assets. This department works to provide guidance to supervisors and employees as needed, develop educational programs and training opportunities to communicate EHS Programs, and track employee participation in training, medical surveillance, and other EHS program-related activities.
Safety Programs
EPIC is constantly striving to achieve the highest levels of a safe work environment for its employees. The Company implements employee and pipeline safety guidelines, process safety management, emergency response training and incident tracking and assessment to help achieve safety excellence.
Safety Goals
EPIC sets annual Company safety goals that drive where we focus our efforts to improve performance. Our safety performance metrics include Total Recordable Incident Rate, Lost Time Incident Rate and Preventable Vehicle Incident Rate. Overall safety performance represents a meaningful portion of EPIC’s employee compensation formula.

Health and Safety

Contractor Screening Process
Contractors are pre-qualified and provided with a Contractor EHS Management program which outlines safety and environmental performance standards at our job sites.
Training
EPIC works with and educates our personnel, our contractors, and emergency responders regarding our pipeline operations and safety.
EPIC Safety Programs Manual
Our Safety Programs Manual establishes policies and procedures for maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for our employees and the public. While it is not possible to anticipate every safety and health hazard or environmental condition at every EPIC worksite, our Safety Programs Manual and safety training programs provide a framework of reference and knowledge to empower our employees to make educated and informed decisions to minimize worksite hazards. We periodically review our Safety Programs Manual and update as needed to address regulatory changes and newly identified hazards or conditions in the field.

Stakeholder Health and Safety

Excavation is the single largest cause of damage to the nation’s pipeline system. It accounts for nearly 40% of all accidental spills. The Call-Before-You-Dig service helps to maintain the integrity of the pipeline system and prevent accidents. Anyone who will be digging or excavating using mechanized equipment should call to give notice of their plans to dig in a specific area. The 811 center then acts as a clearinghouse to inform owners and operators of underground facilities so that they can go out and mark their facilities, usually within 48 or 72 hours.
EPIC is a proud member of the Refinery Terminal Fire Company (RTFC). RTFC is “the largest non-profit industrial firefighting group in the United States. The RTFC’s goal is to provide fire department services to The Port of Corpus Christi and the related refining and petrochemical port industries.”

AXIOM Medical Case Management

EPIC uses the services of AXIOM Medical for all office and field work related medical issues. EPIC offers comprehensive occupational health services for employees to ensure employees have immediate access to care.

EPIC Employee Engagement

6 Levels of Employee Engagement

Communication and Goal Setting
EPIC strives to create a high-performing culture where every employee is valued and included. EPIC’s core values of accountability, dedication, flexibility, integrity and teamwork are referenced on a regular basis and are part of the performance review framework. All employees work on creating a set of individual annual goals and objectives with their managers. They are encouraged to track those goals throughout the year and are rated on them in performance reviews. Supervisors and managers are trained to have frequent meaningful performance conversations with their team members.
Work-Life Balance
Employees receive generous paid time off allotments that can be used for any purpose and are available on day one of employment. Several wellness programs are available to EPIC employees, including wellness management, fitness incentives, financial wellness tools and financial security options (fully covered by EPIC) to foster peace of mind and financial security not only when they are well and generating income, but also when life circumstances change. EPIC has an extensive Employee Assistance Program, an emotional health support line, legal assistance, will preparation assistance, travel assistance, identity theft protection and more. COVID-19 policies are updated and communicated regularly to align with Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines so that employees feel safe and protected in their work environment.
Employee Recognition
EPIC has a companywide annual bonus structure in place and employees are also eligible for spot bonuses for outstanding performance. All employees, regardless their level or title, are eligible to participate in the bonus program. Employees are also eligible for yearly merit increases and cost of living adjustments. Company events are held quarterly to bring employees together, celebrate accomplishments (big and small) and welcome new members to the team.
Company Transparency
Town hall meetings are hosted by the executive team to keep employees up to date on the big picture and how their roles affect certain aspects of the business. Employees at all levels are encouraged to voice concerns, offer ideas, and ask questions. Clear processes are in place to report issues, ask questions and voice concerns internally through multiple channels. If, for whatever reason, our employees do not feel comfortable using internal channels to bring up an issue, EPIC has a third-party anonymous reporting hotline available to them.
Training and Development
New employees start development right away with a comprehensive orientation program conducted by HR and followed by a 90-day on-boarding process with line managers, safety consultants and team members. This assists in welcoming and helping our new hires adjust to their new job and the company environment. Following on-boarding, a new hire survey is administered in an effort to improve our HR practices. There is a tailored approach to training and development, striving to provide appropriate training based on development needs. 100% of EPIC employees have completed courses on preventing discrimination and harassment. 100% of field employees have completed extensive safety training.
Benefits
EPIC offers a robust benefits package to its employees. These benefits include medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, dependent care flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, life insurance, short- and long-term disability programs, an employer-match 401(k), as well as a bonus plan. The Company also conducts employee satisfaction surveys to stay on top of changing wants and needs of our team.

Equal Opportunity Employment

EPIC is committed to the principles of equal opportunity employment and will comply with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities. EPIC will conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of all good-faith allegations of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation or any violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy in a confidential manner.

Zero Tolerance Policy

EPIC has a zero-tolerance policy regarding workplace violence and will not tolerate acts or threats of violence, harassment, intimidation, and other disruptive behavior, either physical or verbal, that occurs in the workplace or other areas. This applies to management, co-workers, employees, and non-employees such as contractors, customers, and visitors.

Community

EPIC employees are our best ambassadors. The Company strives to create an environment where employees are proud to work each day and just as eager to represent EPIC in the communities in which they live. EPIC proudly supports efforts made by employees to volunteer their time on behalf of the Company and will continue to financially support organizations seeking to improve the lives of others.

The reputation of our Company outside of the office depends on the culture established within it.

Volunteer Hours

Since 2017 EPIC employees have volunteered over 200 hours of their time to serve the communities of San Antonio, Houston and Corpus Christi.
The Texas Department of Public Safety Foundation is a community-focused nonprofit organization that develops innovative projects to support DPS officers and employees through community connections, educational advancement, service recognition, financial assistance, and professional development.
The MZ Foundation is a San Antonio-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing college scholarships and donations to charitable organizations in and around South Texas.
Founded in 1980, the San Antonio Food Bank serves one of the largest service areas in Southwest Texas. Our focus is for clients to have food for today but to also have the resources to be self-sufficient in the future.
Since 2006, Kids’ Meals has been making and delivering free, healthy meals directly to the homes of hungry children. Since inception, we have given more than 10.3 million free meals in Harris County and Montgomery County. Kids’ Meals is the only program of its kind in the nation and we believe Houston can be the first city to end childhood hunger.
Established in 1986, Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s geographic focus is the 10-square mile stretch of the bayou through Houston. They are dedicated to making our city a cleaner, safer and healthier space environment.
EPIC has donated to over 20 local and statewide organizations in an effort to help and support education, childrens health, cancer research and those in need.

Volunteer Hours

Public Engagement

EPIC works to engage stakeholders regarding EPIC activities. Examples include:

Conducting one-on-one briefings throughout a project cycle with elected officials.
Making presentations at local city council meetings.
Delivering public presentations to local economic development organizations and chambers of commerce.
Hosting open houses to share information and listen to community concerns.
Efforts have also been made to improve the effectiveness of communication with stakeholders and members of the community. Through a public hotline, which is listed on our website, the public can express their views, comments, or concerns at any time. Our Director of Communications responds to calls directly or assigns the appropriate EPIC representative to address the topic.

There is also an email available which is monitored by the Director of Communications.

Contact Information 888-975-5540 [email protected]
San Antonio
18615 Tuscany Stone, Suite 300,
San Antonio, TX 78258
Houston
1000 Louisiana, Suite 6500
Houston, TX 77002
Corpus Christi
500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Suite 811
Corpus Christi, TX 78401
Midland
500 West Texas Avenue, Suite 1110
Midland, TX 79701