S3 Affected communities

Working on our energy grids can create harmful and/or dangerous situations. Our work, failing equipment, or materials defects may pose serious safety risks for local residents, bystanders, or other people in public places. Our safety policy addresses this extensively.

The distribution and handling of electrical power and pressurised natural and biomethane also present safety risks to the surrounding area. In our safety policy, we distinguish between the safety of the area during the operational phase and the safety after the work has been completed, the management phase. Our safety policy for employees and (sub) contractors further contributes to a safe public environment. More information can be found in ‘S1 Our employees’ and ‘S2 Workers in the value chain’.

Social	Impact, risk or opportunity	Value chain	Time frame
Material topic
Communities' economic, social and cultural rights Public health and safety	Potential negative impacts: The business activities of Enexis or its subcontractors could lead to harmful and/or dangerous situations that affect public health and safety.

A safe energy grid for everyone

Working on our energy grids can create harmful and/or dangerous situations. Our work, failing equipment, or materials defects may pose serious safety risks for local residents, bystanders, or other people in public places. ^{(ESRS S3 SBM-3 par. 9(a))}The negative impact can occur as a result of our own work but also in the value chain when (sub) contractors carry out work.

There is also a risk of harmful and/or dangerous situations in public spaces, even when we are not doing our work. Examples include vandalism (unintentional), with equipment failure due to ageing cables or pipelines, and excavation work that damages cables or pipelines. These negative impacts are primarily limited to our operations and typically result from isolated incidents. ^{(ESRS S3 para 8(a))} The incident register indicates no widespread or systemic impacts. ^{(ESRS S3 SBM-3 par. 9(b))}

Working safely is a top priority at Enexis and an essential part of our strategy. By prioritising the safe practices of employees and contractors, we also enhance the safety of bystanders. Beyond this strategic focus, Enexis also has specific policies to ensure bystanders’ safety. ^{(ESRS S3 SBM-3 par. 7; 8(a))}

Policy for safe public spaces

Safety is our top priority when carrying out our work. We take standard precautions to ensure the safety of bystanders.^{(ESRS 2 MDR-P para 65(a)(e))} These are part of our operational policy.

Operational phase

During the operational phase, we ensure that our people work safely, see 'Health and safety'. We also separate our work activities from public areas as deemed appropriate. This is done in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.^{(ESRS 2 MDR-P para 65(d))} These laws and regulations include the proper use of barriers, the safe covering of work sites and potholes on the road, and the installation of signage.^{(ESRS S3 32a;35;38; ESRS 2 MDR-A 68a;68b;68c)}

Management phase

During the management phase, we implement measures to ensure public safety in open spaces. Through regular maintenance in accordance with standards, laws, and regulations, we monitor the grid. We register (potentially) dangerous deviations or failures in the grid. If necessary, we take additional management measures such as extra maintenance, modifications, and (preventive) replacement of components. For existing assets, we also take further measures to prevent the public from coming into direct contact with electricity and gas transmission risks. These include physical security measures, such as locks, fences and enclosures, and maintaining a minimum burial depth or covering cables and pipes.^{(ESRS 2 MDR-P 65(a)(b); ESRS S3 32a;35;38; ESRS 2 MDR-A 68a;68b;68c))}

The safety policy during the operational phase is the responsibility of the Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) department and Operations. The safety policy during the management phase is the responsibility of the Asset Management department.^{(ESRS 2 MDR-P para 65(c))} The policy covers all identified affected communities.^{(ESRS S3 para 14)}

Consultation with affected communities

We recognise the importance of consulting with residents and bystanders near our assets. Still, we do not maintain regular contact with these stakeholders about actual and potential impacts or the measures to mitigate them.^{(ESRS S3 para 21, 24)}

However, we communicate with nearby households before and during planned work.^{(ESRS S3-2 21(a))} This communication aims to inform residents about our work in their neighbourhood. Residents can contact our customer service or the project’s community engagement manager for complaints, disruptions, or incidents. This information is provided in the letter sent to residents. For details on the customer service process, see section S4 Consumers and end users.^{(ESRS S3 para 27(b))}

Incident prevention and response

We are committed to public safety in the distribution of gas and electricity. We measure the impact on public safety through the Public Safety Gas and Public Safety Electricity KPIs.^{(ESRS 2 MDR-M 75)} Both consist of several components, each with specific measurements compared against targets and thresholds. In addition to incidents involving bystanders, the KPIs also measure incidents that damage public space. We only include incidents originating from our own assets or grid that affect the public. Incidents such as bystanders falling into a pit we have dug, or injuries to people who deliberately steal or vandalise assets, are outside the scope of these KPIs.^{(ESRS S3 32d; ESRS 2 MDR-M 77a; MDR-T 80c;80f)} Enexis maintains an incident register in which all incidents (for both gas and electricity) are recorded. The incident register is the basis for the KPIs. For gas, a national process agreed with the regulator, SodM (Staatstoezicht op de Mijnen), whereby Enexis reports relevant gas incidents to SodM.

We are committed to achieving zero accidents. However, accidents cannot always be prevented, and therefore we apply a target value for certain categories. First and foremost, for fatal accidents or accidents with very severe consequences, this target value is zero. For accidents with a severe impact, our target value is a maximum of two. For incidents with a moderate or considerable impact, our target value is a maximum of four.^{(MDR-T para 80(a)(b)(c))} These are annual targets and therefore have no base year or baseline.^{(MDR-T para 80(d)(e))} baseline. The targets apply separately to gas and electricity (not the sum of both) and are based on the impact classification of Enexis’ risk matrix.

Since 2018, there have been no incidents with a severe or very severe impact. There were two incidents in 2025 with a moderate or considerable impact. The definitions of the different categories are explained in the table below. ^{(ESRS MDR-T 80(j))}

Evaluating and refining policy

Enexis monitors incidents and any trends that emerge from them. When incidents or significant near-incidents occur, we evaluate whether an adjustment to the safety policy is necessary.^{(MDR-T 80(d); ESRS S3 para 32)} If this is the case, we introduce additional measures into the policy.^{(ESRS S3 33a;33b)}  The policy measures described in the previous year remained in force in 2025 (see paragraphs above). These measures are monitored annually through the KPI on incidents involving bystanders. In 2025, there was no reason to amend either the measures or the associated policy^{(ESRS 2 MDR-M 68e)}.

Reporting incidents and compensating damages

If a bystander suffers damage or injury due to our activities, they can submit a claim through our customer service department. In the case of personal injury and extensive and/or complex material damage, Enexis’ liability and the amount of possible compensation will be determined together with a claims expert. Our Complaints & Claims department maintains contact with

the affected person and coordinates further processing. We believe it is important that our technicians behave appropriately in incidents involving bystanders. That is why we launched a campaign in 2025 to raise awareness among our technicians. Several teams received training on how to respond appropriately in the event of an incident. Developed by Enexis, this training covers the actions technicians must take, including providing first aid and informing bystanders that they can report any injuries or damage to our customer service department. In addition, a toolkit has been developed that focuses on effective communication with customers, both in incident situations and during regular interactions.^{(ESRS S3 27a; 27b;32b;33c; ESRS MDR-A 68d)}