Solidarity Occupational Health & Safety Department. Presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Labour. 15 February Presented by Chris Pienaar. Head: Training Occupational Health & Safety

2004 – 2005 Chemical Industry: Gas related explosion incidents. May 2004: Gas bottles exploding at a furniture factory in Koedoespoort – Pretoria. Factory demolished. June Centurion Municipal, underground gas pipeline explosion. No injuries. 6 SASOL DISASTER EXPLOSIONS: June : Phenosolvent tank explosion at SASOL Synfuels Secunda. 1 Contractor fatality & 8 injured. 1 July 2004: Acetylene gas explosion at SASOL Middelbult mine is Secunda. 1 Contractor fatality & 8 injuries.

2004 – 2005 Chemical Industry: Gas related explosion incidents. September : Monomers explosion at SASOL Synfuels: 10 fatalities and 360 persons injured. November : SASOL NATREF fuel transfer burning incident: 2 Contractor fatalities. January : SASOL NATREF Hydro Fluoric Gas explosion. 17 persons injured. January : Sasol Synfuels Carbo Tar gas explosion: 6 persons injured. A very definite, observable tendency of gas related explosion incidents occuring in the South African Chemical Indusry

What is wrong? Contractor maintenance involvement: Differential Induction training between Contractors and full time employees. Contractors abnormal hours of work. Contractor qualifications, experience, competency and skills levels. Recruitment, selection and appointment of Contractors. Contractor safety standards. Non compliance with safety specifications and standards. Unskilled Contractor employees working in a higly specialised, complexed, risk chemical plant without the relevant training. Maintenance pressure on Contractor employees.

The Chemical plant system problem ? Maintenance shutdown procedures. Management attitude varying from plant to plant. Permit systems for maintenance work. (Open permits). Non transparent and non availability of plant safety statistics. General non transparency regarding the investigation of incidents. Ageing technical drawings of plants and poor updating of the same. Continuous reduction / cutting of personnel. Continuous loss of know how of personnel leaving employment for various reasons. Non availability of information after incidents at various plants.

The Chemical plant system problem ? Extensive / lengthy periods of investigating incidents / accidents and fatalities. Non compliance of safety standards by various parties. Deviations of original design in plant maintenance. Time pressure during scheduled maintenance shutdown with insignificant focus on safety aspects. No safety committee to evaluate safety aspects before and during maintenance procedures. Negative attitudes of personnel due to continuous pressure, cost savings, and equipment not functioning correctly. Sub standard risk analyses before and during maintenance work. Installation of sub standard safety equipment such as gas detectors.

The Chemical plant system problem ? Too many changes with too little training. Design and utilisation of equipment for a purpose other than its intended purpose. Lengthening the periods between shutdowns. Shortening the actual shutdown period. Moral, motivation and focus of employees negatively affected, including the community. Continuous restructuring / retrenchments in the Chemical Industry. Supervisory shortfall on contractors due to skills lost and personnel cuts. The cost of safety is measured in production output.

What needs to be changed urgently!!!!!! More Safety representatives. Election / designation of Safety representatives should be done on mutual consent between management and organised labour. Transparency in Health & Safety a must for continuous Safety improvement. Specialist contractor maintenance teams should be assembled on a permanent basis to do continuous maintenance on various plants. Improved after care for relatives of deceased employees as well as injured employees. Safety disciplinary procedures to be separated from the ordinary disciplinary procedure.

What needs to be changed urgently!!!!!! Behaviour based Safety to have a positive effect in all the plants. Implementation of a National Chemical Occupational Health & Safety standard regulatory body. Utilisation of Forensic Pathology reports in the event of fatalities occurring in the workplace. The Chemical SETA (CHIETA) needs to be involved with Funding and implementation of Safety training programmes for Shop Stewards. All training modules should contain Safety training focus points. Employees should be encouraged to report all near misses and minor incidents to act pro-actively to prevent further incidents / accidents. An in depth research programme should be launched regarding Occupational Health & Safety with constructive intervention outcomes.

What needs to be changed urgently!!!!!! THE COST OF A PERSONS LIFE IN A FATAL ACCIDENT SHOULD NOT BE MEASURED IN RELATION TO THE PROPORTIONAL AMOUNT AN EMPLOYER PAYS TO THE COMPENSATION COMMISSIONER. THE COID ACT SHOULD BE AMMENDED SO THAT IT WOULD BECOME A COSTLY FACTOR FOR AN EMPLOYER TO INJURE OR HAVE FATALITIES AT THE WORKPLACE.

The seven deadly sins of the Chemical Industry!!!! Contractors involved in shutdown maintenance procedures. Attitude of management regarding incidents, accidents and fatalities. Non transparency from management. Unnecessary lengthy periods of investigating incidents, accidents and fatalities. Compensation and insufficient assistance to affected employees and families. Ageing chemical plants and equipment with sub standard maintenance. The continuous drive for production and profit, compromising Safety in the workplace.