2004 – 2005 Chemical Industry: Gas related explosion incidents.

1. Solidarity Occupational Health & Safety Department.Presentation to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Labour.15 February 2005.Presented by Chris Pienaar.Head: Training Occupational Health & Safety

2. 2004 – 2005 Chemical Industry: Gas related explosion incidents. • May 2004: Gas bottles exploding at a furniture factory in Koedoespoort – Pretoria. Factory demolished. • June 2004. Centurion Municipal, underground gas pipeline explosion. No injuries. 6 SASOL DISASTER EXPLOSIONS: • June 21 2004: 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.

3. 2004 – 2005 Chemical Industry: Gas related explosion incidents. • September 1 2004: Monomers explosion at SASOL Synfuels: 10 fatalities and 360 persons injured. • November 30 2004: SASOL NATREF fuel transfer burning incident: 2 Contractor fatalities. • January 26 2005: SASOL NATREF Hydro Fluoric Gas explosion. 17 persons injured. • January 29 2005: 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

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.