Solidarity Occupational Health

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.