2022 Sasol Sustainability Report - Book - Page 26
INTRODUCTION
SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE AGAINST OUR FOCUS AREAS
DATA AND ASSURANCE
SAFE AND ENDURING OPERATIONS (CONTINUED)
Sasol and Imperial Logistics road transport emergency simulation exercise
ROAD TRANSPORT SIMULATION
Sasol is committed to distributing its products without threat to its employees, the public,
or the environment. In addition, Sasol seeks to comply with all local, provincial and
national regulatory requirements concerning the handling, storage and transportation
of its products. Emergency Preparedness and Incident Management are key elements
to this strategy, of which the off-site Hazardous Material (Hazmat) exercises provide
emergency responders with an invaluable opportunity to gain practical experience of
potentially dangerous situations that they might encounter.
In April 2022, Sasol and Imperial Logistics (together
with various stakeholders), conducted a simulation/
mock emergency exercise in South Africa. The purpose
of the exercise was to test the level of preparedness
for all emergency responders that need to be involved
when there is a product transport emergency incident.
This in turn also helps to ensure that the responders
are safe, effective, competent and confident during
their response to any incident involving hazardous
material. Hazmat exercises are performed under strict
controlled conditions, in conjunction with the
emergency service teams that would normally
respond to emergency incidents hence this required
extensive planning and preparation with all relevant
stakeholders. Furthermore, assessments were done
by experienced evaluators to identify further
improvement areas. Based on past experience and
current country realities, a possible situation involving
hazardous material was simulated.
SASOL SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
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The simulated incident involved the attempted hijacking
of two tankers carrying sodium cyanide and fuel resulting
in the spillage of these dangerous goods, ensuing injuries
and fatalities. During the simulation the applicable
emergency services were activated, they stabilised the
scene and the ‘injured’ were air-lifted by air-ambulance
to hospital. The containment and treatment of any spilled
product was also undertaken. The planning and execution
of the exercise was a success which resulted in the
achievement of all set aims and objectives.
The activities of the participating services were thoroughly
evaluated by several subject matter specialists. While the
findings and recommendations are still under review,
the following preliminary opportunities were identified:
• Proper and timeous coordination of activities to
prevent incident escalation
• Need for effective communication and alignment
between respective applicable services
• Training on understanding dangerous goods
documentation and products
• Equipment upgrades to deal with hazardous products
• Effective use of limited resources deployed during
incident management
The exercise provided an invaluable learning experience
to all participating stakeholders and the necessary
corrective actions will be put in place to ensure an
even more effective response in any such real scenario.
FEATURE STORIES
Apart from emergency preparedness plans, technical
competencies and relevant partnerships, the correct
equipment is also required to effectively respond to
Hazmat incidents. Sasol has 14 fully equipped Hazmat
trailers strategically located throughout South Africa
to mitigate and address potential disaster situations
should they arise. These Hazmat Trailers also require
periodic evaluation to ensure their effectiveness and
correct functioning.