Affect:
- A fire at the sulphur stockpile will generate very toxic SO2 gas and it may cause a major disaster if not extinguished rapidly. The affected area will depend on the direction of the wind.
Detection:
- No formal detection system.
- It will be necessary to inform all workers in the vicinity of the plant, security and engineering personnel to report any smoke or fire at the waste dump or a veldt fire near the dump including the soccer field.
Action:
- Alarm to be triggered. (No siren or alarm installed)
- Report immediately to the security to initiate a fire callout to the surface fire team. The proto team must be notified to be on standby/ also be called out in case the fire gets out of control !!!!!
Fire fighting equipment
- The surface fire team captain/shaft foreman must ensure that all the fittings, couplings fire fighting houses are at all times ready for use and water must be available as close as possible, (the seven shaft water supply will only have water when the pump is operating).
- The water jet must be tested weekly. (Currently the water jet is abandoned on the dump and the hoses are perished.)
Safety risk
- Fire fighting teams must understand the danger of Sulphur dioxide. Smoke from the fire must not be inhaled. Proto teams to assist if there is any danger to the surface fire fighting team.
- All people must be warned on the return side of the fire in the direction of the smoke.
Additional safety measures
- This procedure will be discussed with all employees working the in the vicinity of this sulphur stock pile: VTN employees working at the tip on day shift, the loco crew from PC shaft tipping ore, truck driver tipping ore coming from 3 shaft, the security guard at the main entrance to Consort and also the Trackless employees at the workshop. These employees are only present on day shift. On Night Shift the only people close to this sulphur stockpile would be the security guard at the main entrance and the night shift tramming crew from PC Shaft tipping. Over the weekends the only person in close proximity would be the security guard at the main entrance to Consort.
- All of these employees be made aware of the risk and hazard through a proper communication session and explained what actions should be followed in case of this sulphur stockpile catching alight. Phone numbers to be made available and posted up at the tip area including an A3 size copy of this procedure with the required phone numbers in case of emergency. The people as mentioned above should sign for the communication session and be kept on record.
- The security must be made responsible to, as part of their normal reporting system report their observation daily regarding this sulphur stockpile.
- The GES at Consort to provide a steel 50mm constant feed pipe line within 15 meters from this sulphur stockpile. The volume of water required should be sufficient to allow 2 x 32mm plastic hoses to be used in case of a fire at sufficient pressure. At the position of the water manifold, which will be 15m from the sulphur, stockpile a lockable steel container should be made available to store 2 x 50m x 32mm dia hoses to be used in case of a fire.
- The Shaft Foreman should be responsible to equip this container with the made up hoses ready for used at any time and also to personally check functionality once per week.
- As mentioned the Proto Team should be made aware of the hazards and risks associated with the sulphur stockpile and to know that when called upon to react what to do.