Some time ago we joined the Global Cold Chain Alliance ( GCCA ) not so much because we are part of the cold chain ; in reality we are more a service provider to the cold chain .
CONTRIBUTORS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
GCCA Crisis Management Conference
By Andrew Perks
Some time ago we joined the Global Cold Chain Alliance ( GCCA ) not so much because we are part of the cold chain ; in reality we are more a service provider to the cold chain .
I
am sure that most of you readers appreciate the value of the cold chain when it comes to prolonging the life of product and eradicating food waste . This is fast becoming a major concern in South Africa with the issue of load shedding and the future unpredictability of the grid as we know it .
The speakers at the GCCA conference were most enlightening when it came to the issue with Major Hazard Installations , insurance issues , trending of business projections , cold storage construction , water usage and reclamation – all major concerns for cold store owners and users . The panel forum at the end of the day spoke at length of the looting and riots in Durban and discussed the ways and means to secure their properties should similar occurrences happen in the future . Operating a cold store is no longer just about logistics , it involves so much more . Back in the late nineties when I owned a cold store , life was much simpler then .
Which brings me to the presentation on the Crisis Management Manual that we did at the conference . GCCA is a worldwide organisation with its roots firmly based in the United States of America . It partners with most of the larger institutions such as the International Institute of Ammonia
Refrigeration , ASHRAE , ASTI in order to incorporate all of the applicable standards for their members . That said , we in South Africa must conform to our OHS Act and therefore any Crisis Manual presented in this country must primarily incorporate our local standard as a bare minimum . Some time ago I volunteered to look at the GGCA Crisis Management Manual in order to try and “ Africanise it ”. Where other additional standards , over and above our local requirements , from the American standards were relevant , these were to be adopted .
It was plain that we as an industry in South Africa could only benefit from incorporating this manual and its procedures into our local operations . So , I willingly applied myself to the task of adapting the American document to our local standards . It should be appreciated that the document in question is a generic standard that needs to be adapted to suit each particular facility . We currently have SANS 10147 which relates to Refrigeration System Safety compliance , SANS 347 which relates to construction of pressure equipment and SANS 1514 which relates to a Site Emergency Response Plan , to name a few , and these were incorporated .
I think legally most sites are trying to conform but there are those who do not know what standards are applicable . It was interesting when I asked who had an emergency plan and probably half of the hands went up and when I asked if it was to SANS 1514:2018 there were no hands . You may ask what is so important about SANS 1514 , reasonable question .
Where it differs from the basic “ what do we do when it hits the fan ” approach , it actually outlines a set of scenarios for a whole set of possible emergency issues applicable to your site . The fire chief is now starting to look for this document . If you have just done an MHI and don ’ t submit the emergency plan there is no way you are going to be granted the accreditation .
Why an emergency plan ? Well , it tells you how to cope and what to do , it is full of organograms highlighting who is in charge and the basic emergency structure in the organisation . It ’ s amazing the number of times we do these plans only to find out that the current plan is unworkable due to over extended company structure – one person trying to do everything . However , the bottom line is when the disaster management team arrives on site , they do not normally know the site , appreciate the hazards or know the operational structure of the site emergency teams . They want to see this plan to appreciate exactly what they are dealing with .
Andrew Perks is a subject expert in ammonia refrigeration . Since undertaking his apprenticeship in Glasgow in the 1960s he has held positions of contracts engineer , project engineer , refrigeration design engineer , company director for a refrigeration contracting company and eventually owning his own contracting company and low temperature cold store . He is now involved in adding skills to the ammonia industry , is merSETA accredited and has written a variety of unit standards for SAQA that define the levels to be achieved in training in our industry .
Before they can draw up a response to the emergency issues , they need to have this critical information . If you had an emergency issue on your site right here , right now , would you know how to cope ? Sobering thought .
Till next time , stay safe . CLA
28 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • June 2023