Back to basics
3.
of this regulation, that local government shall make prior
arrangements with a neighbouring local government, relevant
provincial government or the employer, self-employed person,
and user for assistance.
All off-site emergency plans to be followed outside the
premises of the installation or part of the installation classified
as a major hazard installation shall be the responsibility of the
local government.
As can be seen from the above, should you not notify the local
authority with regard to an MHI, the owner of the property
can be held liable for the damage caused, as it is a legal
requirement to notify the local authority. The responsibility of
off-site emergency is transferred from the property owner to
the local authority in the event of an emergency.
A site that has been registered as an MHI also has the
legal right to determine what developments are done in close
proximity to the site. A case in point is the Burgundy Estate
development next to the crude oil facility in Richwood, Cape
Town. SFF has made it clear that there is a clearance zone
around the depot and the City of Cape Town and the Burgundy
development have been trying for years to get this exclusion
zone lifted but without the blessing of SFF, it is not going to
happen, explains Thackwary.
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RACA Journal I January 2019
All that being said, it should be appreciated that the MHI
Regulations are currently under review and it is expected that
all facilities that have hazardous material will be classed as
MHIs. The question will be, to what level? The proposal is that
there will be three levels as follows:
•
Level 1: A plant that is in legal conformity with
regulations; that is, SANS 10147.
•
Level 2: A plant that is in the process of coming into
conformity with legal requirements.
•
Level 3: A plant that is a major risk.
The biggest risk will always be the human factor: plant
operators. Site training such as Ammonia Site Incident
Response is a good way to ensure that any site is prepared
and ready for an incident. It really is the only way to ensure
that things do not get out of control, as they can — in an
instant — if you are not prepared.
We will get back into the International Institute of
Refrigeration (IIR) material on the role and applications of
refrigeration, as I still have much to share with you on that
subject.
RACA
www.hvacronline.co.za