Emergency Procedure for Hazardous Chemical Substance SpillageEMERGENCY PROCEDURE FOR HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE SPILLAGEAll sections affected by the incident will, if required, evacuate according to the emergency evacuation procedure RCGEN 01 – Emergency evacuation procedure.
If an employee comes across a hazardous chemical spillage e.g. (diesel/petrol) the following steps to be taken:Contact the responsible manager / supervisor immediatelyResponsible manager / supervisor to evaluate the situation and call the relevant emergency departmentThe area is to be cornered off and request by-standers to leave the area immediatelyContact the SHEQ Superintendent on 8263 or 082-8945856SHEQ Superintendent will contact the following people if necessary:RC general managerManager of the specific plantSAPS – tel. No.013 – 655 5000Department of Labour013 – 656 1422Fire chief082 222 2368Omega Security8259 / 8266Whale Rock*****Fire chief:Fire and rescue team leader to assess the incident quickly while the rest of the team attend to any injured employees, fires and spilled material.Obtain the MSDS for the substance which has been spiltWear the correct PPE for protection against the substanceIf there are casualties – refer to the emergency evacuation procedure RCGEN
A person who receives a call may call the SA/SAR division of the fire department if it appears that injuries or property damage is likely.If a person is injured by the chemical spillage, call 1st or the nearest police department that is involved with the incident:The SSA / SAF division of the fire department should hold a special emergency call and call in the first responders as soon as possible. Contact SA/SAR for a local service station
​​Fires have already broken out across SA in June. In most cases we take the actions suggested by the SA, however, there have also been a few other minor incidents that left victims with no choice but to evacuate the site.
​On August 19 another incident occurred in a gas station, leaving a 23-year-old man with a broken leg while the employee took the employee to the first aid unit. Staff were also reported injured in the incident.
In September an incident happened near another large chemical spillage in a community centre which, when we were notified by the SA that a large-scale spill had occurred, left no personnel available to deal with it.
​In January, a man died after a fire in a coal plant in south SA. It is thought to have stemmed from an accident involving a heavy industrial product into a waste disposal area which happened when the site was being constructed by a new development which had not been built yet. On 3 April, a large gas station complex burnt down, leaving dozens of casualties.
​On 5 May, fire suppression teams across the state of South Australia were also contacted.
According to the SA, the fire was due to a faulty waste disposal facility being prepared in a small town in south-east NSW and that a fire started in the area due to a faulty waste disposal facility. The fire was soon extinguished. While there have been few reports of injuries, many people have been injured during an initial run-in between companies in the area.
After the SA’s action, this report has sparked some discussion about the consequences of this incident. A discussion in January led to discussions about fire suppression services across NSW. In May, a discussion took place in the South Australian parliament about the use of smoke from this particular leak that we reported in June.
Last year, a study was conducted which found that fire suppression services were not needed anywhere in the states for some large and local chemicals that are used in chemical and food manufacturing or processing.
A review project (RTP) was conducted to assess the effectiveness of response and support strategies in the affected areas and to review existing and future approaches. There is considerable evidence of safety and efficacy issues where some companies have taken precautionary measures to minimise the risk from the chemicals involved.
Given the large number of industrial chemicals in NSW and the risks associated with them, and the need for robust action, we are concerned about their use when they are put to benefit. We do not recommend that small businesses or large businesses make this kind of decision for their employees when making business decisions under the conditions of their employment agreement. We recommend that all small and medium sized enterprises and service centres undertake appropriate training and/or training in the use of the risks and potential impact of these chemicals against the environment and for other industrial goods.
Read more on our Fire Alert
Read the Statement of Decision
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