Chemical Technology

Chemical Technology • November 2015

eg, earthworks and civils, structural steel, mechanical and

piping and electrical and instrumentation or some com-

binations of these under the control of the Construction

Management team. Then, get these main contractors (as

part of their contracts) to award subcontracts to the smaller

local contractors for work such as fencing, painting, small

civil works, sheeting, etc. There are of course the special-

ist design, supply and install contractors for prefabricated

buildings, sewage plants, overhead power lines, etc. that

also need to be directly under the control of the Construc-

tion Management team. Having said this there are some

local contractors who do have the capabilities and expertise

to carry out quality productive work, but check them out

carefully.

Customs delays at border posts and sea ports are also

experienced, which can have an adverse effect on the

project schedule and costs. Therefore it is advisable to use

experienced forwarding and clearing agents; preferably a

competent company local to the country of operation.

Training of the local citizens in construction activities and

leaving behind a legacy also goes a long way to appeasing

the government labour department when it comes to obtain-

ing work permits. Training of the locals should not be looked

at as a burden but as school fees for potential future work

and a source of trained workers.

Dealing with occupational health,

safety and environmental legislation

Historically most countries in Africa have an immature

HSE culture. In fact, most unskilled labour in Africa cannot

perceive unsafe practices or unsafe working conditions

prior to training. The unsafe practices and working condi-

tions tend to be accepted as the norm for doing work, so

much so they don’t believe the expectation that zero harm

is realistic and can be achieved through a project. Many

operating plants in Africa try to implement HSE practices

but have a poor understanding of what is needed to achieve

world class standards.

In African states there are in most cases, Occupational

Health and Safety Act and Regulations in place, but these

are not properly implemented or policed. Where there aren’t

any regulations or where they are sub-standard, since they

are a mixture of various regulations, it is best to implement

a tried and tested project HSEManagement System incorpo-

rating the client’s requirements, in addition to the existing

OHSA Regulations, but to ensure that the HSE Management

System used is not in conflict with it and is preferably more

stringent than it.

Many project clients who are investing in Africa are at any

rate requiring contractors to implement an HSE Manage-

ment Plan that will meet their specified requirements and

goals. Apart from the project need, one of the reasons for

this is to establish a high standard of Fatal Risk Protocol

Guidelines and compliance, which will be imparted to the

client’s operating plant personnel during the project con-

struction phase and be used for future governance when

the project is complete and the plant is in operation.

Facilities for the workforce must be well planned at the

front end of the project to protect the health of the workers

in order to perform their work effectively, such as suitable

accommodation, quality of the drinking water, dangers from

wild animals, threat of malaria and other diseases, poison-

ous insects and spiders, etc. These are major concerns and

need to be taken into account by putting provisions in place

to either prevent incidents from happening or to be able to

respond effectively if they do occur, eg, providing treated

water andmaintaining the quality by testing it regularly, fenc-

ing off the camp site and the project work area, providing

competent medical practitioners and medication and hav-

ing hospital/clinic facilities and site evacuation capabilities

depending on where the project is situated.

In essence, accidents are disruptive, demoralise the work

force and slow down productivity, which extends the project

schedule and costs money. But having an HSEManagement

System in place also does not guarantee safety in the work

place. It has to be implemented and HSE needs to be the top

project priority; thus, extensive training during induction and

retraining continuously throughout the project, are required.

Workers need to be introduced to the requirements; they

need to be trained in the skills of performing work safely and

the need for and the use of Personal Protection Equipment

(PPE). Their understanding of HSE needs to be tested and

they need to be helped to see the consequences of unsafe

acts. It has been found that leaving the HSE management to

the contractors’ supervision, does not achieve the desired

results. HSE needs to be driven by the senior personnel in

Project and Construction Management to achieve success.

There are many cases of contractors not caring about the

effects that they have on the environment. Oil or chemical

spills are not cleaned up, dangerous materials are handled

recklessly and no care is taken in the suitable safe disposal

of these materials. Effluents are discharged into rivers;

old asbestos building materials are dumped onto waste

sites, etc. potentially contaminating the environment. The

plant and residential areas will thereafter be a danger to

the lives of the workers, their families and the surrounding

community.

Security risks

More and more business opportunities are opening up in

Africa. There are friendly and some not so friendly countries

and therefore when bidding for projects in African states,

pre-bidding surveys need to be done. Countries differ from

each other with respect to security but at least the following

risks need to be assessed:

• Assess the country’s general security climate with re-

gards to:

• The political situation.

• Ethnic and religious tensions.

• Armed conflict.

• Terrorism.

• Violent crime.

• Other concerns such as landmines, piracy and envi-

ronmental hazards.

• Assess the country’s critical infrastructure and specifi-

cally that of the province, district and potential project

site with regards to:

• Transportation systems (fuel supply, railway networks,

airports, harbours, inland shipping, vehicle hire).

• Financial services (banking and clearing).

MINERALS PROCESSING AND METALLURGY