Companies who hold large quantities of hazardous chemicals have a duty to notify local authorities. This is according to Rachel Aphane, Specialist for Major Hazard Installation in the Department of Labour.

Speaking at the Major Hazard Installation (MHI) seminar, which was organised by the department, Aphane said that such institutions must tell the department about substances they are storing and attach a risk assessment report from approved inspection authorities.

“The regulation and management of major hazard installation is our business. We are responsible for enforcing the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its Regulations

“That means we have a duty to protect the health and safety of people at work and any person who can be affected by the activities of the workplace in a form of accidental release of chemicals that may result in inhalation, fire and explosions-leading to serious danger to human beings and the environment,” she explained.

An MHI is an installation that processes, produces, handles, manufactures and stores any substance or a combination of substances in any form that may pose a catastrophic risk to the employees and the public.

Risk assessment and legal compliance

Linda Grundlingh, Field Manager: Inspection from the South Africa National Accreditation System (SANAS), advised all the attendees to ensure that they only use risk assessors, who are accredited by SANAS and approved by the department’s Approved Inspection Authorities (AIA).
She added that many companies are now relying on accreditation as a means of determining technical competence and legal compliance.