Emergency exercise puts refinery through its paces

ENGEN Refinery completed its annual emergency exercise on Thursday, 17 November.

Plant personnel supported by emergency services conducted a major simulation. The purpose of this exercise was to test the Engen Refinery on site emergency plan (OSEP) which is followed during emergencies. The OSEP is in place to ensure the safety of people, to minimise environmental impact and for the preservation of assets.

“The exercise involved the simulation of a gas release, patient rescue and a pressure fire at the Refinery’s Combo Unit (USGP). Engen emergency and operations teams collaborated with eThekwini Fire and Emergency Services and the South African Police Services to bring the simulated situation safely under control,” Engen communications co-ordinator, Thabisile Gumede.

Emergency exercises are also intended to test the interaction of the refinery and its mutual aid partners in the public sector such as the city councillors, community representatives and the media. The most recent exercise was observed by a group of independent assessors to identify any shortcomings or ways in which procedures for dealing with incidents can be improved.

Engen Refinery places the highest premium on safety and carries out regular emergency response exercises to test and perfect preparedness for dealing with incidents that could potentially put people at risk. “Safety is entrenched in every aspect of the refinery’s operations. World class standards and guidelines govern safety practises and these are applied rigorously to ensure operational excellence and a constant improvement of safety performance,” she added.

 
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