‘response mode and emergency services had been activated’...

Fires can occur for a multitude of reasons at any type of facility in the aluminium industry. The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has a recent story of a fire and how the plant dealt with the local news media.

The first news media article at 14:08:

Fire and emergency crews are trying to contain a huge blaze at BHP Billiton’s Hillside smelter in Richards Bay in South Africa during the week of November 16, 2014.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage but thick plumes of smoke billowing from the roof tops can be seen from the John Ross Parkway with Alton also covered in a black cloud. The blaze is being fanned by strong south westerly winds. Head of External Affairs at BHP Billiton, confirmed the plant was in ‘response mode and emergency services had been activated’. ‘We do not know the cause of the fire as yet, but no injuries have been reported,’ he said.

The second news media article at 15:05:

The fire at BHP Billiton Hillside smelter has been extinguished and firemen from uMhlathuze Fire Services are still on the scene assisting the Hillside proto team. The cause of the fire which burnt for about an hour is believed to have been one the transformers which receive the high voltage Eskom power. At face value damage will run into hundreds of thousands of Rands but it is not yet known what affect the blaze will have on production or how long it would take to restore the power.

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog congratulates this aluminium plant on successfully enacting their emergency management plan. No workers nor firemen were injured fighting this blaze. The APSB commends the immediate response from the company in responding to the local media. Providing information to the news media allows for a clear concise message to be put forth. Without it, the news media will make assumptions and there is a greater possibility that there assumptions will be incorrect. Immediately interacting with the news media also allows the family and friends of the aluminium workers who are at the site to understand the situation. There have been several instances where an incident occurred and the aluminium company said “no comment” or even denied that anything occurred. With no information the concerned family members traveled to the gates of the aluminium company inquiring if their loved ones were safe. Also, at the gate were the news media, who with only “no comment” from the aluminium company were interested interviewing anyone for their opinion. Again, “no comment” means that the aluminium company has chosen to allow others to speak for them. Which is always a mistake.

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