Incident simulation puts safety first

Uzuko Carriers, a joint venture between Cargo Carriers and Caltex Eastern Cape Marketers, master franchisor of more than 106 Caltex service stations in the province, recently undertook a large-scale emergency simulation on the N2 near East London.

The initiative was staged to ensure the readiness of first responders in the event of an incident and was planned around a scheduled emergency simulation by the Buffalo City Fire Department on behalf of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).

The event – the first in a series of scheduled annual emergency simulations that will be undertaken by Uzuko Carriers in the Amathole District Municipality – was perceived to be a resounding success, demonstrating all of the organisations’ abilities to effectively respond to a major, if improbable, incident.

During a post-incident assessment, existing procedures were reviewed to ensure preparedness for a variety of incidents, ranging in severity from controllable spillages through to major rollovers. And, with important insights gained from the experience, the fire department and the larger Amathole District Municipality expressed keen interest in participating in future drills.

Uzuko Carriers is now finalising a report on the findings of the simulation that will be used to benchmark and institute improvements to its current Safety Health Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Management System wherever necessary.

The company’s SHEQ Management System is already of an extremely high standard considering Uzuko Carriers’ close affiliation to Cargo Carriers, one of South Africa’s leading transporters of fuel and hazardous goods.

Importantly, the final report will also be used to raise awareness among, and to train, Uzuko Carriers’ staff to hone their abilities to effectively manage emergency scenarios in line with Cargo Carriers’ ongoing customer-centric drive.

Established in 2010, Uzuko Carriers has an impressive track record undertaking last-mile distribution on behalf of the Caltex brand to supply filling stations in rural areas in the Eastern Cape,  rural towns in the Karoo and the Nelson Mandela and Buffalo City metros.