All but one of the 17 Sasol employees and contractors taken to hospital after a fire at the Sasolburg plant have been discharged, the company announced on Thursday.
Sasol expressed ”sincere regret” following the gas leak and fire at Sasol’s Natref refinery in Sasolburg on Wednesday evening, said company spokesperso Johann van Rheede.
The person remaining in hospital was being kept for observation and showed no signs of complications.
The fire occurred as employees were preparing for a planned shutdown. It is suspected that a seal on a pump was defective, causing the gas leak which ignited. The cause of ignition is not yet known.
Sasol was ”highly concerned” about the incident and is making ”every effort” to reverse the trend in accidents over the past six months, van Rheede said.
The company had appointed United States safety consultancy Du Pont to assist in reviewing safety management, practices and procedures. This work was already in progress.
In addition, Sasol had commenced a thorough internal investigation and was including the labour unions in this. The company would also participate fully with the Department of Labour’s investigation.
The incident did not impact on the environment as the fire was extinguished within an hour and all pollutants had been emitted.
The emission was localised and dispersed shortly after the incident, Van Rheede said. – Sapa