SAFETY AND HEALTH INITIATIVES CONTRIBUTE TO THE BOTTOM LINE

The service footprint of Unitrans Sugar and Agriculture extends from the farms, mills and distribution centres of the KwaZulu-Natal sugar industry into the canefields and mountainous forestry sites of Mpumalanga and Swaziland.  That, however, is little more than the heel of the footprint which extends onward across borders into Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania.
 

Peter Majola is the Unitrans safety officer at the Piggs Peak depot in Swaziland and Barberton forestry depots in Mpumalanga.

The oversight of such issues as employee health and safety, especially for the operators of Sugar and Agriculture’s 700 vehicles and ‘yellow machines’, falls to Operational Excellence Manager Richard Rauff. With twelve years Unitrans operational and management experience, Rauff appreciates the fundamental importance of his role and how it contributes to efficiency, client relations, governmental compliance and ultimately the preservation of human life.

“We must make sure that we as a company comply with the Occupational Health & Safety Act in our South African operations. In neighbouring countries the South African model is helpful as a frame of reference because a number of the other African countries have very similar laws. We work with our depots using risk assessments to eliminate improper practices and unsafe conditions.  We guide them towards an improved safety profile which will help them maintain current NOSA ratings and achieve improved ratings in future,” Rauff says. 

Unitrans Sugar and Agriculture Operational Excellence Manager Richard Rauff, oversees the division’s compliance with the South African Health and Safety Act – a substantial responsibility considering the geographical spread of operations and number of vehicles in operation.

 
One of Rauff’s important initiatives is driver and operator training. Because of growth in the company’s agricultural services in cross-border Africa, more than 65% of the vehicles operated by Unitrans employees are yellow machines, such as loaders, graders, excavators and tractors. “One of the issues we deal with in operator training in Africa is a lack of understanding about mechanisation and the safe way to work around mechanised agricultural equipment.” 

Unitrans Safety, Health and Environment Manager Kaiser Mhlope has considerable safety compliance experience within South African industry to his credit.

 
 To carry this and other key health and environmental issues forward, Rauff in 2007 welcomed Kaiser Mhlope to his team. Mhlope, who has a background in safety systems with several large South African companies, has become the team’s point man in cross-border countries especially.

As Safety, Health and Environment Manager, Mhlope says he uses several methods to heighten awareness of safety and compliance on his depot visits. “Each depot needs someone who is appointed to oversee issues of safety. I set up meetings with them and we examine the depot, doing risk assessments, taking special note of areas where people are working. We check to see if there is any risk to employees in the jobs they are doing. We also participate in depot workshops where we talk about risk assessments and accident prevention which sometimes brings out some pretty good ideas from the depot employees themselves.”

Rauff and Mhlope are both pleased that there has been a decrease in the type of incidents which can mar a depot’s safety record and reduce that much sought after NOSA rating. “In addition to maintaining an environment for safer operations with fewer accidents, our involvement makes an impact on client service and profitability. Fewer incidents mean avoidance of injury to employees, more uptime for the vehicles; it also means fewer repair costs.  Our role also encompasses oversight in the related areas of tyre abuse avoidance and monitoring of fuel usage,” Rauff says.

When all of this proactive input is tabulated, it can increasingly produce a win-win situation for Unitrans and its clients; more safety, fewer accidents and leaner, more profitable operations within Unitrans Sugar and Agriculture’s giant African footprint.
 

Unitrans Sugar and Agriculture is justly proud of the safety awards won by the company’s forestry logistics operation at Piggs Peak Swaziland on behalf of client Peak Timbers. The depot, with Luke van Vugt as manager and Peter Majola as safety officer received a NOSA Four Star rating on it’s first audit in 2006 and was then awarded a certificate that reads, “Winner NOSA Lowveld Region, NOSA 5 star Forestry Contractor System, Sector I, 2007”. (Photo) Unitrans Pikes Peak Depot Manager Luke van Vugt (centre) receiving the certificate at a NOSA Awards function with NOSA Principal of the Northern Region Justin Hobday (left) and NOSA Managing Director Duncan Carlisle.