LWMA to introduce new dedicated landfill safety code following fatal accident |02 June 2020

Mr Joubert (Photo: Jude Morel)

Following a fatal accident at the Providence landfill last month where a Malagasy citizen working for STAR Seychelles lost his life, the Landscape and Waste Management Agency (LWMA) will soon introduce a dedicated landfill safety code that will cover all procedures and operations.

According to the chief executive of the LWMA, Flavien Joubert, while the safety code is being worked on, all operations at the Providence landfill are being reinforced through a dedicated landfill unit and the recent nomination of a health and safety officer for the agency.

He explained even if to date there is no official guidelines for landfill operations, the LWMA through its contract agreements stressed on various areas, including operation, maintenance, site, public and staff safety, along with possible enforcement by the LWMA, emergency procedures, First Aid and life saving equipment, fire safety, along with other on-site hazards.

Regarding the fatal incident, Mr Joubert said the agency was informed in the evening of May 4 that there had been an accident, and STAR Seychelles confirmed that the person, a Malagasy working for the company, was admitted in Intensive Care Unit after being struck by an object while engaged in compaction duties on landfill 2 (the active landfill), while the machinery in use at the time was a spike wheel bulldozer belonging to STAR.

Mr Joubert further added that thus far, the LWMA has no information on the exact circumstances of the accident or the cause of death, while the matter is being investigated by Seychelles Police and the agency awaits further information on the outcome of the investigation.

In the meantime the LWMA has requested for a full review of safety procedures at the landfill and in an effort to reduce the risks of accidents, the agency had since March reinforced security and has given strict instructions, curbing all unauthorised entry.

In its agreements to all contractors, the LWMA specifies that all equipment shall be operated by qualified and licensed operators to minimise the risks of accidents and pollution incidents, while the contractor shall ensure that all vehicles and equipment are registered and operate in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, with all movement of equipment outside of prescribed service area shall require prior consent of the Supervisor.

The contractor shall be responsible for performing or arranging all service and checks on the equipment including daily and weekly inspections.

In terms of maintenance, the contractor shall keep all plant and equipment used for performing services in good repair, appearance and sanitary condition.

All lights, horns, warning devices, mufflers, fuel tanks and emission controls on plant and equipment shall be kept operable at all times, while a sufficient supply of spare parts shall be kept on hand to ensure the timely and continuous fulfilment of the Contract.

When plant and equipment are down for maintenance or repair, it shall be the Contractor’s obligation to immediately provide a replacement vehicle from the spares in its fleet, or a comparable replacement through rental or leasing arrangements.Downtime and the nature of any break down and repair activities, including scheduled maintenance, shall be recorded and submitted to the supervisor.

Data from the vehicle logs shall be collated and presented in a monthly report of service delivery from the Contractor to the Supervisor. In addition, the Supervisor shall have access to the vehicle logs upon request.

Maintenance checklists supplied by the machinery and plant manufacturer shall be adhered to. A Specific timeframe of 14 days should be allocated for maintenance, particularly for weekly inspections.

A record-keeping system for outlining all maintenance performed on site equipment shall be implemented by the Contractor.

At a minimum, a checklist shall be completed for each piece of equipment at the appropriate frequencies and maintained in the site files. The exact items inspected may vary as equipment specifications change or based on field experience. In addition, minor deviations to the required frequencies may occur based on field judgment.

As for site safety, the contractor shall consult existing national regulations on health and safety, as national requirements in this respect shall be followed and fulfilled during the execution of his Contract.

The contractor shall also be responsible for and ensure public safety both within the site and in areas adjoining the site.

Roland Duval