INTRODUCTION
The National Environmental Management Act passed by Parliament late last year introduces, at last, a framework for proper control of pollution and other environmental concerns in South Africa. The principles of the new Act, together with associated legislation, should lead to the integration of sound, nation-wide environmental regulatory structures.
In the past, the control of pollution and other environmental threats was highly uncoordinated, and administered by so many, often ineffectual bodies that the major oil companies decided to develop their own standards and protocols in order to minimise the impact of their activities on the environment.
Although oil is a natural substance, which is degraded over time by naturally occurring micro-organisms, its accidental release in large quantities can result in severe contamination. During the transport, storage, handling, mass redistribution and use of petrol and similar products, there is always the possibility of leakage and spillage. Constant safeguards and alertness are required to prevent these. In the absence of clear regulatory guidelines, the South African oil industry voluntarily and pro-actively developed its own codes of practice.
SHARING THE EFFORT
The oil companies had to devise their own systems and organisations to co-ordinate efforts in pollution control. They did so nearly 25 years ago by setting up the Oil Industry Environment Committee (OIEC) which today comprises all Sapia members, together with Exel, Petronet and Sasol. The committee, in consultation with the regulatory authorities, developed suitable anti-pollution standards and codes of practice for all their activities. The OIEC is an active member of the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) and through this forum and through its links with its multinational parent companies, is able to access and introduce locally the most up-to-date techniques in the world. The OIEC is also committed to introducing these standards and techniques to other parts of Africa.
TRANSPORT OF OIL
Some 17 million metric tons of crude oil were imported through our ports for processing at the four local oil refineries last year, and 2,7 million metric tons of bunker oil were loaded into ships visiting our harbours. Because the highest risk of oil spillage occurs during transfer operations in ports, Sapia members have pooled their considerable resources to provide each harbour with instantly usable equipment to contain and recover spills, and with specially trained men to do the job.
Oil leaves the refineries by road or rail to depots, commercial sites and to about 5,000 different service stations throughout the country. The oil companies have again pooled their resources to position more than 40 oil-spill response trailers along the major routes so that there can always be rapid response to leaks and spills. To ensure expert aid, four training courses are held each year for oil industry personnel.
STORAGE AND HANDLING
Once fuel reaches the distribution points it is predominantly stored underground for safety. The storage tanks and pipes were historically constructed of welded steel coated with an epoxy. It has been discovered that over the years a number of these older tanks have corroded and leaks have occurred, contaminating local groundwater. The mammoth task is now under way to eradicate leakages from these tanks. Scientific measurements are being made to identify the most vulnerable sites and to give these priority for protection. Pro-active steps taken voluntarily by oil companies will, in time, remove the risk of leaks from underground tanks entirely. Meanwhile new materials that do not corrode are being used to build tanks at new service stations. The oil industry has also introduced a number of other innovations to combat leaks. New ideas are continually being tested and the best are adopted as industry standards.
CORRECTIVE ACTION
Where contamination has occurred at old sites, remediation programmes are introduced immediately. Again, the oil companies pool their resources, so that all service sites in the vicinity will contribute to clean-up costs until the responsible party has been identified.
No legislated standards have been set for cleaning up contaminated sites, so the oil industry has voluntarily introduced into South Africa the internationally-recognised Risk Based Corrective Action (RBCA) programme.
VEHICLE POLLUTION
There are more cars in Los Angeles than in the whole of South Africa. However, as the number of vehicles in South Africa increases (and their average age increases) the air quality in our urban centres is likely to deteriorate. The oil industry therefore is jointly funding a multi-million rand project to measure the levels of emissions from different vehicles at different altitudes and using different fuels. These statistics will be used to assess whether motor vehicles are contributing significantly to air pollution and, if so, how this can best be managed.
PARAFFIN SAFETY
Paraffin remains the basic fuel for millions of homes in Southern Africa, but the blessing of its prevalence brings its own hazards. The highly competitive oil industry combines, through the Paraffin Safety Association of Southern Africa (PASASA), to spend millions of rand annually on the prevention of accidents and disseminating safety education to about 20 million people. During 1998 PASASA developed new educational resources, and trained health workers and retail traders to teach consumers about safe storage and handling of paraffin and the correct use of paraffin appliances.
Newspapers, television and radio were all used to send out messages about prevention and treatment of paraffin poisoning, fire and burns.
The main focus during the year has been children. Lessons on home safety were distributed to teachers through educational and community newspapers. Research was done on the feasibility of sustaining the teaching in schools of home safety, and a pilot project was started in the North and Gauteng where 15 schools taught specially devised lessons.
After evaluating past efforts, a revised programme of training of traders was introduced during the year. Equipment was developed to ensure that paraffin is dispensed safely from trading stores, and the oil industry's unique child-resistant paraffin safety containers were sold at a subsidised price in urban as well as rural areas. PASASA has also taken a leading role in influencing business and government to raise standards in dispensing and packaging of other dangerous substances.
Workshops were held in Western Cape, Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, reaching about 1 200 educators. This completes a national project to establish a network of trained health care professionals.
The process of setting standards for paraffin appliances and child-resistant container caps was initiated together with the SA Bureau of Standards. The "Kidsafe Project", a joint programme of PASASA and Child Accident Prevention of SA, spread the message through many organisations working in child injury prevention, and made educational materials available throughout the country during National Child Injury Prevention Week in August 1998.
RE-USING LUBRICATION OIL
Irresponsible dumping of old engine oil by thousands of users has prompted the lubricating oil companies, on their own initiative, to form the ROSE Foundation (Recovery of Oil Saves the Environment). The non-profit organisation has spent nearly R75 million since ROSE was established in 1995. In 1998/99 for instance, the foundation recovered 36 million litres of used oil. More than 6 000 "mini-collection tanks" have been distributed to factories and workshops around the country. Another 1 600 will be distributed shortly. ROSE is expanding its network to increase the amounts of old oil collected, and at the same time ensuring that the recycling process does not harm the environment.
SUMMARY
In the absence of effective legislation up till now, members of the oil industry have on their own initiative got together to develop numbers of anti-pollution standards, codes of conduct, and joint methods of dealing with emergencies without waiting to count the cost or apportion blame.
The industry has been intimately involved in the development of new environmental laws, which, it is hoped, will provide the basis for sound environmental control and sustainable growth right across South Africa.
Sapia members voluntarily introduce into South Africa the world's most up-to-date anti-pollution techniques. Sapia members are committed to working together with the regulatory authorities towards a common goal of national environmental protection.