Health & Safety

FFS has developed an in-house safety management system (including process safety) to ensure compliance with the Occupational Health & Safety Act, Regulations, relevant SANS codes and Bylaws.

This system has enabled the effective reduction in risks and management of health &safety related activities.

We have also developed a Gold Star Grading System which monitors Lost Work Day cases per branch. Statistics are monitored monthly and targets set for the branches to achieve the Gold Star status.

Every employee in each processing facility undergoes biomonitoring to ensure that they are fit for duty. Ongoing toolbox talks, site-specific and task-specific procedures have been created to enable effective training aswell as regular refresher training for employees

FFS is committed to a safe and healthy work environment for all its employees.

Quality

FFS Refiners has ISO 9001:2015 accreditation for the following laboratories namely Teakwood, Chloorkop and Evander to ensure further quality management and improvement as well as enhanced customer services. Obtaining accreditation for the remaining laboratories in Pietermaritzburg and Cape Town are a current work in progress.

Environmental legal aspects

FFS has a range of authorisations, licences and permits which enables FFS to transport and recover/recycle used oils (including ship slops) within South Africa. FFS also has an Air Emissions Licence issued by the relevant Local authority for each processing facility to regulate the recovery and processing of used oils.

MARPOL – South Africa is a signatory to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973 as modified by the protocol of 1978 and this Convention is given effect through the Marine Pollution Act No 2 of 1986.

This Convention covers the prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operation or accidental causes.

South Africa is required to provide a slops discharge facility in each and every port in South Africa for the safe handling and disposal of contaminated oily water (seawater) from ships.

FFS has a significant positive role to play in facilitating compliance with this requirement. FFS has the ability and permission from National Government (Waste Management Licence) as well as from National Ports Authority (NPA Waste Disposal Licence) and local authorities (Waste Transporter Permits) to collect and recycle the ship slops from various Ports in South Africa.

Strict requirements are stipulated within its various licences, authorisations and permits, FFS ensures compliance with these requirements through its ISO 14001 certification.

ISO 14001

FFS Refiners obtained ISO 14001:2004 (Environmental Management System) certification in February 1999 and ISO 14001:2015 in August 2018, which we have maintained to date.

This system has been instrumental in facilitating environmental compliance, process and system improvements and reducing impact on the environment.

All four of our processing facilities are certified to this standard, these are Evander, Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Chloorkop. All our storage depots have a system based on ISO 14001:2015 compliance.

Our ISO 14001 system and legal compliance are internally audited to ensure a high standard is maintained.

Being an innovative and dynamic company, FFS has risen to the challenge of reducing air emissions through the design of its own scrubbers, thereby assisting in improving air quality and reducing our impacts on our neighbouring communities.