Regulation 237(1) The manager of a gold processing plant that uses cyanide shall in relation to that processing plant(a) develop and maintain a comprehensive emergency plan to appropriately deal with on-site emergency conditions and to prevent the exposure of operating personnel, emergency personnel, the public and the environment from the possible impacts of cyanide;(b) ensure that a risk assessment is conducted to identify all possible cyanide incidents or emergency conditions that may arise at that plant or metallurgical treatment facility; (c) on the basis of the risk assessment, establish appropriate emergency response procedures; (d) prepare and make available at a suitable location an emergency file which shall contain(i) a full description of the metallurgical process;(ii) a detailed site map showing the location of emergency equipment, cyanide off-loading and storage facilities, cyanide pumps and pipeline routes including spillage pumps dosing points, cyanide solution make-up tanks and equipment and any other area where cyanide is used; and(iii) a copy of the cyanide emergency procedures and emergency contact numbers;(e) communicate the emergency procedures to all plant personnel;(f) revise annually the emergency procedures and prominently display the procedures at(i) cyanide off-loading points;(ii) cyanide storage areas;(iii) control rooms; and(iv) other identified risk areas;(g) establish communication systems and formal procedures on metallurgical treatment facilities to notify management, emergency response personnel, institutions and local communities of any cyanide emergency incidents;(h) supply emergency reaction personnel with route maps indicating the routes to be followed from base centres to the facility where cyanide is used;(i) ensure the preparedness of that processing plant for any cyanide incident by(i) conducting drills at six months intervals to test the emergency procedure for cyanide first aid treatment;(ii) causing an audit of the complete response chain, including first aid, ambulance and hospital response to be conducted at six months intervals and taking action where appropriate; and(ii) conducting drills to simulate other cyanide emergencies as identified in the risk assessments on a regular basis to ensure that plant personnel are familiar with emergency procedures and that they can respond appropriately; and(iv) having emergency alarms including alarms on safety showers, panic alarms, spillage alarms, HCN gas detecting alarms and pH alarms regularly tested and checked on a daily basis, using a site specific check list(j) ensure that(i) a qualified person to provide first aid is present on site or that emergency services are alerted and that defective alarm systems are replaced or repaired immediately after a defect has been detected when specific high risk maintenance or other tasks are performed, including entry into storage tanks and confined spaces;(ii) whenever work or activities are performed around a cyanide installation which poses an exposure risk to plant personnel, that work or activity is governed by a clearance procedure and emergency preparedness as provided by the Buddy System;(iii) processing plant personnel are trained in emergency procedures and assessed as competent to recognize, and deal with, every possible cyanide emergency identified by the risk assessment; and (iv) emergency reaction personnel are trained and made familiar with emergency cyanide first aid treatment(2) The manager of a gold processing plant shall in relation to that processing plant ensure that where there is an emergency, the actions that shall be taken include the following:(a) access to a scene of spillage, incident or accident shall be closed off and entry shall be controlled to prevent unauthorised access;(b) a senior manager or an emergency co-ordinator, trained and competent in cyanide emergencies, shall take charge of emergency situations; (c) the person to take charge of emergency situations shall be specified in the emergency procedures and shall during emergency wear apparel that is easily identifiable during emergency situations;(d) the Chief Inspector of Mines or the inspector in charge of the area shall be informed immediately;(e) entry into a contaminated area or scene of a cyanide accident, without wearing full cyanide specific personal protection equipment, for any reason whatsoever, shall be prohibited to all personnel including emergency personnel, and unless fully stocked cyanide first aid kits are available on site;(f) as far as possible, clean-up of cyanide spillages shall be conducted by specialised hazardous chemical emergency response personnel;(g) where it is necessary for production personnel to enter the contaminated area for the purpose of containing the spillage, the personnel shall wear full cyanide specific personal protective equipment including PVC suit and self contained breathing apparatus, and the Buddy system shall be strictly enforced;(h) cyanide first aid shall be deployed to the incident site; and(i) cyanide spills, incidents and accidents shall be properly investigated and appropriate actions taken to prevent the recurrence of a similar event.(3) The manager of a gold processing plant shall in relation to that processing plant make available at each metallurgical treatment facility a dedicated emergency mobile trailer which shall be stored in a proper and safe manner to enable it to be rapidly deployed in the event of an emergency.(4) The number and type of items for the trailer shall be based on an assessment of the risk exposure and the number of employees likely to be exposed.(5) The manager of a gold processing plant shall in relation to that processing plant develop procedures to deal with cyanide spillages.(6) The procedure shall at the barest minimum provide that(a) where cyanide spillages are complexed, personal protective equipment shall be worn as identified in procedures developed from risk assessment of emergency conditions;(b) each cyanide spillage shall immediately be cleaned-up in order to minimise the exposure to plant personnel, the public and the environment and in the case spillage in leach tanks and bund areas, the cyanide must be returned to the process as soon as possible;(c) each cyanide spillage area shall be approached from an upwind direction using the Buddy System and that danger areas downwind from the spillage area shall be evacuated;(d) the spillage are secured by putting in place warning notices and barricades;(e) if solid cyanide is spilled during handling, the cyanide shall be returned to the container by using a shovel;(f) if solid cyanide becomes wet for any reason, whether in drums or in storage vessels, the cyanide shall be used immediately or otherwise detoxified; and(g) in extreme spillage cases, the assistance of the fully equipped Hazardous Chemical Response Team shall be called in.(7) The manager of a gold processing plant shall in relation to that processing plant develop a plan for environmental emergencies which shall contain(a) a map of the operational boundaries;(b) direction and distances to neighbouring towns and communities;(c) the position of main roads, railways and power lines;(d) the position of rivers, ponds, canals and dams;(e) a list of emergency services including contact details;(f) a list of regional authorities including contact details;(g) a list of relevant government departments including contact details; and(h) a list of farmers, residences and businesses within the surface ownership, boundaries and areas downstream which are likely to be affected from the operation as identified during risk assessment including contact details.(8) The plan shall be compatible with the emergency procedures.(9) The managing of a gold processing plant shall in relation to that processing plant cause a risk assessment to be performed to identify all cyanide environmental emergencies or conditions that may arise in a metallurgical treatment facility, tailings dam complexes and associated infrastructure.(10) The manager of a gold processing plant shall in relation to that processing plant develop emergency procedures which shall take into account the following risk areas:(a) elevated levels of pollution in boreholes;(b) seepage from process dams, tailings dams, and ponds into rivers and dams;(c) elevated levels of cyanide in backfill products;(d) solution and slurry spillages from plant boundaries and tailings dam complexes;(e) overtopping of tailings dams, catchment and return water dams;(f) instability of tailings dam embankment; and(g) rupture of tailings pipeline.(11) Procedures developed for cyanide environmental emergencies shall include(a) detoxification, clean-up and rehabilitation of spillages;(b) notification of mine personnel, emergency services and relevant government departments;(c) procedures to be followed by mine and plant personnel;(d) supply of potable water to affected areas or communities;(e) protection and evacuation of wildlife, livestock and flora; and(f) evacuation of local communities.(12) The manager of a gold processing plant shall in relation to that processing plant and in consultation with stakeholders develop an emergency preparedness and response plan which shall include(a) communication of hazards to local communities and local authorities;(b) co-ordination of emergency response which will effectively deal with accidents and prevent major disasters;(c) training residents of local communities on how to act in event of an accident; and(d) liaison with local authorities.