Eleven awards for SGB-Cape

Noshcon 2016 was a big success for SGB-Cape; it was also fun – the company really enjoyed itself. Thabo Modumaela talks to SHEQ MANAGEMENT about the experience

“Noshcon is a very prestigious event that we value in our organisation and the industry as a whole. It allows us the opportunity to meet and mingle with the industry players, including the international counterparts.

“It makes us take pride in our jobs and reflect on the hardships of the past period, and pat ourselves on the back when we are called onto the stage to receive our awards. It is an event that makes us feel proud of our contribution in the health, safety and environment (HSE) sector,” says Modumaela.

This year SGB-Cape walked away with 11 awards. “Some of the highlights were winning two international awards for our Walvis Bay Branch in Namibia and Kusile respectively, maintaining our Noscar status on the other seven sites of SGB-Cape, and also two colleagues winning individual awards,” Modumaela elaborates.

The awards were as follows:

1. HSE Coordinator of the Year: Simon Mokoena

2. Environment Officer of the Year: Lwazi Ngwenya

3. International award: Kusile/Tedoc/SGB-Cape joint venture

4. International award: Walvis Bay (Namibia)

5. Noscar award: Vaal branch

6. Noscar award: Kendal Logistics

7. Noscar award: Matla Power Station

8. Noscar award: Lethabo Power Station

9. Noscar award: Kriel Power Station

10. Noscar award: Grootvlei Power Station

11. Noscar award: Richards Bay

Modumaela says: “Some of the key factors in achieving these were: spending a reasonable amount of money on the personal development of our employees, including the HSE training; not bowing down to pressure; and doing the right thing and believing in it.”

“Noscar recognition sets us apart from the rest; it gives us a status that money cannot buy and it shows that we are an organisation with integrity. It proves that we walk the talk,” he goes on.

“SGB-Cape’s SHEQ strategy is harnessed through demonstrating management commitment and constant engagement with employees,” explains Modumaela.

“The latter is not easy, as we have more than 4 000 employees from different backgrounds. We are not perfect; we constantly seek new ways to improve on our HSE performance, and therefore we will not rest until we achieve ‘zero harm’,” he adds.

The company strives to keep to the promise of its SHEQ policy – to ensure that all employees are safe and healthy and go back home to their families.

“We have grown our business by adding two additional disciplines: QuikDeck and Rope Access. They have taken off quite successfully at the Kusile Power Station Project. They come with added pressure and demands on HSE, but we are ready to rise to the challenge,” Modumaela concludes confidently.