Sasol’s Covid-19 cases rise
"The continuous increase in Covid-19 infections within the country could potentially impact our operations in the near-term.
SECUNDA – People testing positive for Covid-19 at Sasol increased from 30 to 488 in three weeks.
Ms Rethabile Ndjibu, senior manager of communications and brand management at Sasol, said the recorded global total number of Sasol employees infected with Covid-19 is 871 with the majority of cases in South Africa.
At Sasol in Secunda specifically, Ms Ndjibu said they recorded 488 positive Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic and one person who died of Covid-19.
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“The infected employees are receiving our full support,” said Ms Ndjibu.
“The increase in the infection rate of Sasol’s employees is in line with the trend in South Africa.
“Up to now, there has been no material impact to our operations.
“The continuous increase in Covid-19 infections within the country could potentially impact our operations in the near-term.
“While we have implemented all regulatory requirements and have the necessary preventative controls in place, we will continue to actively monitor and mitigate the impact.”
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The employees at Sasol who tested positive are in self-isolation at home and if self-isolation at home is not possible, the person will be accommodated at Sasol’s isolation facility at Ukhozi Lodge.
“These people are not allowed to come to work for the isolation period as recommended by the Department of Health and National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) guidelines,” said Ms Ndjibu.
According to her, Sasol has a Covid-19 response plan which has been implemented and communicated throughout Sasol’s operations.
This plan includes conducting regular symptom screening which include a temperature scan and a short symptom questionnaire upon entry at the operations, enforcing the mandatory wearing of face masks at all times, disabling high-frequency contact surfaces and touch points such as biometric access controls and key pads and other high-frequency contact surfaces, requesting all employees to declare if they or their family members have been exposed to a confirmed case of Covid-19 and having medical protocols to deal with such situations including clear isolation or quarantine procedures, enforcing social distancing and introducing de-crowding initiatives, educating employees on and encouraging them to practice better hygiene and behaviour, imposing stringent travel restrictions for employees and providing support at Sasol’s onsite clinics for screening employees for symptoms.
As a caring organisation, Sasol has also provided support to the Provincial Department of Health (Gert Sibande District), in the form of general hygiene items, safety kits, essential resources and sanitisers.
“We have also provided three mobile science laboratory vehicles to assist the Department with community screening,” said Ms Ndjibu. “Sasol is committed to the safety and health of its employees, service providers and the community.
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