METHOD STATEMENT – SITE REHABILITATION

DOC NAME CLIENT EFFECTIVE DATE REV REVISION DATE APPROVED BY

PROC/SRMS/01 15/03/23 00 15/03/24 THABISO MAKINTA

PROJECT DESCRIPTION PROVISION OF MAJOR DISTRIBUTION WITHIN GAUTENG CLUSTER IN

ORDER TO ESTABLISH MULTIPLE CONTRACTS ON “AN AS AND WHEN
REQUIRED’ BASIS FOR A PERIOD OF 36 MONTHS
1. EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW
Eskom seek to appoint a suitable and experience contractor for the PROVISION OF
MAJOR DISTRIBUTION WITHIN GAUTENG CLUSTER IN ORDER TO
ESTABLISH MULTIPLE CONTRACTS ON “AN AS AND WHEN REQUIRED’
BASIS FOR A PERIOD OF 36 MONTHS. Works must be executed according to the
relevant Eskom standards, and as per scope of work.

2. ACRONYMS
DEA: Department of Environmental Affairs
DWS: Department of Water and Sanitation
ECO: Environmental Control Officer
EO: Environmental Officer
EERP: Environmental Emergency Response Plan
EIA: Environmental Impact Assessment
EIAR: Environmental Impact Assessment Report
EMPr: Environmental Management Programme
EMS: Environmental Management System
I&AP: Interested and Affected Party
IEA: Integrated Environmental Authorisation
NEM:AQA National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act (No 39 of 2004)
NEM:WA National Environmental Management: Waste Act (No 59 of 2008)
NEMA: National Environmental Management Act (No 107 of 1998)
NHRA: National Heritage Resources Act (No 25 of 1999)
PCD: Pollution Control Dam
PM: Project Manager
PrM: Programme Manager
PSM: Power Station Manager
EMS: Environmental Management System
SA: Site Alternative
SAHRA: South African Heritage Resources Agency

Page 1 of 10
 SHE: Safety, Health and Environment
SMP: Stormwater Management Plan

3. DEFINITIONS
Accident: A road vehicle accident.
Activity (Development): An action either planned or existing that may result in environmental
impacts through pollution or resource use. For the purpose of this report, the terms ‘activity’
and ‘development’ are freely interchanged.
Alien Species: A species that is not an indigenous species; or an indigenous species
translocated to a place outside its natural distribution range in nature, but not an indigenous
species that has extended its natural distribution range by natural means of migration or
dispersal without human intervention.
Construction: The building, erection or establishment of a facility, structure or infrastructure
that is necessary for the undertaking of a listed or specified activity but excludes any
modification, alteration or expansion of such a facility, structure or infrastructure and
excluding the reconstruction of the same facility in the same location, with the same
capacity and footprint.
Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd: Company appointed on behalf of the Client to undertake
activities, as well as their sub-Contractors and suppliers.
Emergency: An undesired event that results in a significant environmental impact and
requires the notification of the relevant statutory body such as a local or provincial authority.
Environment: In terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) (No 107 of
1998)(as amended), “Environment” means the surroundings within which humans exist and
that are made up of: i. the land, water and atmosphere of the earth; ii. micro-organisms,
plants and animal life; iii. any part or combination of (i) of (ii) and the interrelationships
among and between them; and iv. the physical, chemical, aesthetic and cultural properties
and conditions of the foregoing that influence human health and wellbeing.
Environmental Control Officer: An individual nominated through the Client to be present on
site to act on behalf of the Client in matters concerning the implementation and day to day
monitoring of the EMPr and conditions stipulated by the authorities.
Environmental Impact: A change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly
or partially resulting from an organisation’s activities, products or services.
Environmental Assessment: The generic term for all forms of environmental assessment for
projects, plans, programmes or policies and includes methodologies or tools such as
environmental impact assessments, strategic environmental assessments and risk
assessments.
Environmental Authorisation: An authorisation issued by the competent authority in respect
of a listed activity, or an activity which takes place within a sensitive environment.
Environmental Assessment Practitioner (EAP) The individual responsible for planning,
management and coordination of environmental impact assessments, strategic
environmental assessments, environmental management programmes or any other
appropriate environmental instrument introduced through the EIA Regulations.
Environmental Impact: Change to the environment (biophysical, social and/ or economic),
whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially, resulting from an organisation’s activities,
products or services.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): In relation to an application to which scoping shall
be applied, means the process of collecting, organising, analysing, interpreting and
communicating information that is relevant to the consideration of that application as defined
in NEMA.

Page 2 of 10
 Interested and Affected: Any person, group of persons or organisation interested in or
affected by an activity; and any organ of state that may have jurisdiction over any aspect of
viii Party (I&AP) the activity.
Method Statement: A method statement is a written submission by Zichard Construction
(Pty) Ltd to the Engineer in response to the specification or a request by the Engineer,
setting out the plant, materials, labour and method Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd proposes
using to carry out an activity, identified by the relevant specification or the Engineer when
requesting a Method Statement. It contains sufficient detail to enable the Engineer to
assess whether Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd’s proposal is in accordance with the
Specifications and/or will produce results in accordance with the Specifications.
Mitigate: The implementation of practical measures designed to avoid, reduce or remedy
adverse impacts or enhance beneficial impacts of an action.
Pollution: The National Environmental Management Act, No. 107 of 1998 defined pollution
to mean any change in the environment caused by – substances; radioactive or other
waves; or noise, odours, dust or heat emitted from any activity, including the storage or
treatment of waste or substances, construction and the provision of services, whether
engaged in by any person or an organ of state, where that change has an adverse effect on
human health or well-being or on the composition, resilience and productivity of natural or
managed ecosystems, or on materials useful to people, or will have such an effect in the
future.
Rehabilitation: Rehabilitation is defined as the return of a disturbed area to a state which
approximates the state

4. APPLICABLE LEGISLATION
All applicable bylaws
National Environmental Management Act, Act 107 of 1998 and amendments.
National Water Act, Act 36 of 1998.
National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act; Act No 39 of 2004
Environment Conservation Act, Act 73 of 1989 and amendments.
National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008
Fencing Act, Act 31 of 1963 and amendments.
National Forest Act, Act 84 of 1998.
National Heritage Resources Act, Act 25 of 1999. Health Act, Act 63 of 1977.
Occupational Health and Safety Act, Act 85 of 1993
Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, Act 43 of 1983 and amendments.
Construction Regulations 2014

5. SCOPE OF WORKS

The scope of work/specification for LV Maintenance is detailed below as follows:

 Pole replacements,
 Re-stringing of conductor for upgrading purposes and tensioning,
 Repair/Replace line hardware’s and other line accessories,
 Correct Earthing and Bonding,
 Excavations for pole holes and, stays during line construction,
 Excavations for cable trenches and installation of stays during line construction
 Installation of LV Cables
 Installation of split meters for overhead and underground network
 Installation of meter boxes for PPU, SPU and LPU connections

Page 3 of 10
  Replacement of LV bare conductor with ABC bundle,
 Installation of pole top boxes,
 Re-conditioning of LV kiosk boxes, and Dismantling on any LV equipment
 Installation of high-risk steel ground mount kioks
 Installation of smart metering data concentrators
 Dismantle ground or pole mounted transformers and free standing RMU
 Labeling of poles and kiosks after replacement or new installation

6. HOURS OF OPERATION
All work conducted on site shall fall within the legal requirements in accordance with the
Basic Conditions of Employment Act. Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd shall notify the Eskom
Supervisor(s) of any work that needs to be performed after hours according to the agreed
arrangements. (The notification needs to be submitted timeously). Where applicable, the
notification should include proof of application for extended overtime to the Department of
Labour and/or the letter of approval from the Department of Labour.

7. KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Several professionals will form part of the project team. The most important from an
environmental perspective are the Project Manager, the Environmental Control Officer
(ECO), the client (Client) and Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd.

The Project Manager is responsible for the implementation of the EMP on the site during the
Construction phase of the project. The ECO is responsible for monitoring the
implementation of the EMP during the construction phase of the project.

We are responsible for abiding by the mitigation measures of the EMP which are
implemented by the Project Manager during the construction phase.

Client is responsible for the implementation of the EMP during the Construction, Operational
and Decommissioning phases of the project. Decommissioning will however entail the
appointment of a new professional team and responsibilities will be similar to those during
the design, pre-construction and construction phases.

Project Manager
The Project Manager is responsible for overall management of project and EMP
implementation. The following tasks will fall within his / her responsibilities:

- Be familiar with the recommendations and mitigation measures of this EMP, and
implement these measures.
- Monitor site activities on a daily basis for compliance.
- Conduct internal audits of the construction site against the EMP.
- Confine the construction site to the demarcated area.
- Rectify transgressions through the implementation of corrective action.

Environmental Control Officer

The Environmental Control Officer is responsible for the implementation of the EMP during
the construction phase as well as liaison and reporting to the Client, Zichard Construction
(Pty) Ltd, Landowners and Authorities. The following tasks will fall within his / her
responsibilities:

Page 4 of 10
 - Be familiar with the recommendations and mitigation measures of this EMP.

- Conduct monthly audits of the construction site according to the EMP.

- Educate the construction team about the management measures of the EMP, i.e.
induction training.

- Regular liaison with the construction team and the project leader.

- Recommend corrective action for any environmental non-compliance incidents on the

construction site.

- Compile a regular report highlighting any non-compliance issues as well as good

compliance with the EMP.

Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd’ Responsibilities

Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd is responsible for the implementation and compliance with
recommendations and conditions of the EMP. Ensures compliance with the EMP at all times
during construction activities. Maintain an environmental register which keeps a record of all
incidents which occur on the site during construction. These incidents include:

- Public involvement / complaints

- Health and safety incidents
- Incidents involving Hazardous materials stored on site
- Non compliance incidents

Project Manager
All negotiations for any reason shall be between the ECO, Client, affected parties
(landowners) and Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd. No verbal agreements shall be made. All
agreements shall be recorded in writing and all parties shall co-sign the documentation. The
affected parties shall always be kept informed about any changes to the construction
programme should they be involved. If the ECO is not on site Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd
should keep the affected parties informed. The contact numbers of Zichard Construction
(Pty) Ltd and the ECO shall be made available to the affected parties. This will ensure open
channels of communication and prompt response to queries and claims

8. SITE REHABILITATION METHODS AND PRACTISES

The following method and practices shall be executed:

» Clearing of invaded areas should be conducted as per the Alien Management Plan,
included in the EMPr.

» No harvesting of vegetation may be undertaken outside the area to be disturbed by

construction activities.

» Indigenous plant material must be kept separate from alien material.

Page 5 of 10
» Indigenous seeds may be harvested for purposes of revegetation in areas that are free of
alien invasive vegetation, either at the site prior to clearance or from suitable neighbouring
sites.

» Topsoil should be reserved wherever possible on site, to be utilised during rehabilitation.

» Sods used for revegetation should be obtained directly from the site, but not from the
sensitive areas. Sods should contain at least a 50 mm topsoil layer and be minimally
disturbed, in particular to existing root systems. Sods must ideally be obtained from areas
as close as possible to the region that is to be rehabilitated.

» Water used for the irrigation of re-vegetated areas should be free of chlorine and other
pollutants that might have a detrimental effect on the plants.

» All seeded, planted or sodded grass areas and all shrubs or trees planted are to be
irrigated at regular intervals.

» On steep slopes and areas where seed and organic matter retention is low, it is
recommended that soil savers are used to stabilise the soil surface. Soil savers are man-
made materials, usually constructed of organic material such as hemp or jute and are
usually applied in areas where traditional rehabilitation techniques are not likely to succeed.

» In areas where soil saver is used, it should be pegged down to ensure that it captures soil
and organic matter flowing over the surface.

» The final rehabilitated area should resemble the current composition and structure of the
soil as far as practicably possible.

» Progressive rehabilitation is an important element of the rehabilitation strategy and should

be implemented where feasible.

» No construction equipment, vehicles or unauthorised personnel should be allowed onto

areas that have been rehabilitated.

» Where rehabilitation sites are located within actively grazed areas, they should be fenced
off, this must be undertaken in consultation with the landowner.

» Any runnels, erosion channels or wash-aways developing after revegetation should be

backfilled and consolidated and the areas restored to a proper stable condition.

» Re-vegetated areas should be monitored frequently and prepared and revegetation from
scratch should inadequate signs of surface coverage or grown be evident after two growth
seasons. Adequate recovery must be assessed by a qualified botanist or rehabilitation
specialist.
» The stockpiled vegetation from the clearing operations should be reduced to mulch where
possible, and retained along with topsoil to encourage seedbank regrowth and soil fertility.

» Mulches must be collected in such a manner as to restrict the loss of seed.

» Mulch must be stored for as short a period as possible.

Page 6 of 10
 » Mulch is to be harvested from areas that are to be denuded of vegetation during
construction activities, provided that they are free of seed-bearing alien invasive plants.

» Where herbicides are used to clear vegetation, species-specific chemicals should be

applied to individual plants only. General spraying should be strictly prohibited, and only the
correct herbicide type should be applied.

» Once rehabilitated, areas should be protected to prevent trampling and erosion.

» Fencing should be removed once a sound vegetative cover has been achieved.

9. PPE TO BE USE USED

Risk Assessment related to activities to be performed on site shall be conducted. This
exercise will subsequently determine the types of PPE’s to be used. Otherwise the following
will form part of the PPE’s to be used for this project:

Safety Goggles

Covid 19 Fibre
Hand Gloves

Safety Boots

Self-Rescue
Dust Mask
Respirator
Protective
Reflective
Earplugs

Goggles
Hardhat

Overall
Splash

Jacket
PPE

Mask

Pack
Job Description: ________________________________________________________

Task 1:
_______________________________
Task 2:
_______________________________
Task 3:
_______________________________
Task 4:
_______________________________
Task 5:
_______________________________
Task 6:
_______________________________
Task 7:
_______________________________
Task 8:
_______________________________
Task 9:
_______________________________

Page 7 of 10
 Task 10:
______________________________

10. TOOLS/EQUIPMENT TO BE USED

Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd shall make use of tools/equipment relevant to the scope of
works and these shall be in accordance to Eskom Technical Specifications and Standards.

11. MONITORING AND FOLLOW-UP ACTION

Throughout the lifecycle of the development, regular monitoring and adaptive management
must be in place to detect any new degradation of rehabilitated areas. During the
construction phase, the Environmental Officer (EO) and EPC Contractor will be responsible
for initiating and maintaining a suitable monitoring system. Once the development is
operational, the Developer will need to identify a suitable entity that will be able to take over
and maintain the monitoring cycle and initiate adaptive management as soon as it is
required. Monitoring personnel must be adequately trained.

The following are the minimum criteria that should be monitored:

» Associated nature and stability of surface soils.

» Re-emergence of alien and invasive plant species. If noted, remedial action must be taken
immediately, as per the alien management plan and mitigation measures contained within
the EMPr.

Rehabilitation success, monitoring and follow-up actions are important to achieve the
desired cover and soil protection. The following monitoring protocol is recommended:

» Rehabilitation areas should be monitored every 4 months for the first 12 months following
construction, or as per the recommendations of specialist.

» Ensure that steep slopes are not de-vegetated unnecessarily and subsequently become
hydrophobic (i.e. have increased runoff and a decreased infiltration rate) increasing the
erosion potential.

» Soil loss is related to the length of time that soils are exposed prior to rehabilitation or
stabilisation. Therefore, the timeframe between construction activities and rehabilitation
should be minimised. Phased construction and progressive rehabilitation, where practically
possible, are therefore important elements of the erosion control and rehabilitation strategy.

» Any areas showing erosion, should be adaptively managed with particular erosion control
measures, depending on the situation.

If the current state of the environment prior to construction (which will be disturbed during
the construction phase) is not achieved post impact, within the specified rehabilitation
period, maintenance of these areas must continue until an acceptable state is achieved
(excluding alien plant species or weeds). Additional rehabilitation methods may be
necessary to achieve the current state before construction commenced.

Page 8 of 10
 Monitoring of the rehabilitation success, as well as follow-up adaptive management,
combined with the clearing of emerging alien plant species should all continue for as long as
is considered necessary, depending on regrowth rates.

12. HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

The Occupational Health and Safety Act No 85 of 1993 as amended and the Construction
Regulations 2014 respectively mandate our organization, Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd to
provide and maintain a safe environment that is free of risks for all our employees, to
provide and demonstrate to Eskom a suitable, sufficiently documented and coherent
construction specific health and safety plan, based on their documented health and safety
specifications as contemplated in regulation CR 5(1)(b). To that affect, our organization
commit to do everything reasonably practicable in ensuring compliance with the
aforementioned.

13. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

It is of vital significance to consider the following with regards to our environmental health:

Environmental Compliance
Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd shall establish, implement and maintain a procedure to
identify and maintain access to legal requirements that are relevant to the company, as well
as other requirements that the company subscribes to which relates to the company’s
environmental aspects. Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd shall identify all relevant regulations,
codes of practice and guidelines that are applicable to the environmental aspects of its
activities, products and services, and records this information in the Register of Legal and
Other Requirements. We shall keep this information up-to-date.

Senior management has developed the Quality Policy that governs day-to-day operations to
ensure effective quality management in our organization. The Quality Policy is released as a
stand alone document as well, and is communicated and implemented throughout the
organization.

14. QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS

Senior management has developed the Quality Policy that governs day-to-day operations to
ensure effective quality management in our organization. The Quality Policy is released as a
stand alone document as well, and is communicated and implemented throughout the
organization.

Our approach to Quality

Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd firmly believes in the concept of customer and supplier
working together in pursuing this policy and in continually striving for improvements in
service quality. Our Quality considerations are based on 3 fundamental principles:

- Ensuring that we fully identify and conform to the needs of our customers.
- Looking at our service provision processes, identifying the potential for errors and taking
the necessary actions to eliminate them.
- Everyone at Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd understanding how to do their job and doing it
right first time. Within this policy we are committed to operating our Company under
the disciplines and control of a Quality Management System conforming to the
International Standard 1S0 9001:2015, planned and developed jointly with our other
management functions. To ensure that the policy is successfully implemented, staff are

Page 9 of 10
 responsible for identifying customer requirements, and ensuring that the correct
procedures are followed to meet those requirements. Objectives needed to ensure that
the requirements of this policy are met and that continual improvement is maintained in
line with the spirit of the policy, will be set, determined and monitored at Management
Review

15. GENERAL INSPECTION, MONITORING AND REPORTING

On-going monitoring is to be undertaken by Contractors’ Environmental Manager/Officer –
this will include notification to the ECO and proponent EO should an incident take place.
Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd’s Environmental Officer shall undertake regular site
inspections (at least twice weekly) to ensure all legislative requirements are adhered to.
Proof of such inspections shall be kept on file for ease of reference or for audit purposes.

16. CONCLUSION
Zichard Construction (Pty) Ltd commit to abide, adhere and comply to this method
statement during the execution and life cycle of this project. All applicable environmental
laws, bylaws, health and safety legislation and various environmental and health and safety
standards shall form part of this commitment. At completion of this project, Zichard
Construction (Pty) Ltd shall hand over a comprehensive SHE File to Eskom as part of our
contractual obligations.

17. METHOD STATEMENT DECLARATIONS

A. ECO
The work described in this Method Statement, if carried out according to the methodology
described, is satisfactory to prevent or control environmental harm and is thus approved:

___________________ _______________________________ __________________

Signed Print Name Date

B. ZICHARD CONSTRUCTION (PTY) LTD

I, ACE MABANDLA, understand the contents of this Method Statement and the scope of the
works required of me. I further understand that this Method Statement may be amended on
application to and with approval by the Engineer, and that the SHE Coordinator,
Construction Manager and ECO will audit my compliance with the contents of this Method
Statement

ACE MABANDLA 08 MARCH 2023

Signed (SHEQ Manager) Print Name Date

Page 10 of 10