When Princess Dube opted to examine the destructive Boksburg LPG tanker blast for her engineering assignment, her drive stemmed from factors beyond mere scholarly curiosity.
The explosion of a gas tanker beneath a railway bridge in December 2022 was a tragic event that resulted in 41 fatalities and left numerous others wounded. This incident profoundly impacted both the local populace and the country as a whole.
Her intimate link to the event along with her detailed examination led to her being awarded the esteemed international SIESO Medal, simultaneously reshaping her perception of how engineering solutions crafted locally can effect worldwide changes.
The SIESO Medal is presented every year by the Institution of Chemical Engineers The (IChemE) award is presented to a single student or a team of students who deliver the most compelling presentation on a significant incident along with the insights gained from it.
The contest, designed to increase understanding of process safety amongst students studying science, commerce, and engineering, necessitates a written submission formatted like a Loss Prevention Bulletin The piece comes with an innovative approach for sharing insights – think along the lines of a video, infographic, or animation.
For her prize-winning submission, Princess opted for the The LPG tanker explosion in Boksburg that took place in December 2022 As part of her case study - an event that hit very close to home and left a deep impression on her.
Although numerous previous victors concentrated on historic worldwide calamities like the Flixborough blast, my aim was to tackle a more recent, nearby event.
"The incident in Boksburg struck a chord with me, primarily due to its devastating effect on the community and also because I was personally familiar with the location and those who were impacted. This personal link, I felt, would bring more substance and significance to my examination," she stated.
Her submission provided an extensive analysis of the principal occurrences, consequences, and crucial takeaways from the Boksburg disaster.
To make the insights more accessible, Princess developed a compelling infographic that visually captured the main takeaways and safety recommendations, reinforcing the importance of preventing similar incidents in the future.
“Winning the SIESO Medal has been a transformative experience. On a personal level, it has shown me that I’m capable of achieving far more than I ever imagined. It has greatly boosted my confidence as a graduate student.
"Professionally, it has created new avenues for opportunities, networking, and the potential to contribute to advancements and awareness in process safety," she stated.
Princess wishes her efforts will motivate others.
I wish for both my peers who are students as well as those who are professionals to grasp that achieving success goes beyond having natural ability—it involves being open to learning, ready to adjust, and persistent over time. My aim is to ignite curiosity and drive in others so they may be inspired to thoroughly investigate their own capabilities.
While simultaneously hoping it enhances understanding regarding the significance of process safety and how it connects to our daily routines.
The president of IChemE, Mark Apsey, commended this year’s award winners saying, "IChemE’s honors highlight the remarkable accomplishments of chemical engineers coming from an ever-more varied range of fields and at different phases of their careers."
Through highlighting excellence and efforts toward sustainability, these awards demonstrate our dedication to IChemE’s vision of Engineering a Sustainable World .
Congratulations heartily extended to all the awardees; your achievements establish a praiseworthy benchmark for every chemical engineer to look up to and strive towards.
Princess finished the task solo, gathering much of her data from regional newspapers to make sure her evaluation stayed connected with trustworthy and relevant viewpoints.
Her accomplishment serves as a strong illustration of how merging local knowledge, scholarly thoroughness, and innovative ideas can lead to worldwide influence.