News and Business
From cyanide danger drills to medical emergencies, managing mining staff and facing new challenges every day, an ER24 SBMS manager talks about his high-intensity role.
Sean van der Merwe has worked in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) since 1996. He joined ER24 in 2017 as an on-site Advanced Life Support paramedic at the world’s deepest mine (Mponeng) and now works in the exciting field of Site Based Medical Solutions (SBMS).
Just three years later, he was employed as the SBMS manager for one of the world’s top mining companies, based in Johannesburg. In 2024, Van der Merwe moved further up the career ladder, becoming the Corporate Office Base Manager. Here, he reveals the ins and outs of working in SBMS, discusses his daily duties, shares the challenges he's faced, and explains why he’s passionate about it all.
Choosing SBMS as a career
Van der Merwe decided to switch to SBMS after dealing with the daily demands of working on the road. Although many paramedics love the excitement of this kind of work, he admits that over time, he realised it was not the right fit for him. “The older I got, the more I realised I did not want to be ‘chasing’ calls,” he says, adding that working in the site based environment adds a new dimension to his skill set.
Tackling unique challenges
Each site presents its own unique challenges. Van der Merwe, who manages two different locations, understands this better than anyone. One of these sites is Ivanplats, a recently opened platinum mine in Mokopane. The fact that it’s new is one of the biggest challenges, and he expects new issues to emerge as the mine grows. “By understanding the issues, we can put a plan into action to overcome them,” he says.
He also manages the Glencore Lion Smelter, a chrome production plant where staff need special training because they work at great heights. For this reason, CO₂ levels must always be checked. The area also has a snake problem, which he says needs careful planning and proactive steps to ensure safety.
Van der Merwe says one of his biggest challenges is running cyanide safety drills. Cyanide is used to extract gold from ore, and he calls it a complex chemical needing strict protocols and precautions. Because of this, he regularly conducts safety drills to ensure his team is prepared, often staging mock drills without telling the team they’re not real.
Winning awards
Van Der Merwe has received recognition as a top site base manager. In just his second year at Goldfields, he and his team were named as ER24’s Site Based Office of the Year. He proudly considers this one of the most rewarding moments in his career, alongside his exciting growth journey with ER24.
He’s determined to keep excelling and moving up within ER24. “From where I stand now, I suppose the next step would be becoming a regional manager,” he says. Considering his track record, this goal seems well within reach.