|
|
Corporate manslaughter |
07/06/2010
|
| Ignorance of health and safety law is 'staggering', with only 10% fully aware, according to HSE figures. Brian Tinham looks at the risks |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Regulating safety |
07/06/2010
|
| Plant engineers and managers bear a grave responsibility when it comes to health and safety. Brian Tinham examines what's available to help them do better |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Zero tolerance |
07/06/2010
|
| Human nature dictates that issues around working at height and in confined spaces – accidents, deaths and outright negligence – will always be with us. Reality or defeatism? Brian Wall reports |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CDM-C compliance |
01/12/2009
|
| The CDM regulations 2007 put the responsibility for construction project safety on plant owner/operators. Brian Tinham reviews requirements and opportunities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Raise high the pallet, engineers |
01/12/2009
|
| It's too easy to go for the same old equipment for yet another lifting or handling task. Brian Tinham examines some of the options and the engineering issues in specifying plant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Babies and bathwater |
01/10/2009
|
| Plant, equipment, instrumentation and the regulatory frameworks have all been evolving to meet the challenges of pollution and climate change. Brian Tinham examines the issues |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Under pressure |
01/10/2009
|
| Boiler plant safety is generally well understood, but the demands of work may leave pressure systems exposed to danger. Brian Tinham re-examines concerns and best practice |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Safety first |
01/06/2009
|
| When it comes to automated plant, ensuring safety is not just about adherence to the IEC 61508 control system standard or its industry-specific derivatives (IEC 61511 for the process industries, IEC 62061 for machinery etc). It's also about instilling a bullet-proof safety culture and sticking to
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Belt and braces |
01/04/2009
|
| Can you recall some of the more extreme reactions from the general public when the idea of compulsory seat belts was first mooted? They ranged from: 'No one can make me put one of those things on' to 'No [expletive deleted] way!' In short, government ?interference' on the very personal matter of
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The pressure is on |
01/02/2009
|
| In the post Buncefield era, both the HSE and competent persons have been finding plant operators failing in their statutory duty. Brian Tinham reports |
|
|
|
|
|
|
17th edition wiring |
01/10/2008
|
| The 17th Edition Wiring Regulations (BS 7671 2008) came into effect on 1 July, following publication back in January - and engineers and technicians are being warned that, this time, there are significant changes. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
An inspector calls |
01/10/2008
|
| If you speak to engineer surveyors across the industry, chances are they'll mention two trends - one slightly surprising, the other plain worrying. On the surprising side of the equation, they'll probably mention that only now are some clients realising that the periodic inspections carried out for
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Machinery directive |
01/10/2008
|
| How will you be affected by the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (SI2008/159), which come into force on 29 December 2009? If you're not involved with the design, manufacture or sale of machinery, you might think, ?not much', since the legislation is aimed squarely at suppliers, not
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Flying without wings |
01/08/2008
|
| Mobile plant takes some stick in the armed forces. It's not just that it's required to do the job it was designed for - loading baggage, bombs or weapons on and off aircraft; transporting and lifting materials, equipment and people, both in peacekeeping and combat zones; and providing the backbone
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair enough |
01/06/2008
|
| Line managers in engineering companies worry that the law of the land seems to be tilted in favour of their employees, and increasingly fear they need to tread carefully. But what does ?carefully' mean? How much of what we hear is just bar room chatter? What do we have to do to avoid falling foul
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Overall benefits |
01/04/2008
|
| The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide (Scotland) Act 2007 will enter the statute books in June this year. Under its provisions, it will be easier for companies of all sizes to be successfully prosecuted for causing the death of an employee or anyone else in their care - mainly because
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
State of the nation |
01/03/2008
|
| Health and safety in the workplace is not only about PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) and LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations), important though both are. It's also not just about precautions around working at height, or in confined spaces (page 18),
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome to the machine |
01/03/2008
|
| Studying the latest version of the Machinery Directive in its draft form, it is apparent that, contrary to the common charge of Euro gobbledegook, here is a sound, best practice design guide for machinery designers, builders, operators and maintainers, written in plain and useful English. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A process of elimination |
01/03/2008
|
| Mercifully, serious incidents in the process industries are few and far between. Sadly, however, when they do happen, they're devastating. Consider Flixborough back in 1974, Piper Alpha in the North Sea in 1988 and, much more recently, Buncefield and BP Texas City. So it's against this background
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Law in your own hands |
01/03/2008
|
| You could be forgiven for thinking that on 6 April the eyes of the legal profession will be firmly on the Corporate Manslaughter (Corporate Homicide in Scotland) Act, as it comes into force. But you would be wrong. Why? Because for the vast majority of cases that have to do with health and safety,
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Raise your safety game |
01/03/2008
|
| During the 10 years that LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) and PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) have been in operation, they've played a significant role in providing safe working environments across industry. Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed)
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Court napping? |
01/02/2008
|
| 'Engineers need to understand the legal framework in which they operate, and be able to conduct themselves in a competent manner in their professional and investigative roles.' So says Ian Chisholm, head of technical services at the SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). No one is likely to argue
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money for nothing? |
01/02/2008
|
| There's no such thing as a free lunch - and that holds true for green energy generation, too. Even with wind farms, there is the price of the plant, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance. There are also safety inspections under the relevant legal provision, mostly LOLER (Lifting
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Power of the press |
01/02/2008
|
| Power presses, like most big mechanical plant, have been operated subject to regular mandatory inspections for many years. But there's a problem: the approaches taken to those inspections have varied, according both to the inspection company and the equipment itself. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Working order |
01/02/2008
|
| This year's Maintec exhibition seems set to do rather more than what it says on the tin - with a focus that extends from predictive maintenance to wireless systems for plant data gathering. As well as around 150 exhibitors - including Blackburn College, C-Cubed, Corus Northern Engineering Services,
... Read more |
|
|
|
|
| |