New from CEA – Safe Isolation Guide
Most industrial and commercial processes involve the use of services and fluids that are normally contained within pipes, ducts and wires, and they are generally safe to use if the systems that contain them are correctly designed and installed, and properly maintained.
However, almost all such installations will require disconnection or dismantling at some stage in their life, sometimes many times over, for activities such as repair, replacement or routine maintenance. Equipment in normal operating mode will usually run safely without any problems, but as soon as the equipment is required to be maintained or repaired it is extremely likely it will need to be isolated from all its sources of energy and any danger.
Guidance on the Safe Isolation of Plant and Equipment (Ref: BG10) has been developed and written by the Combustion Engineering Association (CEA) in consultation with other stakeholders within the combustion industry to help managers and operators of all types of plant and industrial equipment make health and safety improvements in the industry.
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 say in Regulation 22 – Maintenance operations:
Every employer shall take appropriate measures to ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adapted that, so far as is reasonably practicable, maintenance operations which involve a risk to health or safety can be carried out while the work equipment is shut down, or in other cases
(a) maintenance operations can be carried out without exposing the person carrying them out to a risk to his health or safety; or
(b) appropriate measures can be taken for the protection of any person carrying out maintenance operations which involve a risk to his health or safety.
The CEA has produced this Guidance Document for managers and operators of small and medium sized installations who would benefit from clear advice on safe local isolation activities, often of short duration, whilst still appreciating that failures during isolation and reinstatement of plant items are one of the main causes of loss-of-containment incidents, and may lead to major accidents.
Examples of isolation procedures and techniques such as the application of a permit to work system described in the guide will frequently refer to boiler houses, energy centres and other combustion related processes and services, but the techniques described and the legislative references will apply to many other factory services, plant and equipment.
Copies of BG10 are available from the CEA office, submit your order form.
A training course relating to the isolation of Gas Assets has also just been launched – contact our I-GAS Training Centres or CEA Office for further details
