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News Release from: SPECIAL REPORT by the Editor | Subject: HazardEx, the conference
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 04 December 2007
HazardEx seminars - expertise on tour!
Nick Denbow reports on a recent HazardEx seminar and conference, held as one of the regional UK events: these events will tour the Middle East and various major EU cities over the coming months
The HazardEx journal and exhibition organizers have developed a series of seminar events that discuss the dangers inherent in the hazardous area operations of process plants, which aim to explain how to conduct such operations safely and efficiently Recently these seminars have moved out of their UK base, and have been held across the Middle East and in European centres
This is to be repeated this winter, with events in Muscat, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, and then in February/March they will visit Rotterdam, Cork, Hanover and Stavanger.
In November 2007 I attended the HazardEx event in Southampton: this was held in a major Hotel, included five presentations from experts in their fields, and also had exhibitor and literature stands where the lecturers and a few more companies provided relevant literature and information for further discussion.
* The Sira presentation explained their latest training scheme, which enables a form of certification for people working in hazardous areas, to document that they have the required competence to to discharge their duties within HSE guidelines, and if appropriate under the DSEAR regulations.
In other words they are the competent person on site, who can identify the hazardous areas, and determine which procedures are to be applied to these areas.
Whilst it is presumed obvious that someone in each company must understand and be responsible for the requirements for safe operations in the site hazardous area, legislation requires that this competence is recognized in terms of attendance at available training courses (Ref 1).
Perhaps more of interest to companies that have not been aware of the hazardous area requirements before now, Sira also offers Consultancy services to enable companies to meet DSEAR guidelines, which came into force in the UK on 1 July 2006, and are mandatory throughout Europe, under ATEX137.
Such consultancy services can assist in zoning the potentially hazardous areas on a plant, and establishing the working procedures applicable, if no-one from the site has had the recognized training or experience (Ref2).
* ICM, Integrity and Compliance Management also took up this theme in a later presentation, offering similar ATEX/DSEAR compliance consultancy services, based on the 30 years plus of experience of Peter Slamaker in the oil and gas industry.
ICM has developed this to include all aspects of Ex equipment management, including maintenance strategy, Ex health checks and independent Ex audits, plus personnel awareness training courses (Ref 3).
* Presentations from TAS Engineering Consultants described both the need for safety instrumented systems operating according to standards IEC61508 and 61511, and the dangers that have arisen to plant personnel from arc flash incidents on site.
TAS was originally established to provide engineering support services to the ICI plants in the Northeast of England, but now has a varied client base across many industries: the major role is to provide competent experienced and responsible engineers to advise on plant safety and the correct procedures (Ref 4).
TAS has been called out nationwide, to assist museums, theme park operators, as well as chemical and pharmaceutical plants.
Recently, arc flash incidents have led to a growing recognition of the hazard in the UK, and operators are increasingly keen to implement the appropriate risk control and mitigation measures.
These can be as simple as having the appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) available for use when returning equipment and switchgear to service after maintenance.
(Ref 5).
* Electrostatics provides the opportunity for some really awe inspiring demonstrations within a lecture theatre, assuming that the air is hot and dry enough to create the right conditions! Dr Jeremy Smallwood of Electrostatic Solutions presented some of the hazards of electrostatics in dusts on industrial plant, such as the 1982 maize starch dust explosion in Norway.
One of the exhibitors on the day, Cooper Crouse Hinds, also provided an OHSA report detailing various unexpected dust explosions (Ref 6).
But perhaps the most memorable incident was shown in a petrol station forecourt video from Dr Smallwood, where a 'lady driver' managed to develop enough static charge on herself to ignite the petrol vapours from the garage filling nozzle, when attempting to remove this from the car tank.
Electrostatic problems arise with insulating materials, but can be very difficult to solve, which is why Jeremy set up his consultancy, providing expertise in this field (Ref 7).
Currently most of the commercial requirements for electrostatic consultancy arise in the manufacture of sensitive electronic components, but it is useful to know the expertise is available for process industry hazard analysis as well.
* HazardEx also organize a yearly two day exhibition, which features a set of free workshops and a conference, to discuss and demonstrate the problems and services available to ensure safer operations in hazardous areas.
For 2008 the conference is in Peterborough on 27/28 February (Ref 8).
Further discussions on the HazardEx day were reported in a Processingtalk editorial at the time, particularly in relation to the use of the correct lighting in or near areas deemed as hazardous, ie Zone 1 or 21.
This editorial also reported on the cable conduit systems used in hazardous areas, as presented in a Kopex International product launch the same week (Ref 9).
References.
Ref 1: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/sir/sir126.html .
Ref 2: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/sir/sir127.html .
Ref 3: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/icm/icm100.html .
Ref 4: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/tar/tar101.html .
Ref 5: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/tar/tar100.html .
Ref 6: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/cnn/cnn101.html .
Ref 7: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/eld/eld100.html .
Ref 8: http://www.processingtalk.com/news/haz/haz000.html .
Ref 9: http://www.processingtalk.com/blog/?p=45#more-45.
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