Health and Safety Feature Library

Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.

Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE (the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.

18/03/2025 Exhausted by non-compliance? With some testing companies reporting failure rates of 60-80%, many plants clearly struggle to achieve first-time COSHH compliance for their LEV system » Read More

18/03/2025 Ensuring fire safety for electrical connections Fire-protected enclosures mounted directly onto a wall surface can make maintenance and installation of electrical junctions faster while maintaining the required safety standards. Chris Lloyd, managing director at Spelsberg UK, explains ... » Read More

04/02/2025 Train and gain When it comes to environmental spillage and incident management, the importance of training knows no bounds. Brian Wall reports » Read More

09/01/2025 Deterring corrosion with FRP Strainers constructed of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) are designed to resist corrosion at a fraction of the cost of special stainless steels » Read More

07/11/2024 Take the time to transition Solving critical infrastructure challenges to meet the ever-changing industrial landscape requires a great deal of effort. However, the payoff of all of the hard work is an operation that ensures longevity, availability and reliability ... » Read More

03/09/2024 Convey the message Speaking with experts in bulk materials conveying solutions, Louise Davis discovers how this is one sector where the old adage “you get what you pay for” is especially true » Read More

08/08/2024 PPE for hydraulics: got it covered? A host of PPE advances and developments will help hydraulic system operators and maintenance teams reach new levels of safety and protection, says Steed Webzell » Read More

02/07/2024 Chemical clean-up Carbon reduction is a common theme across industry today, with everyone working hard to move in the right direction. Tom Austin-Morgan reports on the key issues facing the chemical processing industry’s push for decarbonisation to achieve ... » Read More

10/06/2024 Machinery in mind The risk of damage to machinery from fire should be taken seriously in all industrial settings. The measures in place to prevent it include important procedural and operational requirements that should be closely noted. Darren ... » Read More

08/05/2024 All about machinery The EU’s Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 came into effect on 29 June 2023. This regulation replaces the previous Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and impacts manufacturers, importers and distributors in the machinery industry. Darren ... » Read More

09/04/2024 All about machinery safety Machinery safety is one of the most significant issues facing organisations today. It is equally as important as productivity and is essential for the wellbeing of everyone involved, says Darren Hugheston-Roberts, head of machinery safety ... » Read More

08/03/2024 Measuring isocyanates Making appropriately informed decisions when selecting methods for measuring airborne concentrations of isocyanates is vital to ensuring awareness of how to work under the Group Authority Licence (GAL) » Read More

08/03/2024 Timmer's diaphragm pumps How double diaphragm pumps from Timmer can take performance and failure protection to a new level » Read More

05/12/2023 Maintaining safety at height Working at height isn’t necessarily unsafe. But, like anything, there are right ways and wrong ways of going about it. Tom Austin-Morgan reports on how to work safely at height » Read More

31/08/2023 Analysing gas Gas analysers are used to measure the chemical composition or some other property of a gas. Typically gas analysers are configured to detect specific chemical elements or compounds in a gas flow. This is most commonly achieved using ... » Read More

21/06/2023 Less persistent chemicals New policies are being proposed for the control, disposal, and eventual replacement of ‘forever chemicals.’ Tom Austin-Morgan investigates what this could mean for industry » Read More

21/06/2023 All about PI Process intensification (PI) is an approach to chemical engineering that can have a transforming effect, reports Toby Clark » Read More

31/05/2023 ION sensors for hazardous vapours Businesses that handle hazardous vapours have a duty of care to protect workers from overexposure to harmful gases. ION Science contends that its sensors serve as an alternative to the unproven and low-cost alternatives that could increase ... » Read More

31/05/2023 IMI's e-forklift engineering qualifications Forklift trucks with electric drive units are becoming increasingly popular, but does the sector have enough trained maintenance technicians to work on these high-voltage vehicles? » Read More

17/05/2023 Hydrogen in the gas network Natural gas consists of about 90-95% methane (CH4), with small amounts of nitrogen, ethane and several other gases – and by law, no more than 0.1% of hydrogen. But methane is itself a potent greenhouse gas, and when burned it produces ... » Read More

20/03/2023 We find solutions As this text is being written, the rescue effort is winding down in southern Turkey and northern Syria, following devastating earthquakes there. It is painful to watch a human disaster unfold. And it’s frustrating that logistical and ... » Read More

19/12/2022 H&S standards: changing of the guard ISO 45001, occupational health and safety (OH&S), management is intended to help develop a framework to improve safety, reduce workplace risks and create safer working conditions. It has supplanted OHSAS 18001 since March 2021. By David ... » Read More

19/12/2022 A squash and a squeeze The HSE’s Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 defines them as “any place including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably ... » Read More

19/12/2022 Fire-resistant hydraulic fluids When lubricants operate under pressure, there is a risk of small leaks and a fine spray of lubricant being atomised into the air. If such leaks occur with mineral oil-based lubricants in an area where there is an ignition source or near ... » Read More

24/11/2022 When fasteners go wrong Taking machinery apart is a routine that every engineer knows – and often enjoys. But what if you can’t take it apart – if fasteners get stuck in place, or (worse) pull out of their fixings? » Read More