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 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

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

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

17/05/2022 Rising up to the challenge The post-Grenfell Building Safety Bill aims to alter substantively how the welfare of high-rise buildings is managed – but the late-stage removal of the building safety manager role has caused some misgivings. By Brian Wall » Read More

19/01/2022 Understanding explosive atmospheres Many different industrial environments can contain explosive atmospheres containing gases, vapours, mists or dusts. Such environments present a very significant risk. Equipment operating in these environments must, therefore, be properly ... » Read More

05/10/2021 Fire risks in AD facilities Anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities are becoming ever more common in the UK, as a means of generating energy, in the form of biogas, from agricultural waste products that would otherwise contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. But as the ... » Read More

14/05/2021 The case for industrial sprinkler systems In early April, when industrial fires broke out in two different locations, they both had the same devastating outcome. Neither building contained a sprinkler system and both businesses are now counting the cost of the damage and dealing ... » Read More

25/05/2020 Bouncing back from Buncefield Almost 15 years on from the Buncefield disaster, Operations Engineer looks back at what went wrong, why and the steps taken to try to ensure such an incident never happens again » Read More

05/02/2020 Fighting floods There are a range of products and equipment that can aid in flooding scenarios – before, during and after they happen. OE highlights some examples currently on the market » Read More

01/11/2019 Building a better way A ‘golden thread’ of core information throughout the lifecycle of a building lies at the heart of a new building safety regime, in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. A vital part of that thread will be the building safety manager » Read More

05/08/2019 A Swiss summit Infor held its Third Annual EAM European Summit at CERN in June. OE’s deputy editor discovered more about asset management at the research centre, while getting up close with its first accelerator, the Synchrocyclotron » Read More

17/10/2018 Fire safety – after Grenfell In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, building inspectors and engineering surveyors must now assess the degree of fire protection in similar buildings. Brian Wall asks: Without adequate blueprints or records to fall back on, how are ... » Read More

16/10/2018 Arc-breaker on the way New recommendations to install Arc Fault Detection Devices (AFDDs) in final AC circuits are aimed at cutting the chances of an electrical fi re in higher-risk locations. It’s early days, but the benefits of installing AFDDs are already ... » Read More

06/02/2012 Shock tactics About 1,000 accidents at work involving electric shock or burns – of which around 30 prove fatal – are still reported to the HSE annually. Brian Wall investigates procedures that could prevent needless deaths » Read More

08/08/2011 Health and Safety North Health and Safety North, the third in the regional series this year, claims to offers plant engineers a valuable learning and networking experience. Brian Wall reports » Read More

07/04/2011 Fail to danger Most toxic and flammable gas detectors feature the fundamental flaw of failing to danger. Dr Tom Shelley looks at the problem and some useful solutions » Read More

06/10/2010 Deepwater Horizon Last month's report by BP into the causes of its Gulf rig explosion and fire, and the lessons to be learned, point to a chilling sequence of failures. Brian Tinham reports » Read More

06/10/2010 The benefit of hindsight now BP's long awaited report into the causes of its oil rig explosion and the worst oil spill in US history is finally out (page 8). The Deepwater Horizon saga makes grim reading, providing, as it does, a detailed study of the sequence of ... » Read More

10/08/2010 The cost of complacency If there is one lesson that emerges in the wake of last month's conclusion to the 2005 Buncefield disaster prosecution, it surely is the importance of vigilance. And that applies to all plants, not just to those in the chemicals, oil and ... » Read More

01/06/2009 Hidden hazards Did you know that if dry wire wool - think of discarded Brillo pads - comes into contact with a dead nine-volt battery, it can spontaneously combust? Or that dust - for that matter, even sugar or custard powder - can ignite and unleash a ... » Read More

01/08/2008 PiperAlpha: 20 Years on On 6 July 1988, at about 10.00pm, Occidental's Piper Alpha platform, operating 120 miles off the north east coast of Scotland, exploded in a ball of flames 120m high. 167 people died and many others were horrifically injured as they jumped ... » Read More

01/12/2007 Fire hazard Fire in an engineering environment is likely to have far more serious consequences than in almost any other industrial premises. » Read More

01/10/2006 Alarm ringing for new regulations The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced earlier this year that the new fire safety rules affecting all non-domestic premises in England and Wales would come into force on 1 October 2006. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, ... » Read More

05/04/2005 Fire Safety - That looks like smoke... By observing the behaviour of smoke as it rises, a vision system can give early warning of a fire developing, long before it becomes serious. It is especially useful in large areas, such as big factories and aircraft hangars, and where ... » Read More