November 2019

the journal for hazardous area environments hazardexonthenet.net

Acoustics
Sound advice for
petrochemical plants
Downstream
European downstream
safety performance
in 2018

. 6
Research Software Augmented Reality NO
T
HSE calls for partners in The role of software Wearables & PPE in
EN e
M d
si
wearables research In safety Industry 4.0
LE
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 contents november 2019 14
26

Nominations are now open for the those companies and individuals you think most deserve
Hazardex 2020 Awards for Excellence. recognition for the most innovative products, systems and
The Hazardex International Conference and services. The deadline for nominations is 14 December 2019.
Exhibition in Harrogate, UK, on 26 & 27 For further information on the awards, categories, and how to
February 2020 will feature a hazardous area nominate a company, please visit: https://bit.ly/2IIwImC
and process safety awards programme to Contact Russell Goater on +44 (0) 1732 359990 or russell.
A look at the digital transformation of safety and the role that software
highlight examples of excellence across the sector. Categories goater@imlgroup.co.uk for further details on attendance or
open for nomination are Contribution to Safety, Contribution to sponsoring this must-attend event. plays in managing and analysing the data produced by PPT
the Environment, Technical Innovation, Best User Application
and Best Customer Service. …Alistair Hookway, Associate Editor, Hazardex
Entry is free, and this is the ideal opportunity to reward
14
33
in this issue
5 News Extra & Standards
• US administration issues new pipeline safety rules
• BP deploys Mars technology on UK continental shelf
• UK HSE calls for partners in high hazard research programmes
• Canadian operator to reinforce controversial Great Lakes oil pipeline
• Explosion hits Russian research facility harbouring smallpox virus
Petrochemical and chemical plants have become increasingly complex
• Top executives cleared of negligence over Fukushima disaster
• Hinkley Point C nuclear plant to run almost £3bn over budget and the potential for excessive noise remains high

17 Standards: Further pause for thought

36
20 PPTex Supplement 6 – Products
39 HSE calls for partners in wearables research
23
44 Paving the way for broader adoption of PPT
24
50 The role of software in safety
26
54 Wearables & PPE in Industry 4.0
28 Concawe, the European downstream industry organisation, has
published personal safety performance results for 2018

30 Case study - Reliable leak detection in industrial gas pressure-relief stations

31 Case study - SOCOTEC UK and Casella 40

33 Sound advice for petrochemical plants

36 European downstream safety performance in 2018
40 Risk of electrostatic ignition during FIBC discharging operations
44 Play it safe – adhere to the Machinery Directive A look at why the greatest risk posed by static electricity in a flammable or
combustible atmosphere is an explosion due to electrostatic discharge

46 Event previews

30 Hazardex is a controlled circulation journal published monthly.

Completed print or online registration forms will be considered for
Hazardex content is the property of the publishers or relevant content
providers. The publishers and sponsors of this magazine are not responsible
November 2019

free supply of printed issues, web site access and online services. for the results of any actions or omissions taken on the basis of information
Annual subscription for non-qualifying readers is: UK £147; EU in this publication. In particular, no liability can be accepted in respect of any
36Acoustics
the journal for hazardous area environments hazardexonthenet.net

£215.25; Airmail £315 and single copy price is £23.10 plus P&P. claim based on or in relation to material provided for inclusion.
Sound advice for
petrochemical plants Editor Group Publisher IML Group
40Downstream Alan Franck Russell Goater Blair House, High Street, Tonbridge, Kent
European downstream alan.franck@imlgroup.co.uk russell.goater@imlgroup.co.uk TN9 1BQ, UK
safety performance
in 2018 Associate Editor Circulation Tel: +44 1732 359990
Alistair Hookway subscriptions@imlgroup.co.uk Email: events@imlgroup.co.uk
alistair.hookway@imlgroup.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)1732 359990 ISSN 1476-7376
Sales Executive Design
Kathryn Startin Graham Rich Design
kathryn.startin@imlgroup.co.uk www.grahamrichdesign.co.uk
Research Software Augmented Reality NO
.6 Production and Events
T
HSE calls for partners in
wearables research
The role of software
In safety
Wearables & PPE in
Industry 4.0
LE
M
EN
si
de Holly Reed
PP in
SU
holly.reed@imlgroup.co.uk

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 4 News Extra
Strikes on Saudi oil facilities highlight
vulnerability of infrastructure to low-tech attack
T he attacks on state-owned Saudi
Aramco oil processing facilities at
Abqaiq and Khurais in eastern Saudi
Arabia on 14 September 2019 have
been claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi
movement, the rebel movement fighting
Saudi-led forces in the Yemeni Civil War.
The attacks caused large fires at the refineries
which, according to the Saudi Arabian interior
ministry, were put out several hours later. Both
facilities, however, were shut down to effect
repairs, cutting Saudi Arabia’s oil production
by about half – representing about 5% of
global oil production – and causing some
destabilisation of global financial markets.
Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry said the
facilities were expected to be operating back
at full capacity by the end of September, and
the country would tap into its oil reserves to
maintain exports in the interim.
The USA and Saudi Arabia have blamed
Iran for the strikes, which the latter denies.
Previous attacks have included a series of
explosive blasts on tankers in Gulf waters,
including two Saudi vessels in May, and
attacks on other Saudi oil assets, including
two oil pumping stations. A transformer
station near a desalination plant in Shuqaiq in
the south was struck in June.
The previous attacks caused limited damage,
but the strikes on Abqaiq and Khurais
knocked out 5.7 million barrels per day of
production.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
Saudi Arabia has US-supplied Patriot
anti-missile systems that have shot down
a number of incoming ballistic missiles at
high altitude, but the destruction at the
two refineries illustrates how vulnerable the
country’s oil (and other) infrastructure is to
relatively low-tech drones, which the Houthis
have in abundance.
Billions of dollars spent by Saudi Arabia
on cutting edge Western military hardware
has not so far included equipment to shoot
down drones and cruise missiles, which can
fly beneath the radar and are consequently
difficult to detect before they hit their target.
The United Nations says the Houthis’ arsenal
includes anti-ship cruise missiles, waterborne
improvised explosive devices, ballistic and
cruise missiles and rockets, as well as
weaponised drones, according to a Reuters
report. A new type of Houthi drone appeared
in mid-2018 which the UN has said can fly
up to 1,200-1,500 km - putting Riyadh, Abu
Dhabi and Dubai within range.
Iran denies arming the Houthis and says it
played no part in the recent strikes. President
Hassan Rouhani said the attacks were carried
out by “Yemeni people” in response to the
Yemen war.
In strategic terms these events illustrate an
important development. A middle ranking
power such as Iran, under sanctions and
with limited resources and expertise, acting
alone or through allies, has inflicted crippling
Shutterstock
damage on theoretically much better-armed
Saudi Arabia which is supposedly defended
by the US, the world’s greatest military super-
power.
And the US and Saudi Arabia are particularly
hesitant to retaliate against Iran because they
fear a counter-attack would not be a cost-free
exercise. Iran is now recognised as a drone
superpower. Oil production facilities and the
desalination plants providing much of the
fresh water in Saudi Arabia are conveniently
concentrated targets for drones and small
missiles.
Nor is this strategic shift limited to potential
war zones. Between 19 and 21 December
2018, hundreds of flights were cancelled at
Gatwick Airport in the UK following reports
of drone sightings close to the runway. The
reports caused major disruption, affecting
approximately 140,000 passengers and 1,000
flights. Similar events in April and May 2019
disrupted flights out of Milan Malpensa in Italy
and Frankfurt airport in Germany.
And in January 2019, a Greenpeace drone
dropped smoke bombs on the French
nuclear facility at La Hague to demonstrate its
vulnerability.
In the wake of these attacks, media
commentators and industry experts have
emphasised how important it is for operators
of strategic facilities and sites all over the
world to strengthen their defences against
low-tech devices of this type.

San Bruno gas explosion 2010 – Image: Wikimedia CC / Mister Oh
US Administration
issues new pipeline
safety rules
T he US Department of
Transportation’s Pipeline
and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA) has adopted
three new rules that will strengthen the
safety of more than 500,000 miles of
onshore gas transmission and hazardous
liquid pipelines throughout the US.
A PHMSA statement said the new rules,
applicable from October 1, 2019, will
enhance its authority to issue an emergency
order to address unsafe safety conditions
or hazards that pose an imminent threat
to pipeline safety.
“These are significant revisions to federal
pipeline safety laws and will improve the
safety of our nation’s energy infrastructure,”
said US Transportation Secretary Elaine L.
Chao.
US pipelines deliver trillions of cubic feet
of natural gas and hundreds of billions of
tonnes/miles of liquid petroleum products
each year. The gas transmission and
hazardous liquid pipeline safety rules
will modernise federal pipeline safety
standards by expanding risk-based integrity
management requirements, enhancing
procedures to protect infrastructure from
extreme weather events, and requiring
greater oversight of pipelines beyond
current safety requirements.
The final rules address significant
Congressional mandates from the Pipeline
Safety Act of 2011 and recommendations
from the National Transportation Safety
Board.
“The tremendous growth in US energy
production will require greater anticipation
and preparation for emerging risks to public
safety,” said PHMSA Administrator Skip
Elliott. “These forward-looking rules will
help ensure pipeline operators invest in
continuous improvements to pipeline safety
and integrity management.”
The Gas Transmission Rule requires
operators of gas transmission pipelines
constructed before 1970 to determine
the material strength of their lines by
News Extra 5
reconfirming the Maximum Allowable
Operating Pressure (MAOP). In addition, the
rule updates reporting and records retention
standards for gas transmission pipelines.
The Hazardous Liquid Rule encourages
operators to make better use of all
available data to understand pipeline
safety threats and extends leak detection
requirements to all non-gathering
hazardous liquid pipelines. In addition,
the rule requires operators to inspect
affected pipelines following an extreme
weather event or natural disaster so they
may address any resulting damage.
The Enhanced Emergency Order
Procedures final rule adopts the provisions
of a 2016 interim final rule (IFR) which
established temporary emergency order
procedures in accordance with a provision
of the “Protecting our Infrastructure of
Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act of
2016” (PIPES Act). An emergency order
may impose emergency restrictions,
prohibitions, or other safety measures on
owners and operators of gas or hazardous
liquid pipeline facilities.
The new rules have been in the pipeline
for almost a decade, and were drafted
in response to a massive gas explosion
in San Bruno, California, that killed eight
people in 2010, and large oil spills into
Michigan’s Kalamazoo River in 2010 and
the Yellowstone River in Montana in 2011
and 2015.
PHMSA previously required integrity
assessments only in certain areas, including
high-population places where a critical
pipeline failure would cause serious harm.
Companies have already begun extending
integrity management programs to so-
called moderate consequence areas, but
PHMSA’s rule will offer clarity on where
the assessments will be made.
Federal regulators are expected in the near
future to release their proposals for pipeline
shut-off valves and rupture detection
equipment. A separate proposal due
sometime next year would extend safety
regulations to so-called gathering pipelines
that transport natural gas from drilling
locations.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
 6 News Extra
South Korea’s uphill struggle
to encourage hydrogen cars
U nlike in many other countries
where electric vehicles are the
major beneficiary of moves away from
fossil fuel-powered vehicles, the South
Korean government is encouraging the
use of hydrogen cars.
President Moon Jae-in is a major
proponent of the hydrogen car
programme and says he wants to see
850,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
(FCVs) on South Korean roads by 2030.
This will be no mean feat given fewer
than 3,000 have been sold so far in the
country.
The government has earmarked $1.8
billion to subsidise car sales and to build
refuelling stations for the five years to 2022,
according to a recent Reuters report.
Subsidies cover about half the cost of the
main South Korean FCV car model, the
www.hazardexonthenet.net
The constraints
around refuelling and
the limited number of
stations are causing
much frustration
Hyundai Nexo, and the corporation itself
plans to invest $6.5 billion by 2030 on
hydrogen R&D and facilities.
One of the main problems is building
refuelling infrastructure where each
hydrogen filling facility costs many times
more than an electricity charging point.
Despite government plans for 114
hydrogen stations to be built by end-2019,
only 29 have been completed. Difficulties
in gaining funds from local governments or
Hyundai Nexo FCV - Shutterstock
businesses meant to help shoulder half the
costs, delays in finding sites and opposition
from residents have also hobbled efforts.
And this opposition has multiplied since a
fatal FCV filling station incident. Last May, a
hydrogen tank explosion killed two people
and injured six at an industrial park in the city
of Gangneung, 240 kilometres east of Seoul.
A preliminary investigation found the blast
was caused by a spark after oxygen found
its way into the tank.
One month later, there was an explosion at
a hydrogen refuelling station in Norway.
Safety concerns have fuelled protests by
South Korean resident groups worried
about hydrogen facilities being built in their
areas, and local opposition has led to a
number of potential operators withdrawing
plans to build refuelling facilities.

Others cite the difficulty of making such
facilities pay when the government
stipulates that fuel costs are kept as low as
possible to encourage takeup.
But the Government is forging ahead with
its plans. In August, Moon’s administration
announced it would more than double
spending on the hydrogen economy to over
$417 million next year.
That includes $300 million on FCVs and
refuelling stations, up 52% from this year
and a huge leap from the 29.8 billion won
spent in 2018.
Hyundai is banking on Seoul’s aggressive
targets to help it achieve economies of
scale and bring down costs.
It aims to cut the cost of a hydrogen car
before subsidies to 50 million won once
annual FCV production reaches 35,000. It
hopes to make 40,000 per year by 2022,
compared with plans for 11,000 next year.
Another leg of the country’s hydrogen
economy is the establishment of a network
of hydrogen buses in the south-western
city of Ulsan, traditionally a centre for heavy
industry.
By 2030, it plans to have 15% of personal
vehicles as hydrogen cars and replace 40%
of city buses, or 300, as fuel cell buses
powered by hydrogen. The municipal office
also plans to set up a total of 60 hydrogen
refilling stations within the city in the next
12 years.
In an interview with the Korea Herald,
Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho said: “We
will do our best to turn Ulsan as the global
mecca of the hydrogen industry by taking
the advantage of being the world’s first
manufacturing base of hydrogen cars, and
our capacity of producing over 60% of
hydrogen in South Korea.”
In the meantime, according to the Reuters
report, the constraints around refuelling and
the limited number of stations are causing
much frustration.
News Extra 7
This is compounded by the fact that while
refuelling itself takes only five minutes or
so, the next driver must wait another 20
minutes before sufficient pressure builds in
the storage tank to supply the hydrogen for
a full tank in the vehicle.
That means that operators might only be
able to service 100 fuel cell cars a day,
compared to up to 1,000 at a regular
gasoline stand.
In the Asia-Pacific region, other big
supporters of FCVs include China and
Japan.
China, far and away the world’s biggest
auto market with some 28 million vehicles
sold annually, is aiming for more than
1 million FCVs in service by 2030. That
compares with just 1,500 or so now, most
of which are buses.
Japan, a market of more than 5 million
vehicles annually, wants to have 800,000
FCVs sold by that time from around 3,400
currently.
cortemgroup.com
 8 News Extra

Clair platform – Image BP

B P’s North Sea division has
successfully executed a pilot project
testing innovative ways of remotely
monitoring methane emissions around
its offshore assets. This includes the
use of drones with advanced sensor
technology originally designed by NASA
for its Mars exploration programme.
One test involved a fixed-wing remote piloted
air system (RPAS) circling the Clair platform
at a radius of 550 metres for 90 minutes,
travelling for a total of more than 185 km,
significantly beating the previous UK drone
endurance record of 100 km.
communications and radio link from the
Shetland island of Papa Stour. The team never
had to leave their base onshore.
Following the successful results, the specialist
drone will be deployed to all of BP’s North Sea
assets in 2020, including ETAP and Glen Lyon.
This UK continental shelf trial follows the
roll-out of a major leak detection drone
programme in BP’s US operations. BPX
Energy is now using drone-mounted leak
detection technologies, which enable up to
1,500 well sites to be surveyed every month
across all of its operating basins.

BP deploys Mars The pre-programmed drone, once airborne,

managed itself autonomously. Throughout the
The flights generate data around the location
and size of a leak and issue a work order to

technology on UK flight, the drone live-streamed data collected

by the methane sensor, similar to the one
fix it. The technicians in the field are quickly
dispatched and equipped with Fieldbit’s multi-
continental shelf as installed on NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover. source Augmented Reality (AR) technology

part of methane
– or smart glasses – which enables them to
BP says the test demonstrates the feasibility virtually link to technical support in the office.

monitoring of this approach to monitoring methane. The

Clair field is 75km west of Shetland and the
Through the use of this technology, both
are able to see the affected area and work

initiative drone was tracked and remotely controlled by

a team of three qualified pilots using satellite
together to fix it, improving safety, accuracy of
repairs and productivity.

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UK HSE calls for partners
in high hazard research
programmes
H SE’s Shared Research Programme
supports external investment and
collaboration in HSE’s research portfolio.
This allows resources and expertise
to be shared for the benefit of all. By
supporting the shared research approach,
contributing partners will be able to help
shape the focus of the research activity,
gain ongoing access to emerging findings
and have early sight of draft outputs.
Shared research is commissioned and
managed through an appropriate range of
commercial relationships, depending on
the scale of activity and involvement.
These include:
Partnerships - long term relationships
with individual clients, who share key
organisational objectives with HSE and
covering a large suite of work, addressing
joint topics of concern over a number of
years;
Programmes - centred on relevant cross-
cutting themes, which impact both the
regulator and regulated. Offered on a single
or multi-client basis, programmes would
run over a number of years and consist of a
series of linked activities or projects around
identified topic areas;
Projects - these have a defined aim and
objectives, designed to address a specific
research question in a clearly defined time
frame. Projects would either be offered on an
individual or multi-client basis; and
Research Club Memberships - these provide
a mechanism to support smaller organisations
and to increase the reach of the findings of
research undertaken via the mechanisms
described above as well as for the findings of
HSE-specific research and HSE operational
support activities.
For general enquiries, further information and
to express interest in HSE’s Shared Research
Programme contact: shared.research@hse.
gov.uk.
Current opportunities:
Optimising Offshore Working
Patterns
Over the past few years, shift rotas have
changed significantly on the UK Continental
Shelf and there is now more variation than ever
in shift patterns and working arrangements.
However, the health and safety effects of
longer offshore tours of duty have received
very little attention or research. Given current
industry shift pattern trends, there is a pressing
need to address these gaps and develop an
News Extra 9
evidence base for further industry guidance.
In October, HSE will host a workshop to
discuss the options for shared research
regarding optimising offshore working
patterns.
The workshop, to be held in Aberdeen, will
provide a forum for discussing key knowledge
gaps and identify opportunities for shared
research to address them. The basis on which
this research can be undertaken will be a key
outcome of the meeting.
Remote Visual Inspection
(RVI)
Visual inspection of tanks, vessels and
pipework is a cornerstone of the examination
process and is often the primary means
of defect detection, sizing and diagnosis.
Technology now makes replacing the direct
human element of visual inspection possible,
and remote visual imaging could be used
to undertake these parts of the examination
process. This is of particular interest in the
high hazard industries, where intrusive human
intervention, for example vessel entry, could
be reduced.
The limitations of the technology have yet
to be fully explored, and no meaningful
comparison has yet been made with the
established standards for visual inspection.
Numerous variables and the impact they may
have on defect and corrosion diagnosis, and
hence integrity, have yet to be considered.
Integrity of Corroded Bolted
Flanged Joints on Offshore
Installations
Corroded bolted flanged joints are
widespread on the UKCS and establishing
their condition and ongoing integrity is
important for safe and reliable operations.
A shared research project is proposed,
consisting of a series of distinct but
interrelated work packages to provide an
evidence base to underpin integrity decisions.
Benefits are expected to be safer, more
reliable, efficient operations.
Another project involves Wearable
Technologies in the Workplace. Further
information on this is available in the PPTEx
section of this edition.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
10 News Extra

Seal Sands site – Image: INEOS

INEOS cites safety
and environmental
O n October 3, UK-based chemicals
giant INEOS announced its
intention to consult with employees on
the proposed closure of its acrylonitrile
manufacturing plant at Seal Sands on
Teesside in north-east England.
The site, which employs 224 people, has
been under INEOS ownership since 2008.
In the event the plant closes, the company
said, not all of these positions will be at risk of
redundancy due to the continuation of other
activities at Seal Sands.
In a statement, INEOS said that over the past
10 years, the group had invested almost
€200m in the site to try to counter decades
of significant under investment. Despite
reinvestment of all profits in the site to reverse
“The acrylonitrile process needs careful
management and involves handling
significant quantities of hazardous material.
The company feels that it would not
be possible to guarantee the long-term
safety of our employees or our neighbours
through continued operation of the plant
and have thus reluctantly concluded that
we should consider the option to close,”
the statement said.
In October 2018, the Greenpeace blog
Unearthed published a letter it said was
obtained under freedom of information
legislation from an INEOS director to the
UK Government threatening to close
the plant because of the excessive
cost of implementing planned new EU
environmental regulations.

cost concerns
this situation, the company took the view that
nothing more could be done to ensure that In the letter, INEOS said the Seal Sands

as reasons for operations were both safe and economically

viable. It would require another €200m just
potential closure to meet INEOS standards and environmental
regulations, the company said, and it intends
of UK plant to consult on any viable alternatives to
closure.
acrylonitrile plant was only just breaking
even, and the compliance costs of meeting
the Waste Incineration Directive (by June
2020) and the Waste Water Emission
Directive (by November 2021) were
estimated at €100m.
 News Extra 11

Straits of Mackinac, Michigan, USA

C anadian pipeline operator
Enbridge Energy has received
a permit from the US Army Corps of
Engineers to install 54 supports under
its Line 5 oil pipeline which runs under
the Straits of Mackinac between the
lower and upper Michigan peninsulas.
The supports are designed to make the
current pipeline more secure – in places it
is 25 metres above the lakebed.
The straits connect two of the Great Lakes,
Enbridge is countersuing following the
administration’s withdrawal from the
agreement.
According to NPR Radio Michigan,
another lawsuit has been filed by the
National Wildlife Federation, claiming the
federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) approval
of Enbridge’s spill response plan was
arbitrary and capricious. This case is
currently before the 6th Circuit Court of
Appeals.

Canadian
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and the
State of Michigan is suing Enbridge to shut Line 5 carries 540,000 barrels per day of

operator to
down the pipeline, claiming a leak would light crude oil and propane and is a critical
cause an environmental catastrophe. part of Enbridge’s Mainline network,

reinforce
which delivers the bulk of Canadian crude
Enbridge says it can safely operate the exports to the United States.

controversial
66-year old pipeline while plans advance to
replace the exposed section of Line 5 with A company spokesman said Enbridge had
a new section inside a tunnel under the been waiting 17 months for the permits

Great Lakes lakebed. Under the previous Republican

state administration, permission was given
and upon receiving them started work
immediately. He said putting the pipeline

oil pipeline for the Canadian company to pursue the

tunnel project, but the current Democrat
in the tunnel, 100 feet below the lakebed,
would eliminate any span issues and the
administration wants the pipeline closed. need for supports.

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 12 News Extra

Image: Shutterstock
A n explosion on September 16
caused a fire at the Vector
Institute, a biological research facility in
Siberia known for being one of the two
sites in the world housing samples of
live smallpox virus.
The US Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta is the only other
place known to maintain live samples of the
deadly pathogen.
Russia Today reported that emergency
responders were treating the explosion
and fire as a major incident, given the
sensitive work of the Institute.
The centre is known to be working on
many potentially fatal pathogens. In
2004, a researcher died at the laboratory
complex after accidentally pricking
herself with a needle carrying the Ebola
virus.

Explosion The blast at the facility, also known as the Smallpox killed about 300 million people

hits Russian
State Research Center of Virology and in the 20th century and three in 10
Biotechnology, in Koltsovo near the Siberian people who contracted it died. Survivors
city of Novosibirsk, injured one worker who were often left scarred and blind. The

research suffered third-degree burns. last known smallpox outbreak was in

1977 and the World Health Organization

facility Local officials told the state-run TASS news

agency that the blast was probably caused
declared the disease eradicated in 1980.

harbouring by a gas explosion in a room on the building’s

fifth floor during scheduled maintenance work.
This incident follows another explosion at
a Russian facility conducting advanced

smallpox The news agency quoted the officials as

research. In August, an accident at
a missile test site killed five nuclear

virus
saying there were no biohazard substances scientists. US officials said they believed
involved and the incident did not pose a threat researchers at the site were working on a
to the surrounding community. nuclear-powered cruise missile.

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www.pepperl-fuchs.com/smart-ex-02

Nuclear energy too expensive and
cumbersome to save climate - report
N uclear power is being overtaken
by renewables in terms of both
cost and capacity as it is increasingly
seen across the energy sector as less
economical and slower to reverse
carbon emissions, an industry report
has said.
By 2019, new wind and solar generators
were beating existing nuclear power plants
in cost terms, and grew generating capacity
faster than any other power type, the annual
World Nuclear Industry Status Report
(WNISR) showed.
“Stabilising the climate is urgent, nuclear
power is slow,” said Mycle Schneider, lead
author of the report. “It meets no technical
or operational need that low-carbon
competitors cannot meet better, cheaper
and faster.”
The report estimates that since 2009 the
average construction time for reactors
worldwide was just under 10 years, well
above the estimate given by industry body
the World Nuclear Association (WNA) of
between 5 and 8.5 years.
The extra time that nuclear plants take to
build has major implications for climate goals,
as existing fossil-fuelled plants continue to
emit CO2 while awaiting substitution.
“To protect the climate, we must abate
the most carbon at the least cost and in
the least time,” Schneider, a prominent
international energy consultant and advisor
to organisations such as the International
Atomic Energy Agency and the European
Union, said.
Nuclear is also much more expensive. The
cost of generating solar power ranges from
$36 to $44 per megawatt hour (MWh), the
WNISR said, while onshore wind power
comes in at $29–$56 per MWh. Nuclear
energy costs between $112 and $189.
Over the past decade, the WNISR estimates
levelised costs - which compare the total
lifetime cost of building and running a plant
to lifetime output - for utility-scale solar have
dropped by 88% and for wind by 69%. For
nuclear, they have increased by 23%, it said.
Capital flows reflect that trend. In 2018,
China invested $91 billion in renewables but
just $6.5 billion in nuclear.
In the United States, renewable capacity is
expected to grow by 45 GW in the next three
News Extra 13
years, while nuclear and coal are set to retire
a net 24 GW.
China, still the world’s most aggressive
nuclear builder, has added nearly 40 reactors
to its grid over the last decade, but its
nuclear output was still a third lower than
its wind generation.
Although several new nuclear plants are
under construction, no new project has
started in China since 2016.
Global nuclear operating capacity has
increased 3.4% in the past year to 370
gigawatts, a new historic maximum, but
with renewable capacity growing quickly, the
share of nuclear in the world’s gross power
generation has stayed at just over 10%.
In the decade to 2030, 188 new reactors
would have to be connected to the grid to
maintain the status quo, which is more than
three times the rate achieved over the past
decade, the WNISR estimates.
In May, the International Energy Agency
warned that a steep decline in nuclear
capacity will threaten climate goals, as
advanced economies could lose 25% of
their nuclear capacity by 2025.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
14 News Extra
Inside the Fukushima Daiichi plant - Image: Tepco
Japanese power company top
executives cleared of negligence
over Fukushima disaster
T hree former executives of Tokyo
Electric Power (Tepco) which owns
the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
power plant have been acquitted
of failing to prevent the March 2011
nuclear meltdown.
This, the only criminal action resulting from
the disaster, saw former chairman Tsunehisa
Katsumata and former vice presidents Sakae
Muto and Ichiro Takekuro accused of failing
to act on information that showed the risks
to the plant from a major tsunami.
While no one is officially recorded as having
died as a direct result of the meltdown,
the charges related to 44 elderly people
who died during or after they were forcibly
evacuated from local hospitals.
Japan could dump radioactive water from Fukushima into ocean
O n September 10, Japan’s Energy
Minister said storage facilities for
radioactive water at the Fukushima
nuclear power plant would be full
by 2022. As a result, he said, future
contaminated water might have to
be dumped in the Pacific Ocean.
The electric utility overseeing the crippled
power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company
(Tepco), is running out of room to store
the contaminated water, Energy Minister
Yoshiaki Harada said at a news conference.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
The defendants had all pleaded not guilty to
charges of professional negligence resulting
in death, arguing that the data available to
them before the disaster was unreliable.
They apologised for the triple meltdown
at the plant, but said they could not have
foreseen the massive tsunami that triggered
the disaster.
The Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered
meltdowns in three of its six reactors after
it was struck by a tsunami on 11 March
2011. Waves reaching up to 14 metres
in height knocked out the plant’s backup
power supply, causing fuel inside the
reactors to melt.
Prosecutors had argued that Katsumata,
Muto and Takekuro should have understood
Water is flushed around the destroyed
nuclear plant’s fuel cores to stop them
from overheating and exploding, and
Tepco now has a stockpile of more than
1 million metric tonnes of contaminated
water.
Tepco has already announced that
it will run out of room to store the
contaminated water from the Fukushima
plant in as little as three years. A
government panel is expected to offer its
recommendations in the coming months.
the risk a huge tsunami posed and had
failed to take necessary safety measures.
They demanded a five-year prison term for
each of the men.
The men were present at meetings where
experts warned of the threat posed by large
tsunamis off the Fukushima coast and had
access to data and warning that a tsunami
exceeding 10m could trigger power loss
and a major disaster at the plant.
In addition, a Tepco internal study, based
on a 2002 report by a government
panel, concluded that a wave of up to
15.7m could strike after a magnitude-8.3
quake. The earthquake that triggered the
March 2011 tsunami was recorded as
magnitude-9.0.
The tsunami killed more than 18,000
people along Japan’s north-east coast,
including Fukushima.
The nuclear meltdown sent plumes of
radiation into the atmosphere and forced
the evacuation of 160,000 people living
near the plant, some of whom are still
unable to return to their homes.
Tepco has said it will take 40 years to locate
and remove the melted fuel from the reactor
cores, although some experts believe
decommissioning could take longer.
The government has estimated that
the total cost of dismantling the plant,
decontaminating surrounding areas and
compensating victims at about $200bn.
However, in advance of the panel’s
recommendations, Harada said that the
country had few alternatives. “The only
option will be to drain it into the sea and
dilute it,” he said.
The announcement has provoked strong
opposition from environmentalists,
fishermen and nearby countries.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said in
a statement that it expected Japan “to
take a wise and prudent decision on
the issue.”

Hinkley Point C nuclear plant to run almost £3bn over budget
F rench power group EDF said the new
nuclear plant it is building at Hinkley
Point C in south-western England
will cost up to £2.9 billion more than
previously estimated due to challenging
ground conditions at the site.
This raises its estimate for the project, on the
Somerset coast, to between £21.5bn and
£22.5bn. EDF also said the risk of the project
being late had risen.
“Cost increases reflect challenging ground
conditions which made earthworks more
expensive than anticipated, revised action
plan targets and extra costs needed to
implement the completed functional design,
which has been adapted for a first-of-a-kind
application in the UK context,” EDF said in a
statement.
Because of the way that the project is
We are your trusted
source for ATEX,
IECEx and North
American certification
csagroup.org
Artist’s impression of new Sizewell C plant - Image: EDF Energy
being funded, taxpayers and customers will
not cover the increase in costs. EDF and
its partner on the project - China General
Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) - will pay.
However, the companies are being cushioned
by the high fixed price for electricity agreed
by the UK government in order to make costs
predictable for consumers and to provide
leeway for the builders.
Last week, prices for new wind power
delivered by 2025 were set at prices as low
as £40 per megawatt hour. By comparison,
power from Hinkley Point C is expected to
cost £92.50 per megawatt hour.
The National Audit Office warned two
years ago that by agreeing this price, the
government had subjected the country
to a “risky deal in a changing energy
marketplace”.
News Extra 15
Also, EDF said that while it was still aiming to
finish in 2025, the chance of the plant being
delayed to 2026 has risen.
The cost overrun will not hit UK consumers
but may affect future nuclear projects. The
proposed EDF-built and operated nuclear
power station at Sizewell could be financed
under a new model where consumers would
see costs of construction added to their
energy bills as the project went along.
Today’s announcement could therefore make
it harder for EDF to get support for building
Sizewell.
As the price of zero carbon offshore wind
continues to plummet, making a forty-
year bet on another nuclear station with a
funding model that exposes consumers to
such overruns would be a big call for any
government to make.
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Every two months, SGS Baseefa Technical
Manager and IECEx Service Facility
Certification Committee chairman Ron Sinclair
MBE gives his perspective on the latest
developments in the world of standards
T wo months ago, I wrote of the
potential failure of an old reservoir
dam at Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire,
and how this caused a reflection on
the need for rigorous inspection and
maintenance in any safety critical
industry.
I am relieved to say that the dam held
long enough for the emergency services
to pump the water from the reservoir and
just over a week later the residents of
Whaley Bridge were allowed to return to
their homes, and the two railway lines,
from Manchester to Buxton and from
Manchester to Sheffield were re-opened.
Much relief all round, but now the
repercussions are starting. The body
responsible for the safety of the dam has
refused to release details of the recent
inspections “on grounds of national
security”. This secrecy automatically raises
suspicions that there is something to hide,
even if there isn’t.
How often do we end up in a situation
where the lack of information given to
the public and to directly interested
parties can cause rumours to start? This
applies particularly to industries where
we are handling hazardous materials,
whether they are a health hazard or a
fire and explosion hazard. Generally
Further pause for thought
speaking, there are attempts within trade
associations and in regulatory bodies
to try and share any knowledge gained
by experience that can contribute to an
increase in safety. But to make that work
completely, those involved in an incident
need to have at least some protection
from litigation if they are to have the
confidence to be completely open about
what happened.
From my work in being part of the
committees and working groups writing
standards, I am well aware that it is
impossible to write a coherent set of rules
that are future proofed against subsequent
developments. We could say that the
“safe” policy is to always follow those
written rules, but what do we do when
we come to a situation that the rules were
not intended to address. Do we always
need to re-write the rules and apply them
to everything? That is not necessarily the
best policy.
I remember long discussions that our
general requirements document for
Ex Equipment (IEC 60079-0) should
address the requirements for all possible
installation locations. All equipment should
be suitable for an ambient temperature
range of possibly -50°C to 60°C with
relative humidity up to 90%.
This could be done, but at what cost.
Would industry pay double the price for
all equipment so that it can be made
suitable for installation conditions that
would only be seen by less than 5%
of all equipment? Clearly not. So, the
standards are written to accommodate
the most typical conditions that will
be encountered, and it is left to the
manufacturers and purchasers to agree
any special requirements. We know that
aluminium junction boxes have a very
short life if they are mounted on the deck
of a production platform in the North Sea,
but is that a reason to ban the use of
aluminium alloy in all hazardous areas?
Clearly not.
Standards 17
We rely on the engineering judgement
of many people to adopt and adapt the
standards to the particular situation. At the
moment, I am aware of a debate about
the reliance of our installation standard
IEC 60079-14 on equipment already being
suitable for normal industrial installation.
Normally, that would be ensured by a
reference to, for example, IEC 60364
Low Voltage Electrical Systems, in its
various parts. However, most countries
have already adapted IEC 60364 to local
requirements (for example, BS 7671 in the
UK), so the requirements throughout the
world are already differing.
We are lucky that, barring a very few
specific technical differences, primarily
introduced in North America, the
construction standards for Ex Equipment
apply without change almost everywhere
in the world (I do not consider that the
additional marking for ATEX required in
Europe is a technical difference in that
sense). However, for installation of that
equipment, IEC 60079-14 only seems
to provide a starting point, with many
different national interpretations and in
some cases (North America) it is not
applicable at all.
The potential for disaster lies in the
installation, not the equipment. Would
everyone be open and honest if
inadvertent use of the wrong installation
rules led to a major disaster?
About the author
SGS Baseefa Technical Manager
Ron Sinclair MBE is chairman of BSI
Committee EXL/31, responsible for
the UK input to both European and
International standards for Electrical
Equipment for use in potentially
explosive atmospheres. He is also
chairman of Cenelec TC31, represents
electrical standardisation interests on
the European Commission’s ATEX
Standing Committee and chairs the
IECEx Service Facility Certification
Committee.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
Conference • Workshops • Exhibition • Awards Programme

The 2020 event will include a

comprehensive conference for all
those concerned with hazardous area
operations, personnel, and environmental
safety systems, alongside the exhibition,
workshops, free seminar content,
networking dinner and an awards
Exhibition visito
r ceremony.
registrat io n &
egate
Co erence del en,
nf The event aims to strengthen and expand
o p
bookings now
click for info the community that looks to the Hazardex
brand for essential industry intelligence
Awards nominations
now open
and information.

Event & Awards

Sponsors Contact us for 2020 participation information
now!hazardex@imlgroup.co.uk tel +44 (0) 1732 359990
Media Partners www.hazardex-event.co.uk
 November 2019
Wearables & PPE
in Industry 4.0
HSE calls for partners
in wearables shared
research programme

Early product success

could pave way for
broader adoption

The role of software

in safety

Case study - Reliable

leak detection
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Case study:
SOCOTEC UK
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20 PPTex – Products
Hazardex announces partnership with Connectivity
H azardEx has announced that sister
title Connectivity – a leading Industry
4.0/IoT online information resource
– is sponsoring the annual HazardEx
International Conference and Exhibition,
co-located with PPTex, on February 26-
27 at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate.
The main focus of the two-day event
is the conference, with 2020 hosting a
Personal Protection Technology focused
content channel alongside the main
Hazardous Area Operations and Process
Safety conference.
Smart IIoT glove receives $40M investment
I IoT wearable provider ProGlove has
developed a solution to improve
the efficiency of scanning processes
in a variety of industries. Founded in
2014, ProGlove released a handsfree
barcode scanner in the form of a
glove in 2016. ProGlove offers three
variations of its technology – the
Mark 2 standard range, the Mark 2
mid-range and the Mark basic range.
The Munich-based company recently
raised $40 million to continue its
expansion into international markets.
The Mark 2 scanner glove is designed
to improve productivity and efficiency
and can be used in a variety of industries
Everbridge partners with RiskBand to deliver wearable security
E verbridge has partnered with
RiskBand, a provider of wearable,
live-monitored safety devices. The
alliance is part of Everbridge’s
strategy to reach the broadest set of
workers, including those that may not
always have ready access to a mobile
www.hazardexonthenet.net
Connectivity is a weekly e-newsletter and
website offering thought leadership to UK
engineers, highlighting the practical benefits
of Industry 4.0/IIoT and takes readers
through how best to implement them.
Engineers across industry are desperate
for a better understanding of what the
Fourth Industrial Revolution and IIoT can
do for them and their companies. Many are
aware of these concepts, but most have
little or no knowledge of their potential.
Connectivity offers insights and knowledge
from key companies from across the
Image: ProGlove
including manufacturing, automotive,
logistics, and transportation. The Mark 2
is a replacement for traditional handheld
scanners which can be bulky and a
nuisance to handle. The small form
factor, lightweight, wearable design of
ProGlove’s scanner unit allows users to
phone, such as lone workers in the
field. With the additional modality
and simple access of the RiskBand
wearable device, Everbridge is
expanding its addressable market
for protecting employees regardless
of their physical location, whether
industry and provides the latest news and
knowledge regarding Industry 4.0.
For more information about the Hazardex
and PPTEx event, please visit: http://www.
hazardexonthenet.net/article/171764/
Hazardex-PPTex-Conferences--
Exhibition-and-Awards-2020.aspx
http://www.connectivity4ir.co.uk/
reduce scanning time by up to 4 seconds
per scan. Additionally, the company’s
smart glove provides direct feedback to
the user via optical, haptic and acoustic
signals, helping to eliminate mistakes and
improve overall process quality.
“Industrial wearables define the future
of assembly, production and logistics
processes. Our smart wearables are
designed to function as a natural
extension of the workers’ tools,
strengthening the role of the human in
today’s automated world,” said Andreas
Koenig, CEO of ProGlove.
https://www.proglove.com/
inside the office, working remotely, or
traveling the globe.
Fatal work injuries have increased over
the last decade, with 5,147 occupational
fatalities recorded in the U.S. in 2017.
This challenge is only magnified by an

increasingly mobile workforce, as well as
the prevalence of lone worker scenarios
across multiple industries served by both
Everbridge and RiskBand.
Designed for enterprise-level personal
safety and security, RiskBand’s wearable
devices bolster an organisation’s
emergency communication and response
strategy. A single push of a button
provides two-way voice, user profile data,
images, and geolocation, in near real-time
MIT and Eni develop Safety++ wearables
R esearchers at MIT have been
collaborating with Italian oil
company Eni on the Safety ++ project
which explores innovative solutions
to improve worker safety in extreme
environments. The MIT Design Lab
has developed an entire ecosystem
of connected wearables.
The most important part of the system is
the connected vest – an easy and non-
intrusive way of collecting biological data.
The Undershirt++ features a series of
small vibration motors that permit tactile
communication with the user through
vibrations which operators recognise
and associate with specific issues after
appropriate training. The vest can also
monitor the health of the user using
biosensors that measure heart rate,
breathing, galvanic skin response and
spatial position through a gyro.
The collected information is sent to a
central processor located in the back
O N E 1/21 | CL
for Z
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IS530.1
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Image: RiskBand
to a company’s security operations centre.
As part of the partnership, Everbridge will
Image: MIT
of the vest which also acts as a bridge
to other wearables. The Jacket++ has
multiple sensors integrated into either arm
to measure air quality, noise levels, smoke,
and any airborne chemical that could cause
bodily harm. When the sensors detect
such gases, a warning message is sent
via the vest to all operators in the affected
area. This warning is also forwarded to the
control room.
The Carabiner++ has a pressure sensor
that detects when the carabiner has been
engaged and a wireless module which
streams data and communicates with the
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PPTex – Products 21
integrate its Safety Connection platform
with RiskBand’s wearables, allowing both
Everbridge and RiskBand customers
to receive emergency messaging and
provide detailed reporting of their location.
The data from an employee’s RiskBand
device is shared back to the Everbridge
platform, allowing an organisation to
deploy the appropriate emergency
response.
https://riskband.com/
rest of the network. An altitude sensor in
the jacket combines with the carabiner
which senses if the user is strapped in or
not when working at height. If the user is
not strapped in, a warning is sent to the
user via haptic feedback in the vest.
Shoes++ have been designed that use
pressure sensors to measure the weight of a
load being lifted by the user. If a load is too
heavy, the sensors communicate with the
vest which then sends haptic feedback to
the user and nearby workers that the load
being lifted is too heavy and help is required.
The entire Safety++ system communicates
through a system of interconnected nodes
that allow each element of the ecosystem to
communicate with each other. The system
is a reliable communication network that
dynamically adapts to the areas in which it
is used and establishes a solid platform to
support the integration of various elements.
https://design.mit.edu/eni/safety
www.hazardexonthenet.net
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HSE calls for partners in Wearables in the
Workplace Shared Research Programme
A s part of its cross-industry
collaboration safety project series,
the UK Health and Safety Executive
has called for industry and academic
partners to join its wearable technology
shared research programme.
There is growing evidence that wearable
devices can significantly benefit health and
safety in the workplace through positioning
and sensor technologies. The advancement
of the Internet of Things has meant that many
of these technologies are increasingly being
deployed, helping to improve workplace
productivity.
HSE recently hosted a workshop with key
industry leaders and technology providers
which focused on identifying the potential
benefits and challenges of using wearables
for health and safety applications. A series of
key research questions were developed and
areas for research prioritised.
This programme will endeavour to validate the
use of the technologies for workplace health
and safety and to help find solutions to the
key issues and barriers to effective adoption
of wearables in the workplace. The priority
areas to be researched within this project
are: (1) Monitoring occupational personal
exposure to hazardous substances and
physical hazards on construction sites and
(2) Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in
workers identified at greater risk.
Through this Shared Research Project
sponsors will be better placed to adopt
appropriate wearables technology which
can enable better monitoring of worker time
spent in hazardous areas, improved exposure
prediction, better productivity and immediate
feedback on efficiency of control measures.
Overview of Technical Work
Packages
The specific details will be reviewed and
agreed on a collaborative basis via a steering
committee comprising industry project
sponsors and HSE. The work will be led by
HSE topics specialists supported by their
regulatory colleagues. Project co-sponsors
will have a key role in providing direction,
information and industrial application insight.
Work Package 1: Knowledge
Gaps
A technical review will be conducted on
wearables that can be used for the monitoring
of MSDs, personal exposure to hazardous
substances and physical hazards in a work
environment. This state-of-the-art review will
identify the latest technologies, products,
applications and providers, linked to their
potential value.
Deliverable: A report categorising the available
technologies based on suitability, availability
and costs.
Work Package 2: Device
Performance & Evaluation
A range of available wearables will be acquired
and evaluated. These will be selected by the
Steering Group based on the outputs from the
Work Package 1 review.
The evaluation will be based on the
comparison of performances and
characteristics (e.g. cost, data access) against
standardised and traceable measurement
technologies in standard conditions relevant
to occupational settings.
Deliverable: A report detailing the
performance of wearable technologies and
in what circumstances they could be used
appropriately to monitor health and safety risks.
Work Package 3: Data
Collection & Integration
This work package aims to provide greater
clarity around integrating wearables into IT
systems. This will review areas of complexity
ranging from data compatibility, data volume
and data velocity through to system integration
and data protection.
Tests and evaluations will be undertaken using
suitable wearables selected for use in previous
work packages and in line with sponsors’
specifications.
PPTex - Research 23
Deliverable: A report
detailing good
practice for integrating wearable devices into
IT systems.
Work Package 4: Data
Analysis
A detailed analysis of the data collected will be
undertaken to identify the benefits, common
analytical approaches and barriers to using
data from wearables to help reduce risks.
This time resolved data will provide a rich
source of information on personal exposure
to a hazard for any time periods of choice and
on MSD risk levels at different work sites for
different tasks and for different individuals.
Deliverable: A guide to key methods and
approaches to analyse and interpret data
from multiple wearables to provide insight
to improve health and safety outcomes and
controls.
Work Package 5: Worker
Acceptability & Behaviour
The introduction of wearables in the workplace
may be a cause of concern for the workforce.
An approach for the evaluation of worker
acceptability will be developed through direct
employee engagement before and during the
device trials.
Evaluation of improved behaviour and
compliance will be undertaken after
implementation of the wearables.
Deliverable: A guide highlighting common
issues experienced surrounding worker
acceptance and approaches to enable
positive behaviour change though the use
of wearables.
The final output will be a good practice guide
on the appropriate use of wearables to support
continuous improvements in workplace health
and safety; this will focus on the two priority
areas of MSDs and health exposures.
For further details, please contact David
Johnson at: david.johnson2@hse.gov.uk
www.hazardexonthenet.net
24 PPTex - Market research
Smart and wearable personal protective
Early product success could pave way for br
In recent years, there has been a lot of
discussion about connected workers
and smart and wearable products
being the future of the personal
protective equipment (PPE) industry.
This article by Sanjiv Bhaskar of Frost
& Sullivan looks at some of the results
from the company’s recent research
into this sector and highlights possible
future trends.
The development of innovative wearable
products, evolving end-user industries,
rapid adoption of the Internet of Things
(IoT) and related technologies are some of
the key factors driving critical investment
in next-generation PPE products and
solutions. However, the real game-changer
www.hazardexonthenet.net
will be products that have the potential
to transform workers’ environments
through advanced situation awareness.
These products will have real-time direct
communication capabilities to mitigate risk
and avert life-threatening accidents.
Frost & Sullivan’s survey, Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) Voice of
the Customer Study 2017, indicated
that nearly 75% of buyers were open to
adopting smart and wearable products.
Similarly, almost 70% of wearers of PPE
were open to the adoption of smart and
wearable products. This does indicate that
the industry is ready for the adoption of
smart and wearable technology if it meets
their safety and financial goals.
Every Occupational Health and Safety
(OHS) manager has the primary task of
ensuring the safety of their workforce and
compliance with mandated regulations
and enforcement agencies. They also
have to work within tight budgets. Any
attempt to adopt smart and wearable
PPE products will have to address key
questions about cost, safety, compliance,
employee and business productivity,
automation and the impact on network
security. The industry is also highly
fragmented, competitive and price
sensitive. Commoditisation is prevalent
at every product category level. These
factors play a major part in hindering smart
and wearable PPE product innovation,
adoption and growth.

e equipment -
roader adoption
End-user industries where workers are
exposed to hazardous environments are
incubators for testing and adoption of smart
and wearable products and technologies.
Oil and gas, mining, and firefighting are
some examples that are considered “high-
value worker” industries. Due to workers’
exposure to highly hazardous conditions,
the adoption of technologies that can help
reduce the risk of accidents and fatality is
significantly greater.
Another important factor is the rapid
development and deployment of IoT
technology in everyday life. IoT products and
devices have impacted our lives in many
ways. Our recent research, 2019 Update-
Total Internet of Things (IoT) device Forecast,
2017 – 2025, estimates that 67.7 billion IoT
devices will be in use by 2024. Of these,
almost 11 billion devices are likely to be for
factory and industrial automation. Add to this
the rapid deployment of 5G platforms, and
growth could be significantly faster.
Larger companies and global corporations
are pursuing the adoption of smart and
wearable PPE products due to a favourable
return on investment (ROI). Major benefits
include higher productivity, reduced cost of
workers’ compensation insurance premiums,
and lower medical treatment costs.
Frost & Sullivan’s 2016 study, “Wearables
and Smart Personal Protection Equipment
(PPE) Technologies for the Industrial
Market,” highlighted several smart and
wearable products. However, not all have
advanced in the past three years. Some
companies that have advanced in the
marketplace have adopted a “systems
approach” and we believe this approach
will find better traction in the coming
years. Companies that help in creating
an ecosystem with the lowest cost and
disruption and can show enhanced ROI will
see better adoption in the coming years.
Smart and wearable products can prevent
accidents and protect workers, which could
be a game-changer.
Companies offering their services to the
high-risk industries include RealWear,
Guardhat, Blackline Safety, Corvex,
Kinetic, and Levitate Technologies. These
companies attract clients in the oil and gas,
mining, and manufacturing industries.
Guardhat is providing a lot more than a
hardhat with embedded sensors. It offers a
full end-to-end situational awareness system
that uses its own KYRA platform. Its solution
goes beyond its hardware and integrates
with any connectable sensor and with a
variety of third-party platforms, making it
easy to implement solutions for
its clients and integrate with Industry 4.0.
Blackline Safety has developed multi-
gas detection equipment with 3G wireless
and two-way speakerphone, thereby
connecting workers with a live monitoring
team. Its devices offer inbuilt cellular and
satellite connectivity, allowing two-way
PPTex – Market research 25
communication. Its G7c takes a fraction of
the time required for a regular gas detector
to help in evacuation of workers exposed
to hazardous gases. This time lag can be
the difference between life and death for a
worker.
RealWear is offering HMT-1 and HMT-1Z1
wearable Android tablets for use in almost
any industry. These products, in conjunction
with its cloud-based Foresight platform,
offer a hands-free, voice-activated platform
with 95% accuracy, even in environments
with high ambient noise. The company is
finding increasing acceptance in the market
for its offerings.
These are a few examples, and their
success could lead the way for wider
adoption of similar products and
technologies. Nevertheless, the industry is
experiencing rapid change, and the next
three to five years will be critical as solution
cost reductions and better ROI for end-user
industries transform the smart and wearable
PPE sector.
About the author
Sanjiv Bhaskar is Vice President
of Research, Visionary Science
Practice, at Frost & Sullivan. He
has been with the company for 20
years and previous positions have
included Global Director - Personal
Protective Equipment Markets and
Director - Environmental and Building
Technologies Practice. His expertise
includes extensive knowledge of PPE,
wearable technology, industrial safety,
occupational health & safety, and smart
working practice and technology.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
26 PPTex - software
The role of software in safety
P ersonnel Protection Technologies
(PPT) are changing the way that
both individuals and companies detect
risks in hazardous environments. Their
prevalence in industry is increasing
as companies look to modernise and
improve their safety operations.
As PPT becomes a more viable option
for use in high hazard industries, there is
an increased need for a smarter way of
managing and taking advantage of the
data produced by smart safety devices.
For this article, Hazardex Associate
Editor Alistair Hookway spoke to
Restrata CEO Botan Osman about the
digital transformation of safety and the
role that software plays in managing and
analysing the data produced by PPT.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
To make technology
truly effective, ease of
engagement and ease of
implementation are both
essential in understanding
how it can improve
current operations
The strong demand, growing supply
and decreasing costs of PPT indicate
that a digital transformation of safety
is well underway. This next generation
of wearable & IoT devices, paired with
Cloud-based platforms, is unlocking the
potential for the next major chapter in safety
management. This ‘safety 2.0’ generation
is about highlighting and refreshing the
vision for what is possible when safety and
technology combine.
Safety improves incrementally with
every introduction of new standards and
improvements can be seen every year.
However, safety 2.0 is about the full adoption
of new technologies in order to create the
next wave of disruptive change in the safety
sector where standards and solutions are
improved in parallel. Digital safety enables
faster access to vital information in order to
understand when and how to act to protect
lives and assets. It also enables the capture
of safety-related data, which means that
over time, analytics can be used to impact
long term improvements in the way safety
managers operate.

Software as a Service
Cloud-based platforms have been built that
integrate real-time data from IoT sensors
and wearables – for tracking, access
control, and travel management at either
a specific site or for an individual person
– with localised site-based management
to offer a global view of an enterprise’s
operations. These platforms are particularly
pertinent for lone workers operating in
hazardous or restricted environments.
Tracking paired with mass communications
functionality enables Control Centre
Operators to respond quickly and accurately
when an alert is raised.
Having associations with multiple hardware
vendors means that software can be
designed to be hardware agnostic so that
it can integrate with almost any type of
wearable and provide a seamless view of an
entire enterprise, regardless of whether the
organisation is using legacy equipment or
investing in new technology. This is where the
future of wearables will be paramount in the
sector. The ability to connect each individual
on a site with sensors and understand
their exact location, heartbeat, access gas
monitors etc., changes the way organisations
are able to detect and manage risk.
Enterprise software offers companies a
granular global picture of every site under
their jurisdiction in real-time – an indication
that paper tick sheets may soon be a thing
of the past. One of the benefits of Software
as a Service (SaaS) Platforms is that they
are simple to launch and can be expanded
across sites rapidly, allowing an enterprise to
access data across all their sites holistically.
For example, if a client has multiple sites
registered across various access control
systems, different Bluetooth systems etc.,
and were then to open a brand-new site
with no hardware whatsoever, handset
mobile devices can quickly be deployed
with an app-based version of the software,
almost overnight. The Cloud-based software
paired with the handset app can efficiently
register people moving in and out of sites
and zones, with the added ability to muster
and evacuate.
The power of using Cloud-based software
is that it brings together the total picture.
Regardless of where an emergency team,
crisis response team, or operations team is,
they will be able to get a real-time view of
what’s happening in a situation and become
completely geographically independent
in terms of the way that they respond to
incidents.
As with all technological developments, the
increased use of PPT has come with its own
issues. Just a few years ago, Big Data and
network restrictions were difficult hurdles
to overcome, but recent improvements to
network speeds and the development of
satellite technologies have meant these
are no longer major barriers to adoption.
This also means that Cloud-based software
platforms can overcome unlikely downtime
restrictions and benefit from the large
amounts of data produced by PPT in an
effective and continuous manner.
For some companies, there can be
trepidation when engaging with new
technology even though this means losing
out on opportunities to save time and
money and improve safety. However,
technology adoption is not simply just an
implementation of the technology itself.
It’s also important to consider how new
technology fits into the wider context
of an organisation and how it can help
change a corporate culture for the better.
To make technology truly effective, ease of
engagement and ease of implementation
are both essential in understanding how it
can improve current operations.
The future
Ultimately, the future of safety is all about
data and the analysis of such data that
correlates around people, assets and
environments. The way those three subjects
interrelate will enable insights to improve
the way that safety managers respond in
the moment, but also enables long-term
improvements to safety operations. Of
course, it is wearables, smarter software
and connected devices that will play huge
role in obtaining this data. It’s all about the
initial, and accurate, data capture at the
point of an event along with the relaying of
feedback on that data back to the point
of the event. For example, if an engineer
wearing a gas detector is alerted to high
gas levels, then the feedback for that
PPTex - software 27
engineer and any other personnel on the
site would be to exit that area immediately.
This feedback could come via a smartwatch
or other wearable device and would display
a warning to any personnel in the vicinity
of where the initial data is recorded. All
workers would then be tracked via the
enterprise software to ensure everyone is
accounted for and been able to retreat to a
safe location.
Expectations of software in terms of user
experience and design are now higher than
ever before. Even industrial safety-based
software is required to be well designed
and engaging for the user. Intuitive software
that is simple to use and easy to integrate
with hardware allows data produced
by PPT to be effectively managed and
monitored. Together with PPT, software can
play a crucial role in developing smarter
safety operations and minimising risks in
hazardous environments.
About the author
Botan Osman is CEO of Restrata
and was appointed into the position in
2017. He previously served as Global
Director for Business Development
& prior to that as Country Director
Kurdistan. Botan joined Restrata in
2013 from the Kurdistan Regional
Government of Iraq, where he founded
the KRG Department of IT & served the
Head. He also served as the IT Advisor
to the Prime Minister. Botan holds a
BEng in Software Engineering from
Manchester University and has over two
decades of experience in Technology
& Security Industries in UK, Europe &
Middle East. He has also completed
executive programmes at Harvard
Kennedy School of Government, NDU
& the UK Defence Academy.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
 28 PPTex - augmented reality
Wearables & PPE in Industry 4.0
T he fourth industrial revolution is
seeing changes in every aspect of
manufacturing and resource extraction,
including worker safety. While 20th
century personal protective equipment
(PPE) will continue to be necessary in
hazardous environments, the need for
personnel to enter those environments is
decreasing. The proliferation of sensors
collecting process and production
data from vital assets, combined with
wearables and platforms for remote
collaboration, means fewer trips to
hazardous environments.
Occupational safety has come a long way
since the first industrial revolution. In fact, we
were well on our way to the second – with the
introduction of electricity and emergence of
mass production – before seeing any significant
progress on worker safety. By the time the third
industrial revolution got started in the 1960s,
with automation and computerisation, the PPE
landscape had changed considerably.
Today, we are undergoing a fourth industrial
revolution, one driven by connectivity and
Big Data. The biggest difference between the
factories of today and those of tomorrow is not
what’s inside them, but what’s between them:
real-time information about industrial processes
and production from all around the globe. And
www.hazardexonthenet.net
BW CATCHER operates in the North Sea for Premier Oil
and will use augmented reality to improve communication
with onshore support, enhancing operational efficiency
this opens up new possibilities for how to deal
with hazardous environments.
Hazardous environments
& worker safety
Although the UK Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) has reported a long-term reduction
in the number of workplace fatalities since
1981, the number has remained broadly flat
in the last decade. A similar trend can be
found in the HSE’s number of working days
lost due to workplace injuries, which also
saw a general decline until 2010/11, and has
been broadly flat thereafter.
The obvious explanation for these trends
is that, as safety standards and PPE have
improved, workplace injuries and fatalities
have generally declined. However, we may
well have reached the point where these
numbers can no longer be reduced by
passing stricter regulations or requiring more
PPE. So long as workers are present in
hazardous environments, some level of risk
will be present as well.
The obvious solution is to reduce the
number of interactions workers have with
hazardous environments, and this is where
Industry 4.0 comes into play with two
technologies in particular: wearables and
remote connectivity.
Wearables & remote
connectivity
As the cost of IoT sensors has fallen, the
capability to extract information from products
and equipment has grown at a commensurate
rate. This has been coupled with the spread
of industrial connectivity, and organisations
adopting these technologies have already seen
considerable returns. In 2016, GE estimated
that its Digital Thread – the connection of
data throughout its value stream – generated
$700M USD in productivity gains.
In the field or on the factory floor, the ability
to leverage this connectivity is the key to
bringing experts into hazardous environments
remotely. Dario Buccellato, Regional Manager
for Europe, America and Africa – Inspection
services at DNV GL, offered the following
example: “For Oil & Gas, Hazardous Area
Classification (HAC) is a major concern, and
that’s where we see the advantage of applying
remote technologies to inspection: not having
people in workshops where there’s cutting and
welding or around equipment that’s running at
high speeds or temperatures.”
DNV GL has been working with the Onsight
augmented reality platform developed by
Librestream Technologies to enable its
inspectors to visit offshore operations virtually,
rather than requiring them to be on-site.

The result is fewer exposure hours, but the
catch is that a facility must have a sufficient
level of connectivity to make remote
collaboration possible. “If you look at the
environments involved, they might be a factory
and an office,” Buccellato said. “Of course, you
have a good connection in the office, but you
need it when you go to the workshop as well.
Nowadays, many factories are equipped, but
there’s still the need for upgrades. Fortunately,
digitalisation is one of the first items on
everyone’s agenda.”
Users can also compensate for lower levels of
connectivity by selecting an augmented reality
platform that can operate in such conditions.
Some remote expert solutions are designed to
maintain functionality at connection speeds of
less than 100kbps. It’s an important feature in
many industrial use cases, especially those in
remote locations.
Beyond safety with remote
collaboration
While the opportunity to reduce the total
number of exposure hours is perhaps the most
obvious advantage of using wearables for
remote collaboration, there are several ancillary
benefits to doing so as well. For example,
remote collaboration can significantly accelerate
the time it takes for inspections and verifications
on offshore assets. BW OFFSHORE recently
announced that it will be deploying an
augmented reality platform for just this reason
on the Floating Production Storage and
Offloading (FPSO) vessel, BW CATCHER.
PPTex - augmented reality 29
“We have surveyors in Oslo that sometimes digital instructions, and even enhancing their
have to travel almost two days to reach a perception with thermal imaging.
vessel in West Africa,” said Gabriel de Moraes,
Technical and Maintenance Coordinator, BW Each industrial revolution has brought new
OFFSHORE, who is coordinating the Onsight opportunities to enhance worker safety, from
augmented reality platform deployment. machine guarding and respirators to hearing
“Depending on flight schedules, the surveyor and eye protection. The fourth industrial
may need to stay onboard for a few days, even revolution brings the potential to reduce
though their scope onboard may take just a exposure hours in a way never before possible,
couple of hours.” with wearables as the next generation of
personal protective equipment.
Buccellato pointed to two related benefits
of remote collaboration. “There’s also the About the author
environmental impact,” he said. “Not having
people flying and travelling means you don’t
just reduce the cost of travel, but the carbon
footprint as well. Plus, we can have an inspector
who’s available for eight hours, instead of having
someone traveling for six and working for two,
so you can manage your resources in a different
way.” This fits well with the trend towards
as-a-service (aaS) models, which brings with
it increased expectations regarding customer
support and expert availability.
Finally, remote collaboration enabled via
wearables and augmented reality provides a
new avenue of response to the impending skills
gap in manufacturing. The now infamous study
from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute Ian Wright is a philosopher-turned-
writer, with bachelor’s and master’s
projecting 2.4 million unfilled positions in
degrees in philosophy. Ian was Managing
manufacturing over the next decade has raised
Editor at engineering.com and is now
pressing questions about how to respond.
a freelance writer covering topics
Wearables present a potential technological within digital transformation, such as
solution to this problem, enabling expert augmented reality.
support for connected workers, providing
Offshore technician shares data and video with an onshore
expert using a wearable thermal camera and augmented
reality software for immediate diagnosis and repair
www.hazardexonthenet.net
 30 PPTex - Case study
Case study - Reliable leak
detection in industrial gas
pressure-relief stations
T essenderlo Kerley International is a
chemical group that supplies value-
added liquid, soluble, and solid plant
nutrition for agriculture applications.
At its production unit in Ham, Belgium,
the company focuses on the production
of potassium sulphate, which is
predominantly used as a fertiliser for
flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
This case study examines how Belgian
inspection company The Sniffers used the
FLIR GF77 uncooled optical gas imaging
camera during a leak detection job at
Tessenderlo Kerley’s plant.
Gas ovens
An essential part of the potassium sulphate
production process involves combining raw
materials in a furnace that is heated above
600° Celsius, creating a reaction between
potassium chloride and sulphuric acid. In
2018, Tessenderlo Kerley decided to make
a serious investment to reduce its carbon
footprint and to convert nearly thirty oil-fired
ovens into natural gas ovens.
Natural gas is now supplied to the site in Ham
via a brand-new pipeline that branches off to
the different furnaces and these are inspected
for leaks on a regular basis. For this highly
specialised inspection work, Tessenderlo
Kerley relies on third parties such as The
Sniffers.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
Pressure-relief stations
Philip Schraeyen and Jan Van Hout, project
leaders at The Sniffers, carried out the
inspection. The pressure of the natural gas
that arrives in the oven station is reduced from
65 to 5 Bar in a pressure-relief station, which
needs to be monitored thoroughly for leaks.
The station has about 150 potential leaking
sources at weak points such as valves and
other connections.
“One of the biggest differences between using
optical gas imaging cameras versus other
devices is speed,” said Schraeyen. “With a
Flame Ionization Detector or FID for example,
this inspection job would take longer. With an
OGI camera we can inspect the entire station
in two minutes.”
Visual power
An FID or other contact-based device
requires the inspector to carefully hold the
sensor very close to the leak source. This can
be a time-intensive task and can also cause
a safety hazard, having to be close to the gas
cloud to identify the leak. Optical gas imaging
cameras allow inspectors to scan for leaks
from a distance without the need for an aerial
platform.
In contrast to FIDs, optical gas imaging
cameras provide a visual image of the leak.
“This says so much more than numbers,”
said Schraeyen. “If you need to report to
your customer, then an image is much
more convincing.” The gas that needs to
be detected at Tessenderlo Kerley Ham is
CH4 (methane). The uncooled FLIR GF77
can visualise these methane emissions in
real-time.
Camera ergonomics
The camera is much smaller than the cooled
GF-Series units, and much easier to carry
around. This camera was built for intensive use
and with the goal of making leak inspections
as comfortable as possible.
“The rotating optical block also makes it easier
to inspect areas that are high up or difficult
to reach,” said Van Hout. This type of OGI
camera enables an operator to inspect over
railings and underneath components without
strain or uncomfortable positioning.
Reliable image quality
The GF77 has three imaging modes:
IR, visual, and the FLIR proprietary High
Sensitivity Mode (HSM), which accentuates
plume movement to make tiny gas leaks
more visible.
During a thorough inspection of one of
the pressure-relief stations, Van Hout and
Schraeyen were able to find a leak at one of
the connections. “The gas leak is clearly visible
in the HSM image and the image quality is
surprisingly good for such a compact, cost
effective camera,” said Van Hout.
Both inspectors also made good use of the
GF77’s 1-Touch Level/Span functionality. This
feature allows users to choose a small area of
interest in a gas image – with one touch of the
screen – enabling the camera to auto-adjust
the level and span based on the contrast at
that spot in the image.
“All in all, the FLIR GF77 is a reliable and highly
ergonomic camera for leak detection jobs,”
said Schraeyen. “And it’s an ideal camera
for inspections at industrial companies like
Tessenderlo Kerley that want to reduce safety
risk or prevent product loss.”
About the company
FLIR Systems designs and produces thermal
imaging cameras, components and imaging
sensors. For more information go to: www.
flir.co.uk

Case study - SOCOTEC
UK and Casella
A n effective method of protecting
workers against harmful exposure
to hazardous substances is through
personal monitoring. Personal sampling
pumps offer an enhanced monitoring
system to identify, assess and control
health hazards in the workplace whilst
providing quantifiable data records.
SOCOTEC UK is a provider of testing,
inspection and compliance services, with
comprehensive solutions across a number
of sectors from infrastructure and energy
through to environment and safety. Delivering
seven million tests a year to more than 5,000
clients, SOCOTEC offers a wide range of
testing, inspection and compliance services
in the UK and the international SOCOTEC
Group has operations in 25 countries and
7,800 employees.
SOCOTEC’s fleet of occupational hygienists
offer the assurance of compliance with
legislation and regulations, including
COSHH Regulations, Control of Noise at
Work Regulations and Control of Vibration
at Work Regulations. SOCOTEC’s team
dBadge2 noise dosimeter
conduct a range of services to assist clients
in monitoring, assessing and controlling
human exposure to health risks, helping
employers and employees to minimise or
eliminate these hazards. To help address
its needs for measurement of exposure to
harmful particulates and vapours, SOCOTEC
has looked to Casella for its air sampling
monitoring solutions.
Since 2004, SOCOTEC has equipped
its occupational hygiene team with the
Casella’s Apex1 and Apex2IS air sampling
pumps, and Casella’s occupational &
environmental noise kits since 2010. The
organisation has over 90 Casella products
and most recently introduced the Casella
Flow Detective Plus in conjunction with
Apex2IS Plus air sampling pump.
Rob Preston, Occupational Hygienist Team
Leader at SOCOTEC, says: “We carry out
a lot of occupational hygiene assessments
across a number of high-risk industries,
in large industrial manufacturing sites,
automotive, nuclear and waste and recycling.
We visit many environments where it is
PPTex - Case study 31
critical that we are able to identify airborne
contamination quickly and effectively to put
it right.”
Rob and his team are responsible for
conducting exposure monitoring and
providing assistance and advice to protect
against physical and chemical agents in
the workplace, relying on their sampling
equipment to accurately detect harmful
dusts, gases, airborne metals in the
atmosphere.
“Using Casella’s Apex2IS we monitor
for a number of harmful substances, for
example silica dust, toxic volatile organic
compounds, airborne metals, and we
need to have complete confidence in the
solutions we use, and in the integrity of
the samples we collect. The Apex pumps
are a huge asset to our team and in our
experience the accuracy, durability and
reliability of the solutions are second to
none,” he says.
In addition to air monitoring, SOCOTEC
employs Casella Sound Level Meters
and dBadge personal noise dosimeters
to measure for occupational and
environmental noise. Rob says: “Some of
our biggest clients are in the quarry and
mining industry based around the UK.
When we go out to these sites, we are
always equipped with our Casella kit.”
Travel is a frequent part of the job for Rob
and his team, so equipment reliability and
ease of use is essential. “A concern for us
when we have remote work,” says Rob,
“is the failure of kit, which could result
in significant loss of time and money. If
equipment is faulty and unreliable this means
repeat visits to the site are required. In our
experience, however, using Casella pumps
this is very rarely an issue and we can trust
in the ability of the kit. It’s for this reason we
continue to work with Casella and why it’s a
partnership built on trust and confidence.”
Casella is dedicated to reducing
occupational health and environmental risks,
and supporting businesses in solving their
monitoring and analysis needs. For more
information go to:
www.casellasolutions.com
www.hazardexonthenet.net
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Acoustic enclosures for industrial blower units on Malaysian project
Sound advice for petrochemical plants
P etrochemical and chemical plants
have become increasingly complex
and the potential for excessive noise
remains high. Rob Lomax, Sales Director
at Wakefield Acoustics, looks at noise
control technologies and the opportunities
presented by installation in petrochemical
and chemical plants.
Petrochemical and chemical plants produce
many important building blocks and products
for industry processes. These plants are
multifaceted – containing large numbers
of industrial plant items and often moving
high volumes of air or gas, while operating
at elevated pressures and temperatures. All
this combined means that such areas can be
exceptionally noisy.
With noise control and environmental
legislation becoming more stringent and
employee health and safety remaining at the
forefront of all processing practices, ensuring
that noise is effectively mitigated has become
a key concern for process plant operators
across the petrochemical and chemical
processing sector.
Noise regulations
The intrinsic dangers of petrochemical
processes are far reaching. Countless studies
have shown that the petrochemical industry
exposes personnel to several health, safety
and environmental hazards. Whilst these
hazards are mainly due to the highly toxic
chemicals and associated gases – including
sulphur oxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen
oxide – the health impacts of excessive on-site
noise are increasingly being recognised by
plants around the world.
To implement best practice and comply with
noise legislation, operators should be taking
a proactive approach to implementing noise
management and mitigation measures within
high-risk petrochemical and chemical plants
to reduce on-site noise and ensure employee
health and safety.
In the UK, the most recent noise legislation
is under The Control of Noise at Work
Regulations 2005, whereby the upper and
lower daily noise exposure action levels have
been reduced by 5 dB from 90 and 85 dB (A)
in the previous directive, to 85 and 80 dB (A),
respectively.
Today there is also an increased emphasis on
controlling noise at source wherever possible,
a sizeable shift from the focus of earlier
legislation on assessment and quantification
of exposure levels, and recommendations for
hearing protection.
Noise control & acoustics 33
Innovative solutions
Forward-thinking plant operators across the
industry should be considering ways to utilise
noise mitigation technologies throughout their
facilities on a greater scale. Thankfully, several
solutions exist that will transform operations.
As no two plant installations are the same,
careful consideration must be given to each
system’s function, location, permitted noise
levels and much more in order to determine
the most effective noise control solution for
the application. As a result, when it comes to
specifying noise mitigation products for on-site
equipment in such environments, there is
no one-size-fits-all solution and a number of
factors must be deliberated.
A key noise mitigation solution available to the
petrochemical and chemical sectors – and
one that generally offers the best level of noise
mitigation – is full acoustic enclosures. Ranging
from drop-over canopies to site-assembled
modular units, acoustic enclosures are
manufactured with a range of access options,
such as hinged removable panels, personnel
access or sliding doors, and framed lift-off roof
sections for major maintenance operations.
Full acoustic enclosures can ensure noise
levels fall below those set by the Control of
Noise at Work Regulations, however, there
www.hazardexonthenet.net
 34 Noise control & acoustics
are other considerations which also need to
be made before installation can take place.
For instance, plant operators must carefully
consider the installation location, taking
account of hazardous area conditions and
temperatures such that appropriate ventilation
and gas /fire detection system are considered.
When required, electrical installations and
ventilation systems are normally integrated
into the enclosure design, and the latter can
include run and standby axial/centrifugal fan
arrangements with ATEX certification where
required. Enclosures can also be painted
with a variety of high specification finishes for
corrosive environments.
The sound of silence
Attenuators and silencers offer another
solution and are designed to suit a variety of
air-movement applications, including open-
inlet units complete with air filtration, and in-
line silencers for reducing breakout noise from
process pipework.
These units are generally manufactured to
client specifications, and can be fully welded
where required, determined by system
operating pressures and temperatures.
Depending on the level of acoustic
performance required, silencers can be
designed with a layer of acoustic lagging
www.hazardexonthenet.net
to external surfaces to further reduce breakout
noise, and given the high heat levels which
can sometimes be generated in process air
and gas lines, they can be treated with a heat
resistant paint finish after fabrication.
Unique challenges
Petrochemical plants cause some acoustical
engineering challenges. Petrochemical
processes operate largely outdoors, with
the processing equipment located in close
proximity on open-frame steel structures.
These operations, which include pumps,
compressors, blowers, agitators and coolers,
run out in the open, with limited barriers in
place to restrict equipment noise from carrying
beyond the confines of the plant.
Compounding this is the sheer size and
scale of these operations, which incorporate
a large and varied amount of stationary
sound sources, along with miles of complex,
intertwined piping systems. As a result, the
noise levels generated by these facilities can
often be significant.
Whilst it is particularly difficult to provide
a complete solution to address all noise,
identifying key contributors is fundamental to
reducing the noise impact on site and on the
surrounding community.
A case in point
For a major petrochemical operator with a
complex plant operation in Malaysia, the
process of early identification and noise
mitigation proved central to their drive for
reduced on-site noise.
The company embodied the problems faced
by many of the world’s leading petrochemical
enterprises, with a large expanse of wide-
ranging noise sources located on a single
site, leading to high noise levels. As with
many similar operations, the excessive noise
levels were a cause for concern, prompting
the provider to seek an innovative solution to
reduce noise, protect the workforce as well as
provide easy access for maintenance.
A detailed noise survey showed that a high
level of noise was being experienced by
operators across the entire workspace. Such
were the levels of noise on site, that the entire
facility had become a mandatory ear protection
zone when the machinery was in operation.
In addition to hearing protection reducing the
operators’ noise exposure, it also presented
several operational issues, including the
necessity for regular hearing assessments,
instruction and training on noise, and the
requirement to display signage in relevant high
noise zones.

Excessive noise levels
An analysis of the noise emissions produced
by plant equipment enabled the process
design engineers to identify six blowers as one
of the major sources of noise.
The company was aware that if left untreated,
the noise levels from these blowers could
reach 100 to 105dB(A) due to the breakout
from the casing alone. This was further
compounded by the fact that multiple plant
items were installed in close proximity on
the site, meaning it was quite conceivable
that overall noise levels in the plant areas
could reach 110dB(A), posing significant
risk of hearing damage for operators and
maintenance personnel.
As with most large petrochemical plants and
refineries, the noise emissions from processes
and equipment are highly regulated due to the
potential impact they can have on employees,
the nearby community and the environment.
Additionally, the company needed a system
that was easy to install, simple to access
should maintenance be required on the
blowers, and compliant with the health and
safety requirements of the plant.
Noise control
Noise control measures for industrial plant
items can be particularly complex to design
from an acoustic perspective, given the large
number of noise transfer paths. In addition,
any housings fitted around the equipment
can present significant challenges for the
ventilation of the equipment.
Following initial consultation with a leading
industrial and environmental noise control
manufacturer, the company opted to control
the noise by installing close-fitting acoustic
enclosures. The enclosures were designed
to be close fitting around the blower body
itself and incorporated a sealing plate around
the drive shaft to the motor, enabling it to be
naturally cooled.
The careful consideration of ventilation ensured
that only the main blower casing required
cooling. This not only improved safety, but also
reduced operational costs for cooling. Bespoke
acoustic enclosure design was necessary as
the plant operator required an acoustic lined
tunnel section and guard for motor coupling,
Noise control & acoustics 35
Noise attenuation package for industrial blower units, Flue Gas Desulphurisation Plant, Saudi Arabia
low level quick release access panels for reductions exceeded all expectations,
viewing of the oil sight, integrated cable entry reducing the noise levels by around 25dB(A)
and internal lighting for ATEX zone 2. to 85dB(A) across the plant.
Due to the high heat loads from the enclosed In addition, with integrated access panels
blower casing, enclosures were fitted with a installed in the enclosure housing, the plant
forced ventilation system comprising of an operator has been able to reduce downtime
axial flow fan, with a suitably sized attenuator for maintenance.
unit to limit noise emissions. In this instance,
for the petrochemical site the ventilation fans
About the author
were supplied with ATEX-rated motors, in a
run-and-standby arrangement.
Additional considerations
A number of other factors were carefully
considered throughout the design and
implementation of the acoustic enclosures.
As the main drive motor was not enclosed,
which itself generated approx. 82dB(A), this
‘half’ enclosure approach meant that noise
emissions from the exposed mechanism
would need to be considered in the overall
acoustic requirement.
To overcome this issue and meet the required
noise level of 85dB(A), the industrial and
environmental noise control manufacturer had
to over attenuate the noise emissions from
the main enclosure unit in order to guarantee Rob Lomax is Sales Director at
the resultant levels met the limits set by the Wakefield Acoustics, one of the
petrochemical company. UK’s leading manufacturers of
advanced industrial, commercial and
environmental noise control systems.
Breakout noise from associated pipework
With over 20 years’ experience as
was treated by means of in-line absorptive
a noise control engineer, he has
silencers, along with external acoustic lagging.
extensive knowledge of designing
and estimating noise control
As a result of the implementation of acoustic equipment for industrial and building
enclosures and other effective noise control services applications.
measures across all six blowers, initial noise
www.hazardexonthenet.net
 36 Downstream
European downstream sa
C oncawe, the European
downstream industry
organisation, has published personal
safety performance results for 2018.
This article is based on selected
sections of Concawe Report 6/19 –
‘European downstream oil industry
safety performance - Statistical
summary of reported incidents 2018’
- and provides comparisons with the
industry’s safety performance over
previous years
In 2009, Concawe began to compile
Process Safety Performance Indicator
(PSPI) data. These describe the number of
Process Safety Events (PSE) expressed as
unintended Loss of Primary Containment
(LOPC). The 2018 PSE data represents 40
out of 42 of the manufacturing companies.
1. Fatalities
There were ten fatalities reported for 2018.
Six contractors died following a single
explosion at a fuel loading terminal serving
a refinery. A further three fatalities were
recorded as a result of road accidents.
All were engaged in marketing activities.
A tanker truck driver (own staff) was fatally
www.hazardexonthenet.net
Table 1 - Fatalities by sector 2009-2018
injured when the vehicle left a motorway
and overturned. Equipment reliability and
human factors were identified as causal
factors in this incident. One contractor died
as a result of losing control of a vehicle on
a straight road and another contractor died
following collision with a stationary vehicle
on a highway. Both incidents reported
human factors as the sole causal factor.
A single manufacturing contractor was also
fatally injured in an incident categorised
as ‘Struck by’ - no further details of this
incident have been provided.
This represents a significant rise in
annual number of fatalities following two
consecutive years of the lowest number
of annual fatalities recorded (two fatalities
in both 2016 and 2017). The 2018 data
indicates that continued efforts are
essential to achieve the target of zero
fatalities in the downstream industry.
Concawe members study lost workday
injuries (LWI) in addition to fatalities to
identify further opportunities for continuous
safety performance improvement.
2018 has seen a severe reversal in
the downward trend over recent years
in numbers of fatalities in European
downstream oil industry figures. Annual
fatalities in 2018 are at the highest level
since 2012 for manufacturing and since
2016 for marketing.
Increased focus on understanding causal
factors and putting in place clearly defined
preventative actions are required to achieve
and sustain our objective of zero fatalities.
In 2013, the membership agreed to adopt
15 incident categories to describe both

afety performance in 2018
fatalities and lost workday injury
(LWI) in an attempt to learn
more from the actual incidents.
These categories allow for better
benchmarking and alignment
with other industry organisations,
particularly the IOGP that
represents the upstream sector of
the oil and gas industry.
Figure 2 summarises the
categories of all fatalities which Figure 1 - Number of fatalities by category 2013-2018
were allocated by participating
companies in the period 2013 to
2018. As new information regarding fatality
categorisation for historic incidents has been
provided to Concawe throughout 2018,
Figure 2 does not compare directly with
previously reported data in the Concawe
2017 report. There are two additional
manufacturing Explosion or Burns fatalities
in the period 2013-2017, not included in
the 2017 report. A manufacturing Falls from
Height fatality which had been erroneously
assigned to marketing has now also been
corrected.
Since Concawe moved to reporting fatalities
against the same 16 categories as lost
workday injury in 2013, Explosions or Burns
(twelve fatalities), Road Accident (seven
fatalities) and Struck by (six fatalities) have
been the largest contributors to fatalities in
the industry. Together, the three categories
account for approximately 74% of the
fatalities experienced in the industry since
2013. Two of the 34 fatalities in this period
have not been allocated to a category.
Until 2013, Concawe compiled fatality data
against broad categories that could change
year to year. Expanding this to 16 distinct
categories provided for greater transparency
Downstream 37
of cause and better benchmarking, but
risked losing information on longer term
trends. However, by revisiting pre-2013
data, a reasonably consistent pattern
can be seen.
Explosion or burns and Road
Accidents are the most prevalent fatal
incident categories recorded in the
period 2009-2018. Road accidents
have declined as an overall percentage
of all fatalities compared to 1998-2008
when they represented almost half of
all fatalities. No fatal road accidents were
recorded in 2016 and 2017 but in 2018 three
people were fatally injured in separate road
accidents.
Falls from Height and Stuck by categorised
incidents are the next most prevalent, the
former category accounting for over 10% of
fatalities over the last 10 years.
2. Lost workday injuries
In 2018, there were a total of 586 lost
workday injuries, with 56% of these in
manufacturing and 44% in marketing.
Manufacturing LWI are split evenly across
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 38 Downstream

staff and contractors whereas marketing LWI
are more prominent among staff (59%), than
contractors (41%).
There was an overall increase in lost workday
injury frequency (LWIF) compared to 2017.
The LWIF went from 0.97 LWI/Mh in 2017
to 1.02 LWI/Mh in 2018 across all workers.
Thirty-five companies reported LWI in both
2018 and 2017. Of these, 17 companies
(49%) reported a lower overall LWIF in
2018 than in 2017, 4 companies had the
same LWIF in 2017 and 2018 (11%) and 14
companies (40%) had a higher LWIF in 2018.
Manufacturing staff are the sector with the
highest LWIF (1.50 in 2018, compared with
1.53 in 2017) and marketing contractors
have the lowest recorded LWIF of all sectors
in 2018 and the largest improvement in LWIF
since last year (0.73 in 2018, compared with
0.81 in 2017). Marketing staff LWIF rose
modestly from 0.95 to 0.97 in 2018.
therefore essential for the creation of a
supportive safety culture and the fostering of
the right organisational behaviours necessary
to achieve zero incidents or accidents in
operations.
Table 4 indicates a relatively small number
of categories contribute to most LWIs
reported. Slips and Trips (same height),
Struck by and Falls from Height together
account for almost 54% of all LWIs reported
in 2018 and this holds true for each sector,
manufacturing and marketing, as detailed in
Table 5. Other frequent categories include
Explosion and Burns and Caught in, under or
between in manufacturing (9.8% and 8.9%
of manufacturing LWI) and Cut, Puncture,
Scrape and Overexertion, Strain (9.0% and
6.7% of marketing LWI). Slight differences
between the sectors emerge between less
frequent LWI categories.
Concentrating on the most frequent
categories of these incidents offers the
opportunity to address prevention of lost
workday injury across both sectors.
For the first time in 2018, Concawe collected
causal factors where available for each LWI.
Causal factors are described in alignment
with API RP754 (2016) and multiple factors
may be recorded per LWI. Causal factors
were not available for 23% of LWI (135
LWI incidents). In many cases, this reflects
ongoing investigations and causal factors for
such incidents may be recorded by Concawe
in future.

For comparison purposes, the LTIF

(frequency of LWIs + Fatalities) has been
calculated for each category of workers,
compared with the LWIF and presented in
Table 3 below.

There is little difference between the two

measures when the total number of fatalities is
lower relative (10) to the number of LWI (586).

Table 4 - Categories of lost workday injuries in 2018

Table 3 - Comparison of LWIF and LTIF in 2018

It has long been accepted that to achieve a

sustainable zero-fatality safety performance
a company must continually work to reduce
lower level safety incidents (such as lost
workday injuries, restricted workday injuries,
medical treatment cases, first aid cases and
near misses). Although lower level incidents
such as slips and trips can result in relatively
minor consequences, the actual root causes
behind both minor and major incidents
generally prove to be very similar.

The effective investigation of all incidents

(near miss, minor and major) to obtain a
Table 5 - Categories of LWIs in 2018 - manufacturing vs. marketing
full understanding of their root causes is

www.hazardexonthenet.net
 Downstream 39

The most commonly reported causal factors
across all LWI are Human Factors (34% of
causal factors reported), Safe Work Practices
& Procedures (13%), Risk Assessment
(10%), Procedures (7%) and Design (7%).
There was little difference in the application of
these factors in manufacturing and marketing
related incidents with Human Factors and
Work Practices & Procedures, consistently
the first and second most frequently
reported factor, respectively. Manufacturing
incidents reported Risk Assessment and
Equipment Reliability as third and fourth most
frequent causal factors. Procedures and
Risk Assessment were the third and fourth
most frequently reported causal factors in
marketing incidents.
There was little difference between the
most frequently reported causal factors
in some of the most commonly occurring
incident categories. Human Factors was
the most commonly assigned causal factor
in Slips and Trips, Falls from Height, Road
Accident and Struck by LWI incidents
in both manufacturing and marketing.
Risk Assessment, Safe Work Practices &
Procedures, Procedures and Design were
also commonly reported causal factors
in these incident types. Manufacturing
Explosion and Burns LWI incidents most
frequently reported Risk Assessment as a
causal factor.
The latter category was more prominent in
2018 than in 2017, while incidents related to
Overexertion and strain were less frequent
in 2018 (5.5% compared to 9.5% in 2017).
However, the pattern of categories is broadly
consistent year to year and similar across
both manufacturing and marketing.
For the first time in 2018, Concawe collected
information about LWI incident categories
split between staff and contractors. For the
most frequent LWI incident category, Slips
and Trips, the staff / contractor split is 65 /
35%. Other LWI incident categories provide
a more equal split. The percentage staff /
contractor split for Explosion or burns is 42 /
58, Struck by 52 / 48, Road Accident 50 / 50
and Falls 46 / 54.
While there is no direct correlation between
categories of LWI and fatalities, the data
suggest that focus on reducing LWI in three
areas could have the potential to address
the causes of the majority of fatal incidents
reported in recent years.
These areas are:
* Process Safety to address Explosion,
Burns and Pressure Release-related
incidents
* Operational Safety focused on Struck
by, Caught in under and between and
Working at Height
* Road Safety
Figure 3 shows the historical evolution of the
main performance indicators over the past
10 years across all workers. Fatal accident
rate FAR is 1.73 in 2018, the highest since
2012. The Lost Workday Injury Frequency
LWIF of 1.02 is the highest since 2014
when it was 1.08. Similarly, the All Incident
Frequency AIF of 2018 is 1.89, similar to
that in 2017 (1.90) and higher than the best
performance of 1.59 in 2016.
The Road Accident Rate has decreased from
0.41 in 2017 to 0.29 in 2018, the lowest
rate ever recorded. This is accompanied
by an approximate 9% rise in km driven
since 2017. It is not clear to what extent
this observation is impacted by changes in
reporting activities.
For the full report, go to: www.concawe.
eu/wp-content/uploads/European-
downstream-oil-industry-safety-
performance.pdf

3. Performance trends over

the last 10 years
Performance indicators are particularly useful
for identifying trends and patterns when
considered over time. The historical trends
for the European downstream oil industry
over the past ten years are summarised in
this section. Ten years has been chosen as
Figure 2 - Frequency of causal factors assigned to lost workday injury incidents (note: more than one
a period reasonably representative of actual causal factor may be assigned to an incident)
operating conditions and practices in place
within the industry.

Since Concawe began collecting LWI

data against the 16 categories in 2013 a
pattern has been emerging in the data.
As in fatalities, a limited number of causes
contribute to most LWIs. In 2018, almost
70% of LWIs were caused by the following,
Slips & Trips (same height) 33%, Struck
by 11.5%, Falls from Height 9.6%, Cut,
Puncture, Scrape 8.6% and Caught in
Figure 3 - Performance indicators over the last 10 years 2009-2018 European downstream oil industry
under between 7.2%.

www.hazardexonthenet.net
40 Electrostatics

Risk of electrostatic ignition

FIBC discharging operati
I n this article, James Grimshaw
of Newson Gale looks at why the
greatest risk posed by static electricity
in a flammable or combustible
atmosphere is an explosion due to
electrostatic discharge.
Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers
(FIBCs) have long been considered a great
innovation in the transportation of dry
flowable material since their introduction in
the sixties. Commonly referred to as a “bulk
bag”, “big bag” or “tote”, FIBCs have a body
made of flexible woven material, typically the
high strength thermoplastic, polypropylene,
along with a linear insert. FIBCs are efficient,
and transportation of dry bulk goods such
as sand, fertilisers, plastic granules, seeds,
resin and powder coatings, to name a
few, can be unloaded at a fast rate, with
anywhere between 300 – 500kg typically

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 Electrostatics 41

However, the use of FIBCs are not without hoisted above the tank using a fork lift and
their risks and when filling and emptying the resin was dumped through a circular
FIBCs in hazardous areas, electrostatic port on a hinged tank cover. There was no
charge can accumulate on both the independent venting of displaced vapour
contents (product) and the fabric of the and the tank lid was not gas tight. Despite
material itself. It is common under these the operator reporting that the ground wire
circumstances for the rates at which static was missing from the FIBC, it did not stop
electricity charges are generated to exceed him proceeding to unload the container
the rates at which the charges can relax, regardless.
allowing the accumulation of a static electric
charge to develop within the process. Incident A**
Although the operator himself was not
The danger to plant personnel and the grounded, the nature of the operation
surrounding environment is if the charge involved making a lacquer, meaning that
is released in the presence of a flammable static dissipative footwear would probably
atmosphere, an ignition can occur. Since have been ineffective as there was
many products are combustible, the inherent possibility of a film of lacquer on the floor
electrostatic discharge hazard from the around the tank. Common in processes
material cannot be overlooked. Eliminating* where coatings are prevalent, a build-up
the potential risk of an electrostatic ignition is on the sole of the shoe regularly occurs.
of paramount importance. A cleaner sole will typically give off a
lower resistance. Despite this, he was
Case Studies not considered a likely source of ignition.
The tank lid was open allowing solvent
vapour to readily escape into the operating
area. Although it was not categorically
determined whether the fire occurred
immediately or after the FIBC was nearly
completely empty, as the operator was
standing within the vicinity of the tanker
during the operation, he turned away when
he observed the flash. An operator typically
stands within close proximity of the FIBC
during emptying, first to untie the strings
and later to shake out residual powder. In
this scenario an ignition occurred and the
operator was caught in the flash-fire zone
and severely burned in the process.

n during
In the first incident an FIBC Type C bag
was used to transfer resin to a 6,000 gallon
mixing tank. This operation involved making
lacquer for can coatings. The mixing tank

tions
was equipped with thin conductive wires
running lengthwise through the spout and Minimum Ignition Energies (MIE) of regularly
connected to a bare stranded aluminium transported gases, vapours & dusts in milli-
joules (mJ)
wire and alligator clip. The FIBC was

in 30 seconds or less. Used in agricultural,

chemical, food and pharmaceutical
industries, FIBCs have proven to be simple
to use, cost effective and strong, and are
more convenient than rigid IBCs for powder
transfers because they can be collapsed
Use of different types of FIBC
after use and stored away.

www.hazardexonthenet.net
 42 Electrostatics
However, the use of FIBCs are not without their risks
and when filling and emptying FIBCs
Findings
The investigation into the incident made
the assessment that a spark discharge had
occurred from the ungrounded FIBC during
emptying. The lack of continuity to ground
meant that charge could not be dissipated.
Charge on an insulated object is retained
because of the resistance of the material
itself. For a conductor, such as the FIBC,
to remain charged, it has to be isolated
from earth. As it was known that the resin
had low minimum ignition energy (MIE), it
was assumed that flammable vapour was
a significant factor in the ignition process
reaching well in excess of an acceptable level.
Materials with low MIE will regularly reach the
minimum explosive concentration (MEC) in
an FIBC emptying operation such as the one
described due to the flow-rate and ability to
charge, and may be at risk of combustion
by several sources of ignition. In this incident
electrostatic discharge was the ignition source.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
Unfortunately, this incident involved the
same operator and was not dissimilar
to the first. The main difference being
the FIBC was designed with an internal
conductive aluminium liner bonded to
the polypropylene in the spout. This was
connected to an external grounding tab
to which a grounding clamp was to be
connected by the operator. The FIBC
was suspended over the tank as before,
and after applying the grounding clamp
the discharge spout was pushed through
the port in the tank manway so that it is
extended 10-12 inches inside the tank. The
draw cord was then cut to open the spout
and release resin into the tank.
The FIBC was not opened at the top to vent
the contents and prevent drawing vapour
into the FIBC. On this occasion flow was
delayed and the operator “puffed” the FIBC
to free the flow. Within 10 seconds of flow a
flash occurred. Failure to vent the FIBC was
not believed to be a contributing factor as
there was no fire or explosion inside it.
Incident B**
In the event of an ignition during an FIBC
operation, plant personnel that are usually
within close proximity are likely to be caught
in the flames. The operator once again was
in the vicinity of the FIBC but not touching
it. As a result he received second and third
degree burns to his stomach and face.
The sprinkler system installed above the
tank did not emit water; however, pallets
of resin bags were singed at a distance of
20 – 30ft from the tank. A major hazard in
any explosion is when material is dispersed
into the general plant area and a secondary
ignition occurs. Although the hinged lid
was closed there was again no provision
for venting either the purge gas or the air
entrained into the tank by the powder flow.
A significant displacement of flammable
vapour therefore took place into the
operating area.
Findings
Unlike the first incident, in Incident B it was
reported – but not conclusively determined –
that a grounding connection had been
properly made ensuring continuity to earth
to dissipate static charge. However, it
was not possible to completely ascertain
whether this was the case as the grounding
clamp was unavailable for examination. As
a result, an FIBC operational error causing
loss of continuity could not be ruled out
since the FIBC involved was destroyed
in the fire. Although polypropylene has a
unique blend of qualities and characteristics
that make it an ideal material for the
construction of FIBCs; it is also highly
flammable and susceptible to ignition via
a spark discharge. If we are to generalise
failures for FIBC operations, these typically
occur due to manufacturing defects,
operator error or disabling continuity to
a verified earth via a grounding clamp.
What actions could have
been taken to prevent these
incidents?
With any incident the first place to start
is to determine why electrostatic charge
was “permitted” to accumulate. Charge
generation normally occurs due to the
process of contact and separation of

the material which takes place between
particles and the equipment, known as
triboelectrification. Any material will naturally
become charged by triboelectric action.
Particle separation within FIBC processes
occurs between conveying equipment and
the bulk bag during filling and emptying.
The nature of FIBC operations means that
they are particularly susceptible to charge
accumulation.
In these incidents electrostatic charge
had been allowed to accumulate
because the FIBC was isolated from
ground, whether this was through the
negligent actions of the plant operator
or inconclusive grounding methods. As
grounding wasn’t achieved, charge was
allowed to accumulate. Had grounding
been accomplished via a Type C bag
with either passive (single pole clamp
and cable) or through active means
(monitoring systems), connection to a
true earth ground would’ve been verified
and charge subsequently dissipated. In
accordance with industry guidelines such
as NFPA 77 “Recommended Practice
on Static Electricity” and IEC 61340-4-
4 “Electrostatics – Part 4-4: Standard
test methods for specific applications
– Electrostatic classification of flexible
intermediate bulk containers (FIBC)” the
resistance through the bag should be less
than 1 x 107 ohms (10 meg-ohm).
Given the magnitude of charge that can
build up on bags, an active grounding
system is the recommended – and safer
choice. This is because the system can
determine whether or not the bag’s
construction complies with the relevant
standards and will also ensure the bag
is grounded for the duration of the filling/
emptying operation.
Some systems are able to validate and
monitor the resistance of Type C bags
ensuring that conductive elements of the
bag are capable of dissipating charges in
compliance with the necessary guidelines.
Type C bags are designed to dissipate
static electricity through static dissipative
threads that are interwoven through the
bag’s material. Grounding tabs located
on the bags are points where grounding
systems can be connected to ensure static
Tips for correctly grounding Type C FIBC bags
• Ensure that the grounding system selected
can check and continuously monitor the
full range of resistance through the bag.
• Ensure the grounding system not only
check the condition of the bag’s static
dissipative threads, but also ensure
that the ground circuit includes a direct
monitored connection to a verified True
Earth grounding post.
• Ensure the grounding system does not
monitor a limited percentage of the
permitted range of resistance as they may
pass faulty bags and reject acceptable
bags.
• Ensure Type C bags are manufactured
in accordance with the electrostatic
recommendations of IEC 61340-4-4 /
NFPA 77 or CLC/TR: 50404
electricity does not accumulate on the bag.
Once the connection of two grounding
clamps has been made onto the grounding
tabs, the FIBC system will identify if the bag
is operating in accordance with the relevant
standard. This is achieved by sending an
intrinsically safe signal through the bag. The
system verifies the grounding of the bag by
ensuring the signal returns via a verified true
earth ground (static ground NOT verified
by the FIBC). Should any charge have
accumulated on the bag, it will leave via
the static dissipative threads to the verified
ground.
The static dissipative loop system check
continuously monitors the resistance of the
bag so that if it rises above 1 x 107 ohms,
a red LED on the remote indicator station
illuminates to tell the operator the system
has gone non permissive.
Summary
Of course, recognition of the hazard is only
the first step. It is easy to assume that the
use of simple clamps will automatically
eliminate the risk posed by static electricity.
Electrostatics 43
However, the complexity of dissipating
static effectively requires careful planning
and a sound approach to risk management.
The correct bag and grounding system can
always be negated by plant personnel that
purposely or inadvertently circumvent safety
procedure; however, as documented in
Incident A, the effects far outweigh the time
it takes to perform the necessary checks
and conclusively confirm visually that (a)
the operator has clamped on, and (b) the
system has confirmed a resistance to
ground of 1 x 107 ohms or less.
Regular static hazard awareness training
combined with grounding equipment that
displays compliance with industry guidelines
will go a long way to eliminating fires or
explosions caused by static electricity.
Footnotes
* “For the avoidance of doubt. ‘eliminate’
shall have the meaning that the likelihood
of electrostatic discharge will be eliminated
or mitigated to a low level where the risk
and harm will be eliminated, in line with the
internationally recognised recommended
best practice. We would like to clearly
outline that static electricity as such can
never be completely eliminated.”
Incident A** and Incident B** - Reference
Britton, L (1983). Static Hazards Using
Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers for
Powder Handling.
About the author
James Grimshaw is Marketing Manager
at Newson Gale, a position he has held
for over two years, and is a member
of the Institute of Leadership and
Management. Prior to his current role
he was Marketing Manager at offshore
sensors manufacturer Guidance Marine.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
44 Automation
Play it safe - adhere to the
Machinery Directive
T he Machinery Directive sets a
high and common safety level for
a broad classification of equipment
in terms of design and use. While the
directive also governs the movement
and operation of compliant machines
throughout EU member states, its
primary objective is to ensure worker
safety. In the modern era, as industry
continues to leverage advanced
equipment to optimise productivity
and efficiency, safety responsibilities
must not be compromised.
In this article, Linda Caron, Global
Product Manager Factory Automation
at Parker Hannifin, discusses what
the Machinery Directive entails, how
to adhere to it, and what qualifies as a
‘safety component’.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
Anyone involved in the
specification, design,
manufacture, import,
supply, purchase or
modification of machinery
should be familiar with
the directive
Although first published in 1989, it was in
2009 that the Machinery Directive 2006/42/
EC became law in Europe. The publication’s
primary role is to ensure common safety
levels for any machines introduced to
the market and put into use. Today, the
Machinery Directive sets out the foundation
and regulatory basis for the harmonisation
of Essential Health and Safety Requirements
(EHSR) in the field of machine building.
Importantly, the directive is unified with
CE requirements and spans almost 21 EN
standards to help guide machine OEMs on
safety requirements. In short, the publication
has become the foremost authority on the
design of safe machinery.
Among the many unique qualities of the
Machinery Directive is its broad coverage of
machinery design. Moreover, the publication
mandates a technical file be maintained
on the machine to outline its initiation and
the risk avoidance measures deployed to
maximise safety.
Of course, a safe machine demands the
use of safe components. However, what
is actually meant by the term ‘safety

component’? Well, in terms of the directive, a
safety component is one which: serves to fulfil
a safety function; is independently placed on
the market; and if it fails and/or malfunctions
could endanger the safety of persons.
An interesting observation is that although
the primary purpose of the Machinery
Directive is to ensure common safety, it stops
short of mandating the use of safety-rated
products. The publication does, however,
clearly differentiate standard components
used in a safety application against those
designed and intended as safety-rated
products. Also highlighted is the need for
common sense strategies, such as the
use of e-stop buttons, the removal of air
in a pneumatic machine to protect from
unexpected movement (where safe to do
so), and the addition of technical measures
where risk cannot be designed out.
By definition, safety-rated products are
classified separately and subject to more
demanding requirements, testing and
expectations for performance. A case in
point are safety exhaust valves which meet
the needs of the directive to remove air from
pneumatic machinery during either an e-stop
or a fault condition event.
As part of the purchase decision, safety
valves should tick a number of major criteria,
which include: fast exhaust time to faulted
condition; fast switching time; utilising series-
parallel flow so that both valve elements
(redundant design) shift to supply air
downstream; high B10 value (life expectancy
in switching cycles); and comprehensive
monitoring capability to achieve the highest
level of diagnostic coverage. Only by
selecting a proven product from a reputable
supplier is it possible to ensure that machine
safety attributes are maximised.
The Machinery Directive also points out that
to meet enhanced safety levels, redundancy
and monitoring must be included in the
controls in accordance with EN ISO 13849-
1, as well as validation of the system in line
with EN ISO 13849-2.
The market’s latest intelligent, scalable
controllers exemplify how the state-of-
the-art is evolving when it comes to safety
control systems, in this case for hydraulic
mobile machinery. Such controllers are
more run-time efficient and can execute
larger applications in a quicker cycle time.
Moreover, modern controllers can offer
features that include the execution of safety-
related applications in the lockstep core,
ECC-protected Flash and RAM, and the
implementation of a safety-certified Real-
Time Operating System (RTOS).
By adopting some of the larger modules
available, design engineers have the option
to use one certified controller on all sections
of a hydraulic directional control valve. This
choice provides a cost-effective way to
meet safety function PLc without introducing
additional hydraulic components. For
functions requiring the higher PLd, controllers
Automation 45
are available that can read spool position
sensors and actuate pump unloading valves
to have a second hydraulic shutdown path.
Ultimately of course, there is no margin
for error or oversight when it comes to
safety. Meeting the stipulations of the
Machinery Directive as some kind of ‘tick-
box’ exercise is one thing, but ensuring
the safety of machine users is a far more
important objective. Anyone involved in
the specification, design, manufacture,
import, supply, purchase or modification
of machinery should be familiar with the
directive.
For the machine builder in particular, imagine
the cost of non-compliance, which could
see sales bans, large fines, adverse publicity,
warranty and/or product liability claims,
claims for unfair practice and even criminal
consequences in the case of personal injury.
Armed with these thoughts, the peace-
of-mind provided by using safety-rated
products from a reputable supplier, is little
short of priceless.
About the author
Linda Caron is a Global Product
Manager for Parker Hannifin
Corporation in Factory Automation,
Pneumatic Division, Motion Systems
Group in Richland, Michigan. Linda is
a CMSE, Certified Machinery Safety
Expert (TÜV Nord) and has held various
roles over 27 years in both Fluid Power
(with Parker and Festo) and the within
the Electrical industry, serving global
markets from Oil & Gas to the Food &
Beverage industry. Linda’s focus is on
the IIoT space, network connectivity
and machinery safety.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
 46 Events
National Oil Companies Assembly
Date: 4 December 2019
Location: London, United Kingdom
The Oil and Gas Council National Oil
Assembly returns to London this December.
The forum offers a unique platform for
national and international oil companies and
their partners to engage with their peers
from around the world and discuss the key
energy issues of the day. Supported by key
representatives from national champions
Saudi Aramco, ADNOC, NNPC as well as
the world’s biggest investor Blackrock, it
provides the only international gathering
solely focused on national oil companies
and SOEs.
European Conference on Plant & Process Safety
Date: 11 – 12 December 2019
Location: Cologne, Germany
The conference will bring the technical
safety specialists and managers from
Seveso sector companies together to
learn and network. The event is broadly
supported by the European industrial
chemical associations.
The conference will be held at the Maritim
The Oil and Gas IoT Summit
Date: 22 – 23 January 2020
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Returning to Lisbon The Oil and Gas
IoT Summit brings together an exclusive
community of around 120 major stakeholders
from worldwide operators, EPCs, regulators
and, technology providers to debate and
discuss the key issues and trends shaping
the digital transformation of the industry.
IoT in Oil and Gas is maturing. Moving
from concept to strategy and now to daily
applications which are making real, bottom
line improvements and delivering process
efficiencies.
www.hazardexonthenet.net
As the transformation of the existing NOC
model continues, the Assembly will
allow attendees to:
- Maximise margins, maximise profits:
Find out how to optimise CAPEX/OPEX
decision making in light of external
disruptions
- From maintaining volumes to securing
markets: Using tech to maximise - Access the capital markets: Explore
reserve recovery and expand focus into alternative means of funding capital
petrochemicals and carbon capture & requirements
build a strong portfolio of international - Promote employee buy in & generate
investments excitement amongst managers about
- Remain competitive in a changing strategic change
landscape: Understand the implications
of the evolution of the energy mix on your Website: https://oilandgascouncil.com/
organisation event-events/noc-assembly/
Hotel in the heart of Cologne. Suppliers
to the hazardous processing industry with
specific knowledge on process safety are
invited to participate with a stand at the
Network Forum.
Topics at the conference include:
- Learning from incidents
- Risk reduction tools
- Plant monitoring & Integrity
- Human Performance Website: https://safetycongress.eu/
The Oil and Gas IoT Summit 2020 picks
up the industry’s transformation story
12 months on. Focusing on case study
evidence and lessons learned our speakers
will share their personal experiences,
challenges and REAL results. With one eye
on the future, we’ll also take a look at the - Benefit from strategic insights into new
key trends and developments that look set change management methodologies
to shape the industry in the next 12 months - Discover implementation best practice
and beyond. strategies
- Meet new solution providers
Join us to: - Make powerful new industry
- Explore the business drivers powering connections
this digital sea change
- Take an in-depth look at emerging
trends and technologies https://www.oilandgas-iot.com/
 Data File/Buyers Guide 47

Goennheimer Equipment protection by NEW! iWAP XN3 universal

pressurized enclosure Ex p
The smart solution to integrate standard hardware
in hazardous areas.
Since more than 35 years, Gönnheimer offers market-
leading-technology in pressurized enclosure solutions.
The product range covers controllers and systems
for ATEX and IECEx Zone 1/21 and 2/22, as well as
Div.1/2 areas.
The intelligent controllers offer PID-regulated
pressure and flow, integrating purging and various
pressure- and flowrate-ranges. They allow smart purge solutions of standard cabinet
applications and also special-purposes like analyzers, sensors, robot-systems, printers,
etc. Comprehensive Gönnheimer purge solutions also contain OEM cabinets for qualified
Ex-p applications.
T: 0049 6321 49919 14 E: info@goennheimer.de W: www.goennheimer.de
wireless enclosure system
The new iWAP XN3 is a safe, reliable way to use the
latest wireless technologies in ATEX, IECEx, and North
American Zone 2 and Division 2 hazardous areas.
Fully certified:
ATEX and IECEx Zone 2 and 22, cMETus Class I, II Division 2 and Zone 2
Universal system:
Use any wireless technology including Wi-Fi access points, UHF RFID readers, LTE
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Building on the success of the market-leading iWAP107 Zone 1 universal enclosure system,
the iWAP XN3 is a practical and cost-effective way to deliver strong performance.
Enable your digital transformation – contact Extronics today!
info@extronics.com | +44 (0)845 277 5000

Schmersal launches first ex-proof RFID safety sensor

At Motek 2019, the Schmersal Group is showcasing the first RFID-based safety The EX-RSS16 is available with
sensor which has been designed in accordance with ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU or without latching. For example,
and can be used in EX zones 2 (gas EX, category 3G) and 22 (dust EX, category 3D). the variant with a magnetic latching
This means that the EX-RSS16 combines two important properties for system safety: ensures that a door is held closed
functional safety in accordance with ISO 13849 and explosion protection. At the even when there is no voltage.
same time, the sensor features ignition protection classes Ex ec and Ex tc, covering Because of the built-in RFID
the explosion protection function without requiring another energy-limiting device. technology, the EX-RSS16 enables
Schmersal launched this new development this year. individually coded variants with a
The wear-free safety sensor is perfect for position monitoring of various kinds of coding level of high in accordance
safety equipment, including the monitoring of doors, position monitoring of machine with ISO 14119, thus offering
axles or other rotating, lateral shifting or removable safety equipment. Three different excellent tamper protection.
actuation directions also allow a flexible choice of installation position. T: 01684 571980 E: uksupport@schmersal.co.uk W: www.schmersal.co.uk

Heaters Communications Buyers Guide

SAFE TALK ST-1

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Training Cable Glands Control Panels

AUTOMATION CONTROL & TECHNOLOGY

Your Total Solutions Provider
Specialists in design and custom build of a wide range of
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trant.co.uk
| PI11-01E |

Automation and process technology

in a single system: with PC-based Control

www.beckhoff.com/process
With a comprehensive range of components for explosion protection and the common
interfaces in TwinCAT, Beckhoff offers the possibility to integrate automation and process
technology in a system without barriers into Zone 0/20. The range extends from the narrow,
intrinsically safe EtherCAT Terminals from the ELX series and the high-grade Control Panels
and Panel PCs from the CPX series through to EtherCAT, the fast process technology fieldbus,
and the TwinCAT control software with specific process technology interfaces. This allows
users to directly connect intrinsically safe field devices and to realise integrated control archi-
tectures with barrier-free process technology.

Hall 7, booth 406

TwinCAT 3: with process Complete EX range: from Panels

technology interfaces and Panel PCs to the I/Os