The PeakHealth & Safety LaboratoryAn agency of the Health & Safety Executive November 2008

Newsletter

Health & Safety Laboratory TT +44 (0)1298 218218 FF +44 (0)1298 218635 www.hsl.gov.ukThe Peak newsletter Issue 2 November 2008

In This IssueHealthcare Associated InfectionsEnergy - But at what price?Jet Fire Testing on Passive Fire ProtectionA Healthy Safety Culture Equals a Healthy Business

In This IssueHealthcare Associated InfectionsEnergy - But at what price?Jet Fire Testing on Passive Fire ProtectionA Healthy Safety Culture Equals a Healthy Business

One of the key challenges faced by the Departmentof Health (DH) is to reduce the number of deathsand illnesses caused by healthcare associatedinfections (HCAI’s), such as Clostridium difficileand Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA). One line of defence being explored by theDH is the use of fumigation devices to kill thesebacteria.Several commercially available fumigation devicesexist and the NHS has recently invested hundredsof thousands of pounds in them in an effort to reduce infection rates. In order to understand theefficacy of the devices it is important for the DH tounderstand how they perform in a range of environments and on a variety of surfaces. HSLwas ideally placed to investigate this through oneof our key facilities – the Controlled AtmosphereChamber. The chamber was used to simulate a hospital sideroom and to test the performance of the devices.

Micro-organisms were ‘seeded’ in known numbersonto a range of typical hospital surfaces, includingfabric, steel, PVC, Safety Vinyl and Formica™.Such work could not easily be undertaken in a realhospital environment due to the ethical complicationsof intentionally introducing micro-organisms intothe hospital setting.

Information from the study is providing valuable information to the DH on the efficacy, safety andgeneral usability of fumigation equipment and isassisting in policy decisions. This will, in turn, helpNHS Trusts to select appropriate equipment to aidthe fight against healthcare associated infections.

Health & Safety Laboratory TT +44 (0)1298 218218 FF +44 (0)1298 218635 www.hsl.gov.uk

Healthcare Associated Infections

For further information please contact Darren Whitehouse +44(0)1298 218407 or emaildarren.whitehouse@hsl.gov.uk

The Peak newsletter Issue 2 November 2008

EnergyBut at what price?

HSE recently undertook a three-year programmeof work to ensure that the integrity of assets andoperations within the oil and gas industry werebeing maintained. This involved a range of targeted inspections on offshore platforms. By combining expertise from across the Laboratory,HSL analysed these inspection reports to look forareas, patterns and underlying causes of bothgood and poor performance. This analysis was keyin understanding the critical elements linked to offshore safety, ranging from passive fire protectionand gas detection to issues with personnel recruitment and retention.

The importance of process safety was recentlyhighlighted by the Energy Minister, MalcolmWickes, in a speech to senior industry representativeswhen he said that “Process safety managementmust be at the top of the Board’s agenda. Everylevel and area of the organisation must be accountable, committed to understanding andmanaging risk and meeting the highest possiblestandards of design, construction, operation and maintenance”.

With demand on the rise, the offshore energy industry faces increased pressure on both its peopleand plant. HSL will continue to apply its processsafety expertise by working to ensure that the highest levels of safety are maintained within suchan economically significant industry. The followingcase study highlights one such project.

For further information contact: Carolyn Yates +44 (0)1298 218268or email carolyn.yates@hsl.gov.uk

Everyone is all too aware of rising energy costs inthe UK, and the implications this has on our everyday lives. However, we need to ensure thatproducing our energy does not have an evengreater cost by putting oil and gas industryemployees at risk.

The rising value of oil and gas has now made thecontinuation and extension of offshore operationsin UK waters more financially attractive than everbefore. This further emphasises the need forgood practice in safety management.

Jet-Fire Testingon Passive Fire Protection

“We are proud to be associated with this joint industry project. The excellent work carried out by HSL will be of immediate value to the oil and gas industry.

This year saw the 20th

anniversary of the PiperAlpha disaster in which167 people lost theirlives on an oil productionplatform, a timely reminderof the importance of processsafety.

The clientA number of organisations, involved primarily in theoffshore industries, shared a common fire safetyproblem. Through an HSL Joint Industry Project,they were able to fund a research programme toinvestigate the issue, a programme none of them could have justified individually.

The problemIn order to prevent fires quickly escalating intomajor catastrophes, pressurised equipment, flammable material and escape routes are oftentreated with a protective coating known as PassiveFire Protection (PFP).

The performance of these materials, when in goodcondition, is well understood. However, there isvery limited information available on PFP performancein a damaged, ageing or repaired state.

The approachHSL worked closely with the sponsor organisationsto understand the typical environments in whichthey would use PFP, and the specific concernsthey had around the use of weathered, damagedor repaired material.

Utilising their extensive experience, HSL’s Fire andProcess Safety Team undertook a programme ofjet-fire resistance testing and developed methodologies to investigate the performance oftypical test pieces, including those that were bothdamaged and repaired. This analysis was carriedout in an environment similar to that experienced offshore in the North Sea.

The impact HSL’s work has had an immediate, positive impacton the offshore industry. It is now possible to identify when either replacement or repair of PFPis required to ensure employee’s lives are not putat increased risk.

Health & Safety Laboratory TT +44 (0)1298 218218 FF +44 (0)1298 218635 www.hsl.gov.uk

Jet-Fire Testingon Passive Fire Protection Case Study“We are proud to be associated with this joint industry project. The excellent work carried out by HSL will be of immediate value to the oil and gas industry.

Les Shirvill, Senior Major Hazards Management Consultant, Shell Global Solutions (UK)

Put simply it is “the way we do things round here”.Essentially, it is the ability of management andworkforce to work together in managing health andsafety. Rather than just a willingness by employeesto comply with rules or behave safely, an effectivesafety culture should be inclusive and permeatethrough an organisation from the boardroom down.

HSL has been helping organisations, such as Ford,approach safety culture in an informed way formany years. Our work involves the use of specialisttechniques such as ‘The Safety Climate Tool’.

Dr Sandra Gadd, Head of HSL’s Risk Science Unit,explains “We worked in partnership with Ford tounderstand their underlying safety culture and toprovide an insight into the potential barriers preventing them from achieving their business objectives. The most significant benefit of this workfor Ford has been the involvement of its employeesin the development of a strategy to address health and safety concerns.”

Ford are now taking forward the recommendationsand they anticipate a reduction in sickness absenceand improved worker well-being. Rob Ardley,Human Resources Manager at Ford Southamptonexplained the benefits:

“We have a very good safety record in Ford. However, it's easy to get complacent. Working withHSL allowed us to get a level of insight and understanding not previously available.

A Healthy Safety Culture

So, what exactly is “safety culture”? In particular, we started to get to know how our people feel about our commitment to safety andbuild a response that will further improve our safety record. Be prepared for honest and sometimes difficult messages, but it's worth thejourney!”

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Health & Safety Laboratory TT +44 (0)1298 218218 FF +44 (0)1298 218635 www.hsl.gov.uk

Process SafetyTeam Profile

As a discipline it can involve design and engineering of facilities, maintenance ofequipment, ensuring effective alarms and controlsexist, and making sure that suitable proceduresand training are in place”.

Such a wide remit means that HSL’s ProcessSafety Team consists of an eclectic team of specialists; from physicists and chemists tochemical, control and mechanical engineers.

“As the name implies”, explains Mike “a process isa series of operations which are performed to obtain an end result. These operations can varygreatly so it’s important that our expertise reflects this”.

Not only are the Process Safety Team multi-disciplinary in their approach to problem-solving, they are multi-national in composition, withstaff from as far afield as Malaysia, India, Japanand Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

“Being part of such a diverse team is particularlyrewarding and interesting”, says Jill. “The range ofexpertise and knowledge we’ve gathered hashelped us gain some invaluable insight andperspective into process safety”.

Current projects the team are involved in are alsodiverse and include CO2 capture and storage,pressure-relief system sizing and risk assessment,and work on the safety aspects of a hydrogen economy.

Bhopal, Chernobyl and, more recently, Buncefield-names that all gained notoriety on an internationalscale when safety processes failed with catastrophicresults.

Ask most people what the term ‘process safety’refers to and you’ll get a multitude of different answers; some accurate and some wide of themark. To Jill Wilday and Mike Wardman, who formpart of HSL’s Process Safety Team, the definition, however, is pretty clear:

“To put it simply”, explains Jill “it is about preventingfires, explosions and accidental releases inchemical process facilities.

Health & Safety Laboratory T +44 (0)1298 218218 F +44 (0)1298 218635 www.hsl.gov.uk The Peak newsletter Issue 2 November 2008

Kate Jones, a Senior Scientist at HSL, has been appointed British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) Ambassador to South Africa for 2008. As part of this role, Kate has already helped deliver two courses on biological monitoring in South Africa.

HSL have just signed a contract with Det NorskVeritas (DNV) to investigate the formation of flammable mists and pools during accidental leaksfrom high-pressure oil pipe-work. The work, whichis sponsored by a consortium of companies involved in the oil industry, as well as HSE’s Offshore Division, builds on expertise that HSL hasdeveloped in previous studies of flammable andtoxic cloud formation.

HSL TRAININGOur knowledge is your business

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A PDF version of 'The Peak' is available onHSL's website www.hsl.gov.uk

HSL’s NewHAVS ToolkitHSL’s newly developed Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) toolkit for occupational health professionals is now available for purchase. The CD-based toolkit contains all of the questionnairesneeded to undertake monitoring for HAVS inaccordance with HSE legislation, including an electronic clinical questionnaire that can be linked toexisting occupationalhealth software.

Contact Simon Hill on +44 (0)1298 218833 or emailsimon.hill@hsl.gov.uk for further details

HSL Training are running a one-day course on ‘‘MMaannaaggiinngg SSiicckknneessss AAbbsseennccee aanndd RReettuurrnn ttoo WWoorrkk’’on December 1st 2008.

The course will cover: � Background to the sickness absence issue – real costs and impact. � Understanding the causes of sickness absence. � The differences between short-term and long-term absence. � Measuring sickness absence – when does it become an issue? � Approaches to managing sickness absence. � Overcoming possible barriers to managing sickness absence.

The cost of the course is£395 + VAT (to includecourse notes, lunch and refreshments). Further information atwww.hsl.gov.uk/training