line of fire identify hazards and assess risks

Copyright of Shell International BV 1

< name presenter >

< role in organisation >

April 2012

Line of Fire

Always position yourself in a safe zone in relation to moving and energised equipment.


What is Line of Fire

Line of Fire is about hazards that have a risk to strike, spray, and pinch or crush someone. Activities leading to these injuries include for example working in close proximity of rotating machinery and working with well equipment.

First priority is to eliminate these hazards entirely if possible. If not, second priority is moving to a safe zone out of Line of Fire.

Line of Fire: situations where workers could get hurt by something which unexpectedly starts to move or releases its energy.

Copyright of Shell International BV

Line of Fire incidents – 33% of Operational Safety LTIs

Struck by, Crush between or Caught in incident types caused 33% of Operational Safety LTIs in Shell during 2009 - mid 2011.

These types of injuries were the largest category in the Oil and Gas Industry as per OGP(*) data 2010.

Activities leading to these injuries include working in close proximity of rotating machinery and working with well equipment.

Shell OS LTI Data Analysis – 2009- Mid 2011

Slips, Trips, Falls , 165, 29%

Struck by or Caught in/under/between, 186,

33%

Control Framework topics related (e.g PTW, Isolation, Work at Height, etc), 210,

38%

(*) OGP – Oil and Gas Producers Forum


Examples of Line of Fire situations

Working near machinery with moving parts

Electric hand tools which could kick back if they jam or catch

Torque wrenches or other levers used to apply force

Chains or slings that are under tension

Loads or Equipment that could fall or tip as restraints are released

Fluids (hydraulic, air, water) under pressure

Use of a hammer where hammer head can fly off

Working at height with tools that can fall on to someone working/ walking below.


Incident examples

Worker run over by truck and fatally injured

Inadvertent expulsion of pneumatic plug

Forklift truck crosses barrier injuring operator

Spray of Bitumin as flange connection not secure

Worker died when wall collapsed while being demolished

Seaman was crushed between standby vessel and daughter craft.


Focus on Line of Fire hazards

The key Target Areas for Line of Fire hazards are:

Heavy Equipment

Machinery

Hand and Power Tools

Material handling

Mobile Equipment

Excavations

Moving vehicles


More Examples of Line of Fire hazards

Common tasks that can lead to Line of Fire situations: Rigging loads, especially when receiving loads and

handling rigging

Working with hand tools

Working with or near welding and grinding operations

Working on a task that involves

(or creates) pinch points

Pigging operations


Some stored energy related hazards

Be aware of Line of Fire situations when you have to work with these or close to these tools.


Line of Fire hazard identification

Line of Fire hazards can be identified using the hazard guidewords Motion or Pressure.


Line of Fire hazard identification (2)

During the risk assessment, ask:

Equipment or machinesCould something begin to move?Where are the pinch points?What controls are there for people working in close proximity?

PressureAre there any stored energy that could be released?What could cause Pressure to release?Are there any hidden pressure hazards?

VehiclesAre people working close to vehicle route?Is the working area noisy so people may not be able to hear? Can any one caught between vehicle movement?


What you can do

Position yourself in a safe zone in relation to moving and energised equipment.

You should: Confirm the safety precautions with the Supervisor or the Person in

Charge when working near moving or energised equipment.

Follow the instructions of the Flagman or the Person in Charge for equipment movements.

Confirm with the Person in Charge that it is safe to enter and/or work in the restricted zone.

Make sure that the driver of a moving vehicle sees you.Icon: International Association of Oil & Gas Producers

(OGP)


What you can do (2)

If you are the Supervisor or Person in Charge

you should:

Confirm that access to areas posing danger is restricted and that barriers are put in place.

Ensure that only authorised personnel are working in a restricted zone.

Confirm that signaling methods and communications are agreed on and understood by everyone.

Ensure that the site is properly lit and/or that high-visibility clothing is worn.

Position yourself in a safe zone in relation to moving and energised equipment.


Recommendations

Identify and asses all possible Stored Energy sources and potential

consequences. Use the hazard identification process prior to all job tasks

Think of all sources; pressure, tension, torque, chemical, pneumatic, physical, gravity, electrical, etc

Think of all potential consequences; injuries, spill, damage, collapse, release, etc

Remember Stored Energy can be as simple as a soda can or as obvious as a high pressure test, so include everything in-between in your assessment.

Determine how all potential sources will be controlled.

What types of control do you have; treat (fix the problem), transfer (find another method), terminate (don’t do it this way), “but do not tolerate (don’t accept the hazard)”.

Have you been exposed to this source of Stored Energy before?

Do you know the characteristics of the Stored Energy source?


Recommendations (2)

Include and assess recovery measures if a control fails.

In the event of a release of Stored Energy will anyone be “in the Line of Fire”?

Will the source of Stored Energy be contained?

Do you need to prepare contingency plans in the event of a release?

Is there a possibility of a chain reaction?

Don’t underestimate the consequences of an uncontrolled energy source.

Don’t rely on PPE as the only method of protection against a Stored Energy release.

Comply with the rules, practices, procedures.

Communicate and intervene if you see something someone else has failed to identify as a potential hazard or overlooked because of inexperience.

Don’t accept the risks, control the hazards!


Q & A


Find the sources of energy

line of fire identify hazards and assess risks

Documents

line of fire2line

heavy equipment machinery

energised equipment

shell os lti data analysis

mobile equipment excavations

types of injuries

hand toolsworking

power tools material