PLANT & MACHINERY SAFETY
RISK & REWARD
Chris Coleman, Marketing Product Manager – Condensate Handling & Customer Training at Spirax Sarco, looks at some of the key requirements of a boiler house risk assessment and explains how training plays a vital role.
In any workplace, managers have a duty to evaluate the risks associated with that setting and, if there is a boiler installation on site, they are legally bound to keep it working correctly and safely at all times.
Risk assessments are required under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, to determine, measure and mitigate potential risks in the workplace. Unlike some, a boiler house-specific risk assessment is not just a lesson in slips, trips and falls; its key objective is to ensure the boiler is being correctly operated and maintained. Without this framework in place, boiler houses and plants face many risks, from failing
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equipment and costly downtime to jeopardising the safety of staff and property. So it’s important risk assessments are not only completed, but completed correctly.
HELP FROM THE HSE The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) safe management of industrial steam and hot water boilers (INDG436) outlines twelve key factors that need to be considered to ensure the safe operation of the boiler:
1. Operation 2. Competence 3. Training 4. Maintenance 5. Design
6. Location 7. Safety System 8. Control System 9. Testing 10. Examination 11. Supervision 12. Management
It’s true that not all boiler houses and plants are the same and, because of this, risk assessments should always be site-specific. The twelve factors above, however, are a key indicator of what elements should be involved in a risk assessment. They are intrinsically linked; if only one factor is affected, safety on site may be compromised.
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