PLANT & MACHINERY SAFETY NUTS AND BOLTS


Maintenance is vital to ensure essential plant and machinery keep running smoothly. Carrying out these works within a planned schedule will help make maintenance a less dangerous task. John Grenville, Managing Director at ECEX, looks at the key considerations when it comes to safe (and planned) maintenance. All plant and equipment require


regular maintenance. Carrying this out safely depends on the skills of the maintenance engineer, the environment in which work takes place and whether maintenance happens in a structured way, or as a kneejerk reaction to problems. There is also specialist equipment available to make accessing plant easier to speed up maintenance tasks and improve system efficiency.


WHY PLAN? Serious hazards can arise when machinery becomes unreliable and develops faults. Some items of plant and equipment may have safety-critical features where deterioration would cause enhanced danger. Planned maintenance ensures these faults are diagnosed before problems occur, which helps to manage the safety risks associated with failing machinery.


BEFORE YOU START WORK – MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST:


• Should work be carried out by a specialist contractor?


• Have maintenance staff got the right clothing and equipment?


• Plan the work using manufacturer’s instructions and produce a safe system of work to avoid delays and reduce risks


• Is there safe access?


• Ensure other people who may be in the maintenance area are safe, use warning signs and barriers where necessary


• Isolate power supplies and pipelines containing gases or fluids


• Support parts of plant that could fall


• Allow components at a high temperature to cool


• Clean out vessels containing flammable liquids prior to carrying out hot works


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made maintenance access across the roof slow and unsafe. Viacom required a system of fabricated steel walkways, access gantries, ladders and stairs to create continuous, safe routes to all areas.


The ECEX Mechanical team carried out the necessary re-configuration of the chilled water pipework, and then its Fabrication Division pre-assembled the new steelwork at ground level, allowing it to be craned up to the roof in ten metre long gantry sections, which were then fixed into place and laid with GRP gritted non-slip grating surfaces. Lastly, ECEX reinstated the trace heating and insulation.


IMPROVING HVAC


EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITIES The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) govern the ways employers should keep equipment and plant safe through proper maintenance.


If you are an employer and provide equipment to workers – from hand tools and ladders to electrical power tools and larger plant – you need to demonstrate that there are arrangements in place to make sure this is maintained in a safe condition.


With much plant on commercial buildings located on the roof and in awkward to access locations, extra care is required. Staff must be properly trained to work at height and where possible, safe access should be created using gantries, ladders and step overs, which allow those responsible for maintenance to get at equipment in a safe manner.


SAFE MAINTENANCE


IN ACTION At Viacom’s UK HQ and studios in Camden, London, air handling plant is located across the peaks and valleys of the original ‘north light’ roof, which


MAINTENANCE While step overs, gantries and other access equipment can ensure you get to essential plant safely, there are also specific pieces of kit for making maintenance easier and more efficient, while improving the working conditions of equipment.


For HVAC technology, specifically Air Handling Units (AHUs) and chillers, ECEX Air Intake Screens act as a pre- filter, stopping airborne debris from compromising system running and efficiency. Easy and safe to clean – just wiped or vacuumed, with no need to enter the plant itself, the screens can cut maintenance costs by up to 60% and reduce energy wastage by around 5%.


Planned maintenance prevents system downtime, can improve efficiency and is safer. Don’t let problems happen before plant and machinery is checked and serviced. Not only is this bad for business, it could potentially put those responsible for maintenance at unnecessary risk.


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