Plant protectors
Facilities managers look after buildings, but how can they mitigate the likelihood of a terrorist attack? Adam Offord examines guidance from the British Institute of Facilities Management
Raise your safety game
During the 10 years that LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) and PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) have been in operation, they've played a significant role in providing safe working environments across industry. Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed) member inspection companies, for example, carried out nearly 300,000 lift examinations and detected 14,000 safety defects - enabling timely corrective action to avert accidents, injury, damage and consequential loss.
Overall benefits
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide (Scotland) Act 2007 will enter the statute books in June this year. Under its provisions, it will be easier for companies of all sizes to be successfully prosecuted for causing the death of an employee or anyone else in their care - mainly because it will no longer be necessary to prove the presence of a ?controlling mind'.
Safety first
When it comes to automated plant, ensuring safety is not just about adherence to the IEC 61508 control system standard or its industry-specific derivatives (IEC 61511 for the process industries, IEC 62061 for machinery etc). It's also about instilling a bullet-proof safety culture and sticking to basic rules. Just as important, we need to understand why people do things that put themselves and others at risk.
Safety first
When it comes to automated plant, ensuring safety is not just about adherence to the IEC 61508 control system standard or its industry-specific derivatives (IEC 61511 for the process industries, IEC 62061 for machinery etc). It's also about instilling a bullet-proof safety culture and sticking to basic rules. Just as important, we need to understand why people do things that put themselves and others at risk.
Safety that boosts the bottom line
In a world where the failure of even a modest-sized steam boiler can cause millions of pounds' worth of damage, as well as injuries and even fatalities, the management of risk should always figure high on the agenda of any business.
Law in your own hands
You could be forgiven for thinking that on 6 April the eyes of the legal profession will be firmly on the Corporate Manslaughter (Corporate Homicide in Scotland) Act, as it comes into force. But you would be wrong. Why? Because for the vast majority of cases that have to do with health and safety, absolutely nothing changes.
The benefit of hindsight now
BP's long awaited report into the causes of its oil rig explosion and the worst oil spill in US history is finally out (page 8). The Deepwater Horizon saga makes grim reading, providing, as it does, a detailed study of the sequence of events BP believes led to the disaster – and the engineering, training and human inadequacies behind them.
Making the case
Plant engineers have serious value to add, way beyond their primary function. Brian Tinham talks to E.On's Ian Jackson about the need to stand up and be counted
Machinery directive
How will you be affected by the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (SI2008/159), which come into force on 29 December 2009? If you're not involved with the design, manufacture or sale of machinery, you might think, ?not much', since the legislation is aimed squarely at suppliers, not plant users.