Technical Measures Documents

Essential safety measures are central to ensuring a safe and healthy environment in an enterprise and proper equipment operation and maintenance is vital for life, safety and health of its staff. There are a number of technical measures documents refer to the maintenance procedures that are necessary to mitigate a major accident or hazard. The following aspects should be considered with respect to maintenance procedures: human factors; poorly skilled work force; unconscious and conscious incompetence; good maintainability principles; knowledge of failure rate and maintainability; clear criteria for recognition of faults and marginal performance.

The following issues may contribute towards a major accident or hazard:

• failure of safety critical equipment due to lack of maintenance;

• human error during maintenance;

• static or spark discharge during maintenance in an intrinsically safe zone;

• incompetence of maintenance staff;

• poor communication between maintenance and production staff.

Major hazards could arise from the following:

• the lack of control of spares such that incorrect materials or items outside specification (e.g. non-flameproof equipment) are used in replacement of plant items leading to increased risk of loss of containment, fire or explosion;

• failure to drain and/or isolate plant prior to dismantling causing release of flammable or toxic substances;

• maintenance being performed incompetently (particularly alarm/action set points on instruments incorrectly set, alignment of couplings on pumps and agitators causing overheating, motors running in wrong direction, safety features left disconnected/dismantled, gaskets left out, bolts torqued incorrectly or bolts missing, non-return valves orientation incorrect, pipework/flexibles incorrectly connected/installed, pipeline spades/orifice plates left in/removed, relief valve springs overtightened, bursting discs orientation incorrect/left out);

• scheduled maintenance not being undertaken as required or breakdown maintenance inadequate, leading to unrevealed failures of safety critical items;

• lack of knowledge by maintenance staff of the working environment where maintenance is being carried out (i.e. lack of risk assessments, warning signs, method statements, emergency procedures), leading to ignition of flammable substances (e.g. heat sources such as cigarettes or welding, static and electrical discharge, use of non spark-resistant tools) or injury/fatality from incorrect personal protective equipment (e.g. respirators) being worn;

• unauthorised staff performing maintenance functions;

• failure to re-commission plant correctly after maintenance to ensure that operations are not adversely affected in terms of safety considerations (e.g. contamination, flow rate changes, heat transfer rate changes, mass transfer rate changes).

There are normative publications that can be used as guidance material relating to maintenance procedures in different countries.

COMAH Competent Authority Assessment and Inspection Procedure.

Free version 1/April 2010

Exercise 3. Explain the following statements. Work in pairs.

1. Safe handling is vital for life, safety and health of enterprises’ staff.

2. Human factor (stress, fatigue, shift work, attitude) is crucial to safe environment of a plant.

3. Sufficient precautions are taken prior to maintenance of hazardous plant and equipment (isolation, draining, flushing, environmental monitoring, risk assessments, permits to work, communication, time allotted for the work).

Exercise 4. Find English equivalents to the following Russian phrases in the text.

1. техника безопасности

2. обеспечение безопасной и здоровой обстановки

3. уменьшить последствия крупной аварии

4. частота повреждений и ремонтопригодность

5. повышенный риск потери герметичности, возгорания или взрыва

6. необнаруженные неисправности узлов, важных для обеспечения безопасности

7. производственные условия

8. нормативная литература

Exercise 5. Translate the following passage into Russian. Use a dictionary. Then compare your translation with a partner to improve.

Good industry practice requires that process and plant modifications should not be undertaken without having undertaken a safety, engineering and technical review. This review should be traceable and identify changes proposed to the following factors: process conditions; operating methods; engineering methods; safety; environmental conditions; engineering hardware and design. A form of risk assessment should then identify what hazards have been created by the change that may affect plant or personnel safety, and what action can be implemented to reduce or eliminate the risk. Additional hazards that may be introduced which need to be considered are fire, explosion and loss of containment. Changes may affect other parts of the plant which may be quite remote from the source of the change. Therefore, all parts of the plant should be considered in undertaking hazard identification and risk assessments. Factors that are crucial to the success and safe implementation of a plant modification procedure include corporate history; communication between different departments; recognition of authorised personnel.

Exercise 6. Read the following passage, title it and render in English.

Эксплуатационная документация должна устанавливать требования, которые исключали бы создание опасных ситуаций при вводе в эксплуатацию и эксплуатации производственного оборудования. А также содержали бы требования, определяющие необходимость использования средств и методов защиты работающего. Средства защиты должны выполнять свое назначение непрерывно в процессе функционирования производственного оборудования или при возникновении опасной ситуации. Конструкции и расположение средств защиты не должны ограничивать технологические возможности производственного оборудования и должны обеспечивать удобство его эксплуатации. Специальные устройства, предупреждающие о безопасности должны быть выполнены и расположены так, чтобы их сигналы были хорошо различимы и слышны в производственной обстановке всеми лицами, которым угрожает опасность. Части производственного оборудования, представляющие опасность, должны быть окрашены в сигнальные цвета и обозначены соответствующим знаком безопасности в соответствии с действующими стандартами.

Listening

Exercise 1. Before you watch a video about railway safety, try to predict the answers to these questions.

1. Who are tracks’ passers?

2. How many accidents involving tracks’ passers do usually happen on railway property across Canada?

Exercise 2. Watch the video. Clap your hands when listen the following words.

railway property, accident, tracks’ passers

Exercise 3. Watch again. In the following script differentiate the logical segments and put punctuation marks.

Somepeoplemaythinktheycannotbebeatenbyoncomingtrainbutalocomotivethat

seemsfarawaydownthetrackswillbeapartnerwithinsecondsTrainscannotstopquickly

andcannotswervetoavoidpeopleonthetracksandrailwaycarsthatseemtobesitting

quietlycansuddenlystarttomovewithoutwarningTrainscancomefromanydirectionandanytrackandanytimeTracks’passersarepouringtheirlivesonaline.

Exercise 4. Check what you have remembered. Put the statements below into the correct order.

1. Two years ago we have 92 accidents involving tracks’ passers on railway property across Canada.

2. Susan Petrol often comes across children and teenagers playing on or around freight cars.

3. Last year the number rose to one hundred. Over 90% of these accidents were resulted in serious injuries or fatality.

4. For those people the Chief has a strong message of Zero-tolerance.

5. It’s a place where hundreds of tons of fast moving steel can kill in a split second. Serge Meloche has seen too much of these.

6. Trains cannot stop quickly and cannot swerve to avoid people on the tracks, and railway cars that seem to be sitting quietly can suddenly start to move without warning.

7. Some people may think they cannot be beaten by oncoming train, but a locomotive that seems faraway down the tracks will be a partner within seconds.

8. Trains can come from any direction and any track and any time.

Language spot

Past tenses review and Imperative

Exercise 1. When we describe an accident, we use past tenses. Look at the piece of Railroad Accident Report about fatal collision between a Super Voyager train and a car at Copmanthorpe. Find all past tense verbs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copmanthorpe_train_accident

Exercise 2. Study the accident form below and write the description of the accident.

When did it happen? Date: Time:	21.05.20__ 10 a.m.
Name of injured person	Eugenie Agabian
Address	Resident of York
Phone number	0121121212
Age	27
Female/Male	Male
Job title	Technician
Who was the injured person? Employee On training scheme On work experience Self-employed Member of the public	
Kind of accident Contact with moving machinery Hit by object Hit be moving vehicle Hit something fixed Injured while handling, lifting, carrying Slipped, tripped, fell Trapped Drowned Exposed to harmful substances Exposed to fire Exposed to electricity Other	

Exercise 3. An Accident Investigation Inspector has produced a Health and Safety report following the Super Voyager train’s accident. When we give recommendations, we use Imperative forms. Find them in the text below.

The following safety recommendations are made:

Facilitate actions necessary for development and implementation of positive train control systems that include collision avoidance, and require implementation of positive train control systems on main line tracks, establishing priority requirements for high-risk corridors such as those where commuter and intercity passenger railroads operate.

Include, in your operational (efficiency) testing program, specific signal tests designed to ensure that your train crews consistently follow uniform operating procedures when they encounter reduced visibility conditions en route.

Exercise 4. Write your own recommendations following the Eugenie Agabian’s accident (60-80 words).

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