Engineering Safety Standards

Engineering Safety Standards

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Engineering Safety Standards

Case Study 1

Inspection

A number of considerations are associated with the case study which affects the process of inspection and repairing. Primary consideration is the whether the tank is located in a confined space or not. If the confined space is large enough that the operative can manually enter and perform the inspection and fix the issues than the tank should be kept at its original position throughout the inspection and repairing phase. If the tank have unrestricted means of entry and exit as well as the atmosphere inside non-hazardous and non-engulfing than the tank can be repaired and manually inspected from the inside. But according to the case study, the tank is used for containing oil so that the atmosphere inside the tank is hazardous and unsuitable to be repaired from the inside. The atmosphere of the confined space in which the tank is installed is also of major concern and before performing inspection or repairing the air of confined space must be tested for the levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other gases. The temperature level should also be tested. If the confined space is optimum with respect to the above mentioned parameters as well as free from any mechanical or chemical hazard than the tank should be kept at its original position

In the case of non-compliance with any clause of the Confined Spaces Regulations (1997), the tank must be moved to an outer space for inspection and repairing. The quality of welding of tanks is critical for their integrity so appropriate control of parameters associated with welding is essential for the quality control of the fabricator. Tank should be moved to an open environment near to the facility in which the tank was installed. Determination of number of leakages is critical for proper fixing of the tank. After moving the tank to an open environment, all the existing welds of the tanks should be determined visually as well as by spark testing of welding. After the testing of existing welding, the tank should be subjected to a hydrostatic test for the leakage determination. This hydrostatic test is for the testing of existing weld seals as well as the integrity of the tank base.

Temperature and humidity level of the area in which the inspection and repairing is to be performed requires monitoring as these environmental factors can impact the safety conditions of the operatives. The temperature of the environment and humidity level can be measured by using standard thermometers and humidity sensors. Other risks associated with welding can be minimized by implementation of substitution approach

Substitution

In this approach, utilization of hazardous material is replaced with the material comparatively less hazardous in nature e.g. replacing flux core wire welding with submerged arc welding will minimize the safety issues associated with case study as the risk of exposing to fumes and radiations will be minimized which is likely as the tank was previously used to contain oil which even after being dried have high probability ...