Process Safety and Plant Integrity

One aspect of visiting a wide variety of plants is that you can bring a fresh eye. Sometimes my internal alarm bell rings saying: "That is definitely not operating in the way for which it was designed". This observation can occur on any plant regardless of age or type of process. From the oil and gas industry, with its demanding safety requirements, or for plant controlled by other comparatively less strict organisations, any site can have its flaws. The type of issue encountered is generally down to the harsh and unforgiving conditions in which components are expected to operate. Brackets regularly work themselves loose because of corroded bolts or rubber which has perished, causing the connecting pipework to vibrate just enough to induce cracking at the nearest cantilevered section. This type of problem is usually unforeseen and so occurs between the systematic checks mandated by a plant's inspection policy. Under these circumstances it is the duty of the observer to report the faulty equipment to the relevant personnel. It is the general procedure, at this point, that all employees of DC White Consulting Engineers formulate and propose a solution to the problem at the time that the issue is raised. When on site, the name 'SafePlant', embedded in the mind of a DC White employee, generates a consistent thought process which ensures continual surveillance for plant components operating outside of the intended design. To site safety or plant inspection personnel, undesirable news such as corroded pipework or incorrectly supported plant is always much easier to digest when a solution is integrated into the description of the problem. We have initiated and carried out many projects such as this and our long standing experience with industry ensure that jobs are always completed within the specified timescale, a factor which can be put down to careful planning during the assessment stage, coupled with attentive practical implementation. Tom Jowett DC White Engineer

For more information on Process Safety and Plant Integrity talk to DC White Engineering Consultants