September 2020

28 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk September 2020 Energy, the Environment & Water Focus on: Boilers, Burners & Controls health and safety legislation and practice, as well as ensuring personnel they employ are competent to carry out the required tasks safely. The concepts governing safe design and operation are the same regardless of project size, from the smallest commercial installation to the largest power station. While BG05 focuses on the design and operation of new industrial and commercial installations, the information in this guide will also be relevant for smaller installations as well as the refurbishment or conversion of existing installations. The content is most relevant to designers, building services designers and those practising as biomass specialists, e.g. for importers of biomass boilers. Those engaged in installing, operating or maintaining biomass systems will also find the content relevant and useful. Please note that this document uses a hospital and their boiler installations as just one example of where guidance may well be required. The CEA has through its members investigated three biomass boiler explosions at hospitals in recent years, along with at least five other boiler explosions across general industry. Therefore, the following paragraphs are all relevant when operating boiler systems: Due diligence Although the standards set out in these guidance documents are not ratified by law, those who do not conform to them are required to set their own standards and due diligence processes that must be shown to be either equal to, or better than, these requirements. One of the most important things to note for the owners of boiler plant, whether that be in healthcare or general industry, is that overall responsibility for the equipment lies, and remains, with them. BG01 states that: “While third parties such as maintenance contractors can be used to assist in achieving compliance with these legal obligations, the overall and legal responsibility remains on the owner/user, and cannot be contracted out, although there is scope for certain duties to be transferred (as set out in a written agreement) between the owner and user.” This means that while a specialist contractor can take on the risk of operation and maintenance, all liability remains with the owner/operator. Low awareness This is a key point for boiler house managers, but awareness of the differences between what is laid out in current standards, and in the ‘old’ PM5, is currently very low. There is no guarantee that, where a utilities and energy management specialist is contracted to operate and maintain the boilers, they will automatically take on the liability on behalf of the customer. The exception is that, in some cases, plant and equipment remains the property of the outsourced company, with the resulting power sold to the customer. Training A key driver within the regulations and the HSE more specifically is that all staff carrying out work should be competent to do so. But how do you prove that your staff are competent; you may also be using contractors, how do you know they are competent. A nationally recognised standard for boiler operations is BOAS (Boiler Operations Accreditation Scheme) for all operators and managers. Gas is another area of concern in industry where the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) say factories, sewage works, quarries etc. are exempt, and this has caused a lot of confusion. But there is a catch all clause which states that anybody working on gas must be suitably trained and assessed to carry out the work. To address this there is the I-GAS accreditation scheme at various levels that deals with this issue and helps prove competence. Legally binding One of the legally binding obligations is that boiler owners must have in place a ‘suitable and sufficient’ risk assessment, which is reviewed periodically. The responsibility for this lies with the plant owner, although of course advice from manufacturers, controls experts, and utilities management specialists, will ensure a thorough assessment. A full risk assessment must be in place for the boiler house, a particularly important factor where there is a planned alteration to the operating and maintaining regime of the boilers. In an environment where there are five or more employees, the findings of the risk assessment must be recorded. The assessment must cover and address issues such as the likelihood of injuries from burns from hot water, steam, burners, or flues; electric shock; fuel escape; fire; asphyxiation, and the toxic effects from combustion products. It must also consider the position of the boiler. Taking into account the nature of some hospital sites, where plant and equipment can be located beneath buildings themselves, a thorough risk assessment is vital. It should cover the proximity of the boiler plant to premises and those occupying these; the proximity to the public and vulnerable people – including staff and visitors, and the potential impact on neighbouring sites in the event of an incident. Competent person PSSR calls for a Competent Person, recognised by the insurer, to regularly inspect the plant. This person carries a lot of influence; their opinion is what determines how often, within a 14-month period, the boiler must be inspected. In the event that the boiler house operations fall below standards set out in BG01, the Competent Person has the authority to demand that the steam boiler plant be inspected as regularly as once a month. Taking into account the time involved to strip down the boiler before re-installing and commissioning it again, up to a week can be wasted in downtime for the plant room and the subsequent cost associated with doing it. If your boiler fails inspection for any reason (over 25% do fail inspection first time around) and you need to hire a temporary boiler, there is now BG08 to help you do this correctly and legally. Ideally before you are in a position where you must hire in temporary boilers, make sure you have looked at and planned for this

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