SubSalve USA Schwer Marine Fittings Hystat Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturers BP Norse Marine Southbay Marine Services

North Field Production Sustainability in Qatar

Tuesday, 21st February 2023

In 2022, Wozair were approached to assist on a gas project for North Field Production Sustainability (NFPS) in Qatar. This is part of a complete HVAC supply scope Wozair is providing for the project through main contractor Saipem. Working alongside Thermoplant Ltd, Wozair were able to provide the full solution of AHU’s and refrigeration units.

The 24 units that Wozair is currently manufacturing at the UK facility are Air Handling Units, which are being supplied for the 12 platforms Local Equipment Room (LER) building.

Each unit has been designed, built, and brought to the market complying with Qatari Governmental and Regulatory Requirements, Projects Specifications, Industry Codes and Standards, and Contractor Working Practices.

These Air Handling Units are engineered for heavy duty environment (marine/offshore corrosive environment) and suitable for hazardous area location.

Liferafts International DiveCo Marine Civils Sealane Maritime Engineering
SubSalve USA Schwer Marine Fittings Hystat Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturers BP Norse Marine Southbay Marine Services

Unique Group Announces Key Appointments Reinforcing Global Growth

Tuesday, 14th February 2023

Unique Group, global innovators in subsea technologies and engineering, has announced the appointments of Chris Blake and Craig Walker to drive forward the organisation’s ambitious growth plans for 2023.

Chris joins Unique Group as Vice President – Survey, utilising his 30 years of experience in the offshore industry throughout Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Americas with organisations such as Fugro and N-Sea. His strong track record in global survey products and services as well as business leadership will reinforce Unique Group’s operational excellence in its global survey offering.

Craig’s appointment as Global Asset Manager will further enhance client project experience through data-driven asset tracking along with optimised asset visibility as the Group continues to invest in digitalisation.

With 17 years of project management, leadership, and global resource management experience, Craig joins from Claxton Engineering to further strengthen Unique Group’s global commitment to providing the best customer service, innovation, and sustainable practices.

Unique Group began the year following a strong end to 2022 and a 30% growth in revenue with key contract wins secured.  2023 will see the launch of a new division that will complement and enhance the Group’s current offerings to customers. Additionally, Unique Group’s Research and Development pipeline is well placed to release a new range of Unmanned Survey Vessels (USV) as well as in-house developed diving and survey products in the coming months.

Martin Charles, Chief Operating Officer at Unique Group, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Chris and Craig to the team, as we are working towards ambitious goals in 2023. The success we’ve seen over the last 12 months reflects our technical knowledge and global expertise; our people continue to be vital to the strong position we have achieved in our key markets. We are seeing a growing demand for our services in the renewable sector and to cater to the increasing client requirements we will also be expanding our facilities globally this year.”

Unique Group has set the foundations to forecast a positive 2023, continuing to look at expanding its portfolio of solutions, growing into new markets and sectors, and advancing towards a sustainable future for the company and the industry as a whole.

Liferafts International DiveCo Marine Civils Sealane Maritime Engineering
SubSalve USA Schwer Marine Fittings Hystat Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturers BP Norse Marine Southbay Marine Services

Romica Tie Group (RTG) – 20 Years in The Industry

Monday, 13th February 2023

The Romica Tie Group (RTG) is an Anglo European consortium specialising in the design and manufacture of equipment for the offshore renewable energy, oceanographic research vessel, subsea, ocean and seabed survey industries.

RTG celebrates 20 years this year of operations within the industry and in this time has supplied many bespoke and standard systems to clients and operators around the world.

Romica is an OEM and provides consultancy, bespoke design, build to print and manufacturing services, prototyping and special product manufacture, build & test. RTG’s business vision: “Committed to sustainability and to customers competitive advantage”is valid as much within the internal organisation, as it is with our trusted supply chain and customer networks. RTG adds value through experience and know-how, agile manufacturing and well established processes and systems that assure efficiency & quality for the customer.

RTG has been steadily expanding since its inception in 2003. Over this time, continuous improvement, expertise and investment have contributed to RTG becoming one of the industry leaders in its field supplying deck equipment to projects across the globe.

Whilst RTG maintains its capacity to provide bespoke solutions to its clients, market trends and an urgency to achieve Net Zero targets globally has seen RTG diversify in to other services available to offer to our existing and potential clients. The biggest of these is the ability to work in Strategic Collaboration with other equipment manufacturers and offer build to print services.

“In recent times we have worked closely with some of our key clients to develop strategic partnerships that enable the sharing of information and knowledge to facilitate RTG performing build to print work for them” said Mike Turner, Owner and Managing Director at RTG.

“In doing so we have helped clients overcome issues such as limited capacity, unachievable project deadlines and finding a supplier that has complete in house solutions, I am immensely proud of what we have achieved in the last 20 years”.

At all times confidentiality is adhered to. Using this strategy has enabled RTG to work with their clients on a deeper level, understanding the needs and wants of our clients on different projects, supplying equipment across the globe.

Following our strategic partnership philosophy, we have engaged some important international players from the offshore and deck machinery industry. In doing this RTG have been able to match its core business skills to a market that needs these skills most. RTG is committed to adding value to their clients in this way carrying out the work to client drawings and specifications in house from raw material to build, paint & test.

RTG have the facility and know how to address most of their customer’s and potential customer’s challenges, we have the infrastructure that can be expanded in any direction to suit the market requirement, whether it be increased engineering and design or production capacity the systems and management structure exist and are scalable.

Associated Listing:
Liferafts International DiveCo Marine Civils Sealane Maritime Engineering
SubSalve USA Schwer Marine Fittings Hystat Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturers BP Norse Marine Southbay Marine Services

Former Hoist Editor Jenny Eagle joins LEEA Media Comms Team

Thursday, 9th February 2023

Former Hoist editor Jenny Eagle joins LEEA Media Comms team

The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) is delighted to announce former Hoist editor Jenny Eagle is joining the LEEA Media Comms team.

In this role, Jenny will be helping to promote LEEA members’ news and more importantly its in-house event LiftEx in Liverpool (November 21-22, 2023) and The 2023 LEEA Awards.

“We are excited to welcome Jenny to the team, following a successful two years at the helm of Hoist magazine. With her experience we hope to further promote the association globally, raise awareness of our events and welcome new members,” said Ross Moloney, CEO, LEEA.

Established in 1944, LEEA is a global trade association for all those involved in the lifting industry. It also aims to promote lifting and height safety industries which have eliminated accidents, injuries and fatalities and educate, influence and enable others so that best practice is a priority.

The association represents its members at the highest level across a range of both public and private bodies, including government departments as well as nationally and internationally recognised professional and technical institutions.

“I’m really excited to be joining the team at LEEA. I admire and respect the association having followed and reported on their news and events over the past two years. They work tirelessly to promote the industry at large and organise in-house events raising awareness of all those involved in the lifting and hoist engineering sector. I am excited to be starting a new chapter in my career,” said Jenny.

Jenny is a British journalist with 22 years of experience working for international publications including The Daily Mail, The Sunday Telegraph, The Sun, The Mirror, and The Press Association. Career highlights include working with the European Union as a host and facilitator for the EU Citizens Dialogues for the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021 and writing the press brochure for the ‘Women Driving Innovation’ campaign for Tetra Pak.

She has lived and worked in Montpellier, France for 10 years, writing for several online publications covering the food and beverage industry for William Reed Business Media, and more recently as editor of Hoist, and Dockside Lift & Move magazine, owned by Progressive Media International (PMI). On February 1 2023, Jenny was recruited by PR company Bridger Howes.

Liferafts International DiveCo Marine Civils Sealane Maritime Engineering
SubSalve USA Schwer Marine Fittings Hystat Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturers BP Norse Marine Southbay Marine Services

A new international partnership brings sustainable moorings closer

Wednesday, 1st February 2023

A new international partnership brings sustainable moorings closer

Blue Parameters is proud to announce a partnership with Seaflex and English Braids to develop fully sustainable mooring systems. This collaboration between the three companies has been driven by a shared commitment to improving the marine environment and addressing Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) challenges. The project, which is set to be completed at the end of the month, will set a new standard for design and results in this field.

Simon de la Rue, Director of Blue Parameters, commented, “Working with the teams at Seaflex and English Braids has been an exhibition of enthusiasm and collaboration. The marine environment is a challenging space to operate in. And with increased use both recreational and commercial the impact on the seabed and biodiversity has been significantly higher. Bringing together the top partners in their fields will result in a new standard for mooring systems that protect the environment and allow nature to get back on its feet without compromising quality or safety for the marine industry.”

Chris Duffy of English Braid added, “Sustainability has been a core driver for our business over the last 3 years, we have been at the forefront of developing the use of recycled synthetic rope and carbon-reduced products across our ranges.

The project with Seaflex and Blue Parameters  is the latest example of how blending existing experiences and technologies from like-minded and progressive companies can spur innovation and development in the sector.

We are excited about the benefits this partnership will bring and are looking forward to the wider rollout of the technology and the scale of the potential applications. This endeavour will go a long way to assist in our mission to protect our oceans for the next generation.”

Lars Brandt, CEO of Seaflex said “This Partnership highlights the importance and value of long-term sustainability through our partners. We are thrilled with this development and will be supporting it through our resources in Sweden. Moving forward with the contribution of sustainable and environmentally safe and sound moorings is essential and the partnership with Blue Parameters is going to be a key part of the process.”

Associated Listings:
Liferafts International DiveCo Marine Civils Sealane Maritime Engineering
SubSalve USA Schwer Marine Fittings Hystat Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturers BP Norse Marine Southbay Marine Services

Amer Shipping orders two dry cargo vessels from Concordia Damen

Monday, 30th January 2023

Amer Shipping orders two dry cargo vessels from Concordia Damen

Inland shipping construction yard Concordia Damen will deliver two ‘CDS Dry Cargo 110’ vessels to Amer Shipping. Sustainability considerations and the hull shape of this in-house developed ship type were the deciding factors, partly because it allows skippers to sail longer at (very) low water levels, which is predicted to occur often in the coming years.

Amer Shipping a already has a fleet of 57 vessels, including owned tankers, dry cargo and container vessels as well as associated ships.

The company transports approximately 8 million tons of cargo per year, mainly raw materials for construction projects and project cargo for various industries.

Amer Shipping is mainly active in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland and is now expanding and adapting its fleet to put its sustainability commitment into practice.

Inland shipping entrepreneur Peter Buijks, co-owner of Amer Shipping, says: “We have been working on making our daily operations more sustainable for some time now. New ships must match this effort. These two bulk carriers are based on Concordia Damen’s Parsifal tankers and a lot of research has been done on them, such as speed versus fuel consumption, resistance and future adaptability. For example, we’ll install Stage V engines and shaft generators.

Our customers are increasingly looking at their CO2 emissions. In order to continue to serve them well, we are developing ourselves along with this trend and are looking at various options to reduce our footprint. These ships fit in well with goal.”

CDS Dry Cargo 110

This ship type measures 110 x 11.45 meters and can transport a lot of tonnage at a low draft, which is especially beneficial at low tide and shallow water levels. In addition, the ship has a relatively small footprint, because it can sail faster with lower fuel consumption due to its low resistance. “The design of the lower section is the same as that of our Parsifal Tankers,” says Pieter Baggerman, Naval Architect at Concordia Damen. “That type has an optimized hull shape. It works really well and so we have applied the same design principles to our container and bulk carriers and with the same results.”

That was also decisive in the choice that Amer Shipping made for their newbuilds. Peter Buijks: “The CDS Dry Cargo 110 transports no less than 200 tons more cargo compared to an existing ‘110’ in our fleet. At the same time, fuel consumption and emissions are reduced due to the low resistance. In addition, we can continue sailing with it for longer periods in water levels of 1.15 meters, although the ship is of course not fully loaded in those circumstances. That gave us the confidence to contract these vessels. Moreover, in Germany there are not only draft restrictions, but also many waterways spanned by low bridges. Due to the favourable air draught of these ships, we can sail under bridges of 4.30 meters with a draft of 2.50 metres. This way we can continue to do business in a responsible manner in different circumstances.”

Baggerman: “Both family businesses have known each other for a long time. We are very grateful to welcome Amer Shipping and the Buijks family as a new customer! The favourable ‘speed-power curve’ created by the hull shape and the fact that the design leaves room for adjustments based on the customer’s wishes, makes for a good business case. This also applies to the type of propulsion: you can adjust that quite easily at a later stage if market developments or regulations require it. And what was really important to Amer Shipping: short delivery times. Since we started building some of our proven designs in stock, we can deliver faster. In this case, we expect deliveries in June and the end of 2023.”


Concordia Damen

Concordia Damen’s core business is to design and build inland vessels with an innovative and cost-effective profile, primarily for customers in Western Europe and South America.

Down-to-earth-management enables us to successfully build vessels worldwide, for example: Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Paraguay.

Besides shipbuilding, we are a reputable shipbroker and manage a fleet of inland navigation vessels. Since the founding of the company, Concordia Damen has delivered more than 250 vessels with different specifications to ship owners in both the Netherlands and globally.

High quality, innovation and efficient shipbuilding is the Concordia Damen trademark.

Associated Listing:
Liferafts International DiveCo Marine Civils Sealane Maritime Engineering
SubSalve USA Schwer Marine Fittings Hystat Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturers BP Norse Marine Southbay Marine Services

Dynamic Load Monitoring (DLM) Names Scrutton Director

Monday, 30th January 2023

Dynamic Load Monitoring (UK) Ltd. (DLM) has promoted Chris Scrutton to technical director of the Southampton, UK, business.

He will immediately take an overall view of the engineering and operations functions of the company with a remit to improve efficiency, strategically identify and develop new products, along with ensuring that the Dynamic Load Monitoring range continues to offer industry-leading functionality and quality.

Scrutton, formerly technical manager, is already managing director of Dynamic Load Monitoring’s sister company, Vulcan Offshore, a specialist in fabrication, welding, and computer numerical control (CNC) machining for the marine and subsea industries. It principally works for cable lay companies that own or charter vessels for laying offshore wind farm or fibre optic cables for the telecommunications industry.

DLM, meanwhile, is renowned for the manufacture and supply of running line monitors (RLMs), saddleback monitors (used in pre-lay grapnel run and route clearance operations to measure line tension), load pins, and load cells that capture data as tension is applied to lifting and marine equipment.

Martin Halford, managing director at DLM, said: “Chris has earned it, through the dedication and commitment he has provided to myself and DLM over the past 10 years. He knows the company inside out, from starting as a calibration technician then progressing to engineering, to management, and now director, gaining engineering and project management qualifications along the way. With the expansion of the company, we needed to reorganise the structure to help us continue with our plans and prepare for the next stage of growth.”

Scrutton said: “I will bring additional technical knowledge and experience gained from working on engineering projects for cable and pipe laying vessels over the last 10 years. Coupled with my experience running a business and managing teams, I will have a specific focus on staff and product development. The goal is to allow us to grow DLM more efficiently while maintaining existing levels of customer service and support.”

Practically, added Halford, the promotion will enable Scrutton to spend more time making advancements to both the manufacturing facility and processes, along with the company’s product range. Slightly removed from day-to-day functions, he will prioritise both growth at Vulcan and deliver the planned advancements at DLM.

Combined DLM and Vulcan growth dovetails with favourable market conditions that sees an increase in offshore wind projects, specifically in Asia and the U.S. Additional demand, Scrutton explained, is being seen from vessel owners and operators procuring new equipment to complete renewable energy projects.

“This provides a variety of opportunities for DLM to increase our support for existing clients, but also to develop new relationships with emerging businesses in these growing regions,” he said.

Associated Listing:
Liferafts International DiveCo Marine Civils Sealane Maritime Engineering
SubSalve USA Schwer Marine Fittings Hystat Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturers BP Norse Marine Southbay Marine Services

Unrivalled Hands-on Demo Opportunities at Ocean Business 2023

Thursday, 26th January 2023

With less than three months until Ocean Business 2023, more details can be revealed about the Training and Demonstration programme, one of the main attractions of the global technology and science exhibition for marine industries.

The three-day show, which runs from April 18-20 at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, is open to all visitors for free by registering online at www.oceanbusiness.com.

This year’s Training and Demonstration programme marks a year of exciting progress and development in the ocean environment.

Visitors will have the opportunity to observe cutting edge technology close up and meet the top innovators in the sector, with 130-plus hours of demonstrations on the dockside, on board vessels, in the test tank, and in the classroom.

A major draw will be the latest in autonomous vehicles, with a number of ROVs, USVs and AUVs in action, from Singapore, the US, Norway, Spain, Ireland and the UK.

Highlights include first time OB exhibitor Aquatic Drones, demonstrating how cost efficient its zero emission Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) is for surveys focusing on inland waterways, hydro dams, ports, coastlines and offshore wind projects.

Advances in AUV technology will be the focus of Singapore’s BeeX, with a vehicle that can autonomously inspect platform structures using a positioning system from UK company Sonardyne.

And EvoLogics will demonstrate excellence in underwater search and reconnaissance, deploying a combination of USVs, AUVs, sensor stations, object recognition technology, and underwater data and positioning networks.

Meanwhile, on board Callista, the National Oceanography Centre’s purpose-built research vessel, Chelsea Technologies will present its next generation instrumentation, LabSTAF, to measure phytoplankton primary productivity.

Also on the dockside – which will be fitted with a 33m floating pontoon to accommodate the mobilisation of autonomous vehicles – Maritime Robotics will stage demonstrations of its fleet of Otter Pros, with both the Norbit and Kongsberg multibeam systems, the ultimate in unmanned survey platforms.

Test tank and classroom training and demonstration sessions will cover everything from Teledyne’s marine interconnect technology advancements to EdgeTech’s 3D sub-seabed imaging sonar, eBOSS.

Ocean Business 2023 provides unrivalled access to today’s transformational ocean technology – from the most sophisticated collision avoidance systems, to sustainable environmental monitoring, to breakthroughs in robotic and lean crewed fleets.

With more than 300 manufacturers and service providers already booked for the sold-out exhibition, this year’s event promises to attract record crowds from around the world, offering unbeatable networking opportunities.

Terry Sloane, Managing Director of Planet Ocean and ecoSUB Robotics, said: ‘Planet Ocean and ecoSUB love being at Ocean Business.  As one of the original companies involved in the stakeholder discussions when Ocean Business was just an idea, we are delighted that it has become a ‘must attend’ on the international ocean show calendar.

‘As a company that partners with more than 20 overseas manufacturers, it’s a great opportunity to connect with them without burning huge amounts of carbon, as well as meeting with our customers, old, new and future. When you add in the training and demonstration opportunities, Ocean Business clearly comes out top.’

Cheri Arvonio, Event Director at show organiser Diversified Communications, said: ‘Our Training and Demonstration programme this year is packed with innovation and ideas to future-proof your business.

‘We’re expecting some exciting product launches and can’t wait to welcome a line-up of sector-leading ocean people, sharing their wealth of scientific, technological and engineering expertise.’

All training and demonstration sessions are free to attend and visitors can book in on a first come first served basis at the show, or in advance by contacting the company hosting the session.

Liferafts International DiveCo Marine Civils Sealane Maritime Engineering
SubSalve USA Schwer Marine Fittings Hystat Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturers BP Norse Marine Southbay Marine Services

Applying Electric Drives for Downhole Applications

Wednesday, 25th January 2023

Although the goals of the oil and gas extraction industry—technological efficiency, environmental compatibility, and cost management—have generally remained the same, the drive toward zero net- carbon emission has highlighted efficiency and sustainability efforts. As downhole drilling has the largest potential for technological innovation, meeting these goals means leaning toward electrification.

What would you say has slowed the progress toward electrification in downhole applications? First of all, there is the need to continually expand the capabilities of the technology so it fully meets the extremely demanding environmental conditions of the industry. Second, there is concern over shifting the industry from one technology(hydraulics) to another (electric motors) with few guarantees.

Conventional hydraulics solutions have depleted their cost effectiveness in meeting the ever-growing goals set by the industry. Even though technical innovations in motors, electronics, and battery technologies are delivering the tools needed for electrification in the oil and gas industry, a lack of experience and expertise in the technologies can slow progress.

What is gained through the electrification of the oil and gas industries?

Efficiencies gained through digitalisation include having a real-time data stream to enhance precise positioning control, so operators are able to make strategic production decisions easier and execute them faster. Collected data concerning reservoir behaviour, production processes, well integrity and safety, and equipment performance not only increases efficiencies across the board but also reduces the carbon footprint of an entire project.

Electric motors used for valve control as well as other actuations throughout a system eliminate leakage risks associated with hydraulic lines. Battery technologies have made these inroads possible, even in harsh environments. Process control can be achieved through various parameters including speed, torque, position, and other methods depending on the sensors used in the system.

What are the most important technical challenges that need to be addressed?

Conventional electric motors cannot operate in harsh ambient conditions in and around downhole applications where extreme temperatures, high pressures, and potentially high shock and vibration conditions exist. This means that the motor technology must reach very high operating standards in order to maintain reliability over long life cycles to reduce costly maintenance requirements. As the industry is aiming for better productivity and efficiency, it is crucial to maximise the production of existing wells but also reach more challenging, unconventional wells, pushing the technological limits of electric motors even further. These requirements lead to the need for custom solutions tailored to downhole specifications.

What might be blocking the electrification of downhole applications on the motor side?

The technical challenges mentioned above mean that a successful motor manufacturer must have a team of engineers with the expertise and resources to perform all the developmental steps required, plus ensure reliable production and testing processes. For example, conventional permanent magnet DC motors use neodymium magnets which start to demagnetiSe once temperatures of +150°C are exceeded. In addition, conventional winding insulations are not able to withstand such extreme conditions. Because temperature ratings include ambient plus the added temperature caused by the load, a specific safety margin needs to be considered. Other motor parts must be made of high-grade stainless steel, and the use of adhesives or plastics should be avoided.

How has Maxon Motors addressed these critical requirements?

Maxon Motors has an entire platform of robust heavy-duty motors for extreme environments. For example, the EC 22 HD brushless DC motor with GP 22 HD planetary gearhead offers users a compact (Ø22 mm), highly efficient, and powerful drive solution made from fully welded stainless steel along with encapsulated samarium-cobalt magnets and a high-temperature ironless core winding, proven to withstand temperatures up to 240°C. The gearhead is designed for high torque (12 Nm overload torque capability). An ironless core winding and high-performance rotor is the “heart” of Maxon heavy-duty motors. The primarily stainless steel assembly minimises the use of adhesives, concentrating instead on the connection of individual components through mechanical fits and secured with laser welding.

What tests and procedures would you suggest for qualifying a downhole design?

Here are a few of the production processes that must be defined and tested to ensure robust manufacturing of your motor design. Note that it is important to have the resources as well as the expertise to conduct these tests and implement all the necessary steps on the production line. Three specific tests are recommended to ensure the long life and proper operation of these motors.

  • Internal full load test where motors are tested in air or hydraulic oil at extreme temperatures and under full load during continuous operation.
  • Vibration and thermal stress tests are performed on drives placed in climate-controlled enclosures and subjected to high vibrations. In operational and high temperatures, the motors must continue functioning within their performance specifications.
  • Shock tests are performed in a laboratory where a variety of shock loads of more than 1,000 G are applied. The drives must function fully under these conditions.

Application examples

  • Measurement while drilling systems use electric actuators in their mud pulser units, which are responsible for delivering a second-by-second feed on the progress of the bore.
  • Electric motors allow for highly precise control of flow valves to achieve optimal flow rates at any time.
  • Well inspection is another segment of the industry that will benefit from using high-precision positioning linear motors to increase operational speed and precision.

 

Liferafts International DiveCo Marine Civils Sealane Maritime Engineering
SubSalve USA Schwer Marine Fittings Hystat Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturers BP Norse Marine Southbay Marine Services

Winter Safety Checklist for Site and Facilities Managers

Wednesday, 25th January 2023

In the autumn and winter months, the combined darker, wetter, and colder conditions present additional risk factors which can contribute to an increase in slips and trips around the workplace.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, 30% (the largest proportion) of all specified non-fatal workplace injuries are attributed to a slip, trip or fall. With each individual case resulting in up to 7 lost working days.*

UK manufacturer, Glasdon, compiled a 5-point checklist to ensure you feel confident that you, your staff, and site are prepared for the colder months ahead.

1. Revisit Risk Areas

Identify all outdoor areas used by pedestrians across your site and facilities and highlight those priority routes that could be affected by ice, frost, and snow.

Questions?

When was the last visual site inspection?
Are there any new outdoor areas or changes to entrances or exits to include in this year’s winter plan?
Will diversion routes need to change consequently?

2. Roles and Responsibilities

The approved code of practice for Regulation 12 of the Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992 (Condition of Floors and Traffic Routes) item 116 states:

Questions?

Who assists in putting your winter plan into action when the time comes?
Is your contact list and their working hours or availability up to date and are they aware of their duties?
When was the last winter briefing held or update communicated?

3. Winter Safety Equipment

The time to check winter safety equipment and assess grit salt stock levels is now.

Questions?

Which gritting solution will you use? Ice melt or rock salt?
Are your grit bins still accessible and located in or near to priority areas?
Could a manual or towable grit spreader help provide faster coverage and reduce manual handling issues this season?
Does the team require any new PPE clothing or additional safety accessories for their footwear such as Ice Grips?

4. Weather Checks

The only way to stay ahead and prevent icy surfaces from forming is to monitor temperatures, keep up with the latest weather forecasts and take action accordingly when temperatures fall to 2.2°C (36°F) and below.

Questions?

Can you make any improvements to your procedure for monitoring temperatures?
Could a mobile app or smart weather station device help?

5. Winter Safety Tips

  • Subscribe for Met Office Weather Warnings affecting your area.
  • Don’t wait for 0°C or below temperatures before acting. Clear skies during a still, cold night can lead to ground frost even when the air temperature is above 0°C.
  • Grit salt doesn’t work instantly and needs sufficient time to dissolve for it to work. Therefore, the best times to grit are early in the evening before frost settles and/or early in the morning well before employees and visitors arrive.
  • Prioritise any outdoor footbridges or overpasses on site as they are more likely to freeze first.
  • When gritting give slopes, steps and uneven routes, extra attention.
  • If it has snowed, divert pedestrian traffic to cleared routes and spread grit on the first layer of snow.

Sources:

*http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/kinds-of-accident.pdf?pdf=kinds-of-accident – Page 4
**http://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/priced/l24.pdf

Liferafts International DiveCo Marine Civils Sealane Maritime Engineering
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