The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has made process safety in the major-hazards sector a priority. The HSE has reinforced the need to adopt procedures and monitoring systems that maximise the safety of operations, following feedback from the investigations into the Buncefield and Texas City incidents. In July 2009, CBA signed a commitment on behalf of its member companies to the 'principles of safety leadership'.
CBA and UKWA recognise that smaller businesses and warehouses have limited technical and managerial resources, and that their participation in any safety leadership initiative may vary in nature and time in different organisations. Many organisations rely on historical data, so-called lagging indicators, to monitor safety performance.
CBA has therefore, in partnership with UKWA, written and is now launching the 'Safety-performance leading indicators guidance' to enable successful implementation of SPLIs. While the implementation of SPLIs is being pushed by HSE for sites with a major-hazard potential, this approach can be applied throughout industry as a means of improving safety and maintaining business continuity.
The launch event covers identifying appropriate risk-control systems and the critical elements for monitoring, reporting and reviewing the data, through SPLIs, to provide earlier indications of hazards. Ian Travers, head of Chemical Industries Strategy Unit, will be speaking to enable companies to understand what is involved and the approach taken by HSE.
Showing posts with label Use. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Use. Show all posts
Datasound Panel PCs Use Intel Core2 Duo Processor
A family of three fanless touch-screen panel PCs from Datasound Laboratories uses the Intel Core2 Duo processor to provide up to 1.66GHz of processing power. This is complemented by a maximum of 1Gb of RAM. Available with 15in (AHM-6156), 12in (AHM-6126) and 10.4in (AHM-6106) LCD displays, the system can incorporate Compactflash and, optionally, a 2.5in (6.4cm) SATA hard disk.
Onboard features include a 10/100Mbps local-area network (LAN), two COM ports, two USB 2.0 connections, audio (line out) and PS/2 keyboard and mouse interfaces. The AHM-6xx6, which supports Windows XP Pro, XP Embedded and Windows CE NET 5.0/6.0 operating systems, has an IP65 sealed front panel with a resistive touch screen.
The system supports input voltages from 11V to 28V and has been constructed from black aluminium alloy. RoHS compliant and meeting CE and FCC Class A certification, the AHM-6xx6 range has an operating temperature of 0C to 50C and offers VESA or panel mounting.
Latest Wordsworth Devices Use Intel Atoms
The Wordsworth division of Steatite, a Microsoft Gold Partner, has enhanced its range of embedded systems with the introduction of new products that utilise the latest Intel Atom processors. The new products include single-board computers (SBCs), embedded systems and panel PCs. The Intel Atom N270 processor brings a range of user benefits to the latest generation of Steatite Wordsworth's products for industrial-computing applications.The devices offer 1.6GHz CPU power but with low power consumption. High efficiency gives good thermal performance and allows fanless operation. This absence of moving parts helps improve overall system reliability and means that customers do not need to make provision in their design for vents. It also allows equipment to be used safely and reliably in dusty environments. Atom N270 processors are mass-produced devices for the embedded market, which helps make them cost-effective.
A long product life-cycle road-mapped for between three and five years underlines the long-term availability of the processors, giving reassurance to customers that incorporate Wordsworth embedded products in their equipment. Steatite's Wordsworth division has strong in-house technical capabilities that enable specific customer requirements to be accurately met in a short leadtime. If required, customers can buy directly from an online store.
E.ON Uses WEG Motors At Ratcliffe Power Station
E.ON, a UK power and gas company, has installed two large motors from WEG Electric Motors at its Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station near Nottingham. Both motors have been installed in the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) plant, which helps to reduce SO2 emissions, while also creating commercial-quality gypsum. The main criteria when sourcing the motors were energy efficiency and reduced maintenance requirements.Chris Bennett, a senior electrical engineer at Ratcliffe, said: 'It is always surprising to people who visit the site that we are so efficiency conscious, but they're often even more surprised that we have to pay for the power we use during the generation process, so it's essential we don't use more energy than we actually need.
'Even more important is minimising the environmental impact of the power station and ensuring the reliability of the plant; outages have to be avoided where possible, so critical equipment such as the motors have to be reliable.' The first motor to be installed was a 6,150kW, 10-pole, 11kV WEG M-line MGF 1000 unit, which is being used to drive the booster fan on the FGD plant. The motor is an IEC 1000 frame size with an output torque of more than 100,000Nm. It is the largest of the WEG motors currently installed at the power station.
The booster fan is used to power the flue gas through the FGD plant. The second motor, also an MGF high-voltage unit from WEG's M-Line of high-voltage motors, is a smaller IEC 400 frame size MGF 400E 750kW, four-pole 3.3kV motor. This motor drives an absorber recirculation pump on one of the FGD towers. These pumps are used to transfer up to 8,000 tonnes of limestone slurry an hour to the top of the 50m-high towers to be sprayed into the flue gas. The 700-acre Ratcliffe site has a generation capacity of 2,000MW from four 500MW units - enough to meet the needs of approximately 1.5 million homes.
The power station's desulphurisation process passes flue gas through a heat exchanger to cool it to less than 90C. The gas is then drawn into the tower where it comes into contact with the limestone slurry. This creates a chemical reaction, removing the SO2 and converting the limestone into calcium sulphite, which is, in turn, processed to create commercial-quality gypsum; during the process, 95 per cent of the hydrogen chloride is also removed. Once the SO2 has been removed, the gas is reheated to allow it to rise through the chimney.
The motors must be able to survive in an outside environment for a long period, working at a continuously high load. WEG motors are said to be suitable as they are reliable and safe in arduous operating environments. The motors are designed to be compact and robust, featuring cast-iron frames, corrosion-resistant finishing and galvanised mounting components. The windings are sealed using a vacuum pressure impregnation (VPI) system, which is claimed to guarantee high-quality insulation and stator coil protection through the application of a special epoxy-based resin.
The WEG units employ a combination of an internal cooling circuit, external cooling fins and high-efficiency cooling fans to ensure an optimum temperature gradient within the motor. Coupled with specifically dimensioned high-quality bearings, these ensure that the motors have a long running life, according to the company. WEG motors have dynamic balancing at motor operating speeds. In this case, the standard balancing is on two planes; WEG can provide three-plane balancing on request. Both are computer controlled and are capable of very low vibration levels, extending both bearing and motor life.
As a result of their design, WEG motors require very little maintenance - other than lubrication - to keep them running efficiently. WEG has employed a pressure grease relief system, which enables old grease to be removed and replenished while the motor is still running, reducing the need for maintenance downtime.
How To Choose And Use Ergonomic Hand Tools
Paul Holstein, COO of Cableorganiser.com, offers expert tips on what makes a hand tool ergonomic, and how to choose the right one for your body and the job.
Drop into any hardware store or home improvement centre, and you're likely to find aisles full of tools labeled "ergonomic" But what exactly does that mean for consumers? Simply put, ergonomics is the science of designing and producing tools, furniture, and other work-related implements that improve a worker's efficiency while reducing discomfort, fatigue, and risk of injury.
Ergonomically enhanced tools can include helpful features like angled handles, padded handgrips and nonslip coatings. However, no matter how impressive a tool's design is, it's almost impossible for it to be universally ergonomic since human physiques and project applications vary greatly from one to the next. Whether you're shopping for ergonomic tools or just trying to select the right one for the job from an existing collection, the key things to consider are whether or not the tool fits your hand, how well it suits the job being done, and whether or not it eases your work and prevents you from straining in ways that could lead to injury.
To make the decision process a little easier, CableOrganiser.com offers the following guidelines for choosing the right ergonomic hand tool for your body type - and the job at hand. Because finger size and placement differs from person to person, avoid using tools with handles that have built-in finger grooves. When fingers don't naturally align with grooves, excessive pressure from the raised groove edges can cause discomfort and injury. Choose tools with handles that are covered in a soft material, like foam or flexible plastic.
Cushioned handles are not only comfortable for long hours of use, but they provide a much firmer grip and cut down on slippage. Hard-handled tools can be quickly and inexpensively converted by just adding a sleeve. Ensure tool handles are free from sharp edges and seams that might irritate or cut the hands. When selecting double-handed gripping and cutting tools, opt for ones with spring-loaded handles that will automatically return to the open position. If you need to forcefully pinch or grip an object for an extended amount of time, prevent muscle strain by switching from standard pliers to a clamp or grip.
Only use tools that allow you to work with your wrist in a straight position. For tasks that require force, such as torquing screws and nuts, hammering, and heavy chiseling, choose single handle tools with handle diameters that range from 1.25 to 2in. Larger handles allow fingers to wrap comfortably around the tool in a power grip, which prevents slippage and reduces stress and impact on hands, fingers and wrists. For tasks that call for more precision and delicacy (like fine chiseling and driving miniature screws), opt for single-handle tools whose grips fall within the 0.25 to 0.5in range.
The smaller diameter handles make it easy to comfortably grip tools between the fingertips without overexerting fingers, knuckle joints, or hand muscles. Just as grip diameter affects work with single-handle tools, the grip span of pliers, snips, cable cutters and other double-handled tools can either make your job easier or cause you hand fatigue. For maximum comfort and efficiency for tasks that require more force (like gripping with large pliers, cutting wires, or snipping through sheet metal), choose tools with a maximum "open" grip span of 3.5in, and a "closed" grip span no less than 2in across.
Detailed jobs that involve grasping small parts and components with pincers, tweezers or tongs are best done with double-handle tools whose grip spans range from no less than 1in (closed) to no more than 3in (open). When a work space is tight but the task at hand requires a good deal of force, opt for "power grip" tools (with handle diameters from 1.25 to 2in), which are grasped with the entire hand instead of just pinched between the fingertips. This type of grip lets you finish the job in far less time, with far less physical stress. Tool length should also be matched to space constraints.
Excessively long tools can force you to assume awkward work postures and wrist positions when you're trying to reach components in cramped areas. Instead, choose short-handled tools that give you the freedom to meet the target work area directly, while keeping your wrist straight. The palms of your hands are full of pressure-sensitive nerves and blood vessels, and in order to avoid damaging these during high force tasks, it's important to make sure that the handles of your tools are long enough that their ends won't press into your palms.
To measure, hold your hand palm-up, with fingers together and thumb against the side of your hand. As long as the tool's handle is longer than the widest part of your hand (the span from the outer edge of your pinkie to the outer edge of your thumb), it's safe to use. CableOrganiser.com offers a wide assortment of ergonomic hand tools, including: insulated pliers, insulated screwdrivers, Klein Tools insulated nut drivers, and ergonomic Ty-Rap cable tie guns.
Drop into any hardware store or home improvement centre, and you're likely to find aisles full of tools labeled "ergonomic" But what exactly does that mean for consumers? Simply put, ergonomics is the science of designing and producing tools, furniture, and other work-related implements that improve a worker's efficiency while reducing discomfort, fatigue, and risk of injury.
Ergonomically enhanced tools can include helpful features like angled handles, padded handgrips and nonslip coatings. However, no matter how impressive a tool's design is, it's almost impossible for it to be universally ergonomic since human physiques and project applications vary greatly from one to the next. Whether you're shopping for ergonomic tools or just trying to select the right one for the job from an existing collection, the key things to consider are whether or not the tool fits your hand, how well it suits the job being done, and whether or not it eases your work and prevents you from straining in ways that could lead to injury.
To make the decision process a little easier, CableOrganiser.com offers the following guidelines for choosing the right ergonomic hand tool for your body type - and the job at hand. Because finger size and placement differs from person to person, avoid using tools with handles that have built-in finger grooves. When fingers don't naturally align with grooves, excessive pressure from the raised groove edges can cause discomfort and injury. Choose tools with handles that are covered in a soft material, like foam or flexible plastic.
Cushioned handles are not only comfortable for long hours of use, but they provide a much firmer grip and cut down on slippage. Hard-handled tools can be quickly and inexpensively converted by just adding a sleeve. Ensure tool handles are free from sharp edges and seams that might irritate or cut the hands. When selecting double-handed gripping and cutting tools, opt for ones with spring-loaded handles that will automatically return to the open position. If you need to forcefully pinch or grip an object for an extended amount of time, prevent muscle strain by switching from standard pliers to a clamp or grip.
Only use tools that allow you to work with your wrist in a straight position. For tasks that require force, such as torquing screws and nuts, hammering, and heavy chiseling, choose single handle tools with handle diameters that range from 1.25 to 2in. Larger handles allow fingers to wrap comfortably around the tool in a power grip, which prevents slippage and reduces stress and impact on hands, fingers and wrists. For tasks that call for more precision and delicacy (like fine chiseling and driving miniature screws), opt for single-handle tools whose grips fall within the 0.25 to 0.5in range.
The smaller diameter handles make it easy to comfortably grip tools between the fingertips without overexerting fingers, knuckle joints, or hand muscles. Just as grip diameter affects work with single-handle tools, the grip span of pliers, snips, cable cutters and other double-handled tools can either make your job easier or cause you hand fatigue. For maximum comfort and efficiency for tasks that require more force (like gripping with large pliers, cutting wires, or snipping through sheet metal), choose tools with a maximum "open" grip span of 3.5in, and a "closed" grip span no less than 2in across.
Detailed jobs that involve grasping small parts and components with pincers, tweezers or tongs are best done with double-handle tools whose grip spans range from no less than 1in (closed) to no more than 3in (open). When a work space is tight but the task at hand requires a good deal of force, opt for "power grip" tools (with handle diameters from 1.25 to 2in), which are grasped with the entire hand instead of just pinched between the fingertips. This type of grip lets you finish the job in far less time, with far less physical stress. Tool length should also be matched to space constraints.
Excessively long tools can force you to assume awkward work postures and wrist positions when you're trying to reach components in cramped areas. Instead, choose short-handled tools that give you the freedom to meet the target work area directly, while keeping your wrist straight. The palms of your hands are full of pressure-sensitive nerves and blood vessels, and in order to avoid damaging these during high force tasks, it's important to make sure that the handles of your tools are long enough that their ends won't press into your palms.
To measure, hold your hand palm-up, with fingers together and thumb against the side of your hand. As long as the tool's handle is longer than the widest part of your hand (the span from the outer edge of your pinkie to the outer edge of your thumb), it's safe to use. CableOrganiser.com offers a wide assortment of ergonomic hand tools, including: insulated pliers, insulated screwdrivers, Klein Tools insulated nut drivers, and ergonomic Ty-Rap cable tie guns.
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