There is no legal requirement for a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector to visit unannounced and review your gas detection controls. If they visited out of the blue, would you be ready?
The HSE want health and safety to be a cornerstone of a civilised society. As such, the UK has one of the best safety records in the world and want to keep it that way by working in partnerships with businesses, their workers and their trade unions.
When the Health and Safety Executive inspectors visit your business, they are seeking assurance that the various gas detection controls be in place and are operated effectively within a positive health and safety culture.
The Power to Prosecute
Whilst it’s difficult to eradicate all gas detection risks in the workplace, the HSE will expect to see that sites are taking sensible actions to reduce safety risks. Where necessary, for example, where conditions are poor or there is a blatant disregard for the law, the HSE can exert their power to push for improvements, including prosecution where appropriate.
What does this mean for gas detection controls?
Most hazardous industries such as petrochemical, oil and gas, construction, rail, and explosives operate under a safety case or licensing regime. Businesses are required to have prepared a plan to show how they identify and control gas hazard risks that could endanger both workers and\or members of the public.
Gas detection equipment such as fixed gas detectors, personal gas detectors, and respiratory equipment may be used in support of a risk assessment associated with hot work or confined space entry or even the general environment. It is important that the gas detection equipment is suitable for the intended purpose and gives a sufficiently accurate and reliable indication of the presence of the hazardous material.
How to prevent over-exposure?
To ensure that the workplace doesn’t exceed workplace exposure limits (WELs), the EH40 Guidelines stipulate the amount of gas that workers can be exposed to in the short and long term. Safety managers of hazardous sites must evaluate gas risks, access points and gas detection equipment used to monitor gas hazards.
Understanding the exposure limits is a start. Understanding which products are required is next.
Is your site fulfilling it’s risk assessment?
The implementation of gas detection equipment isn’t straightforward due to the number of factors involved such as sensor technology, environmental conditions or exposure limits. a1-cbiss have created a guide to help you factor the considerations into this process.
Consider booking a site survey with a1-cbiss. During the survey, we can systematically walk you through the considerations that are specific to your site.
To make an appointment for a consultation or onsite survey, please fill in your details below and we’ll be in touch shortly to arrange your booking.
