Why Safe Working Practises using bolting tools within the oil industry
It goes without saying that the use of hydraulic and high-pressure
equipment can provide risks in the working environment, especially within the
oil industry. There are numerous of methods that are used to tighten, maintain
and loosen bolts and connectors. Thankfully, there are number of accredited
bodies and professional training programmes in place across the globe, than can
ensure all technicians follow safe working procedures that follows industry
standards.
Regulations and standards around bolting
Bodies of the Bureau of Safety and Environment Enforcement (BSEE)
have been working to address the frequent issues, that raise serious safety and
environmental hazard concerns, faulty connector bolts in safety-critical
currently deployed offshore. The material and strength of bolting for critical
and harsh environments, such as the oil rigs, includes references to agencies
and bodies.
- Standards
- Specifications
- Recommended Practices
Despite that these standards only represent minimum requirement; they
should still however be met.
It is these standards that are an integral part of the design process
that must include identification and review of all applicable standards that
must be followed, as well as best practices.
Hazards around bolting
While the tools themselves are
developed to reduce hazards, the tools themselves also introduce other types of
hazards. Therefore, careful selection of the right equipment for the job is
imperative to ensure the work is optimised and risks are reduced.
Hand-controlled tools such as
Hydraulic torque wrenches and tensions, uses power precision to tighten and loosen
bolts. If the operator isn’t careful when the tool is live, there is the
possibility of minor and fatal injuries occurring. Some of the dangers involved
when using hydraulic tools are:
- A jet of hydraulic oil injection
- Equipment that isn’t serviced or maintained
- Pushing the equipment to full capacity
- Not releasing stored pressure
- Hand related injuries (crush and pinch point)
Safequards should be implemented
when using hydraulic tools and systems to avoid accidents and improve
production levels.
Safeguard of tools
Companies such as HTL Group
design tools and test them in-house to ensure that their bolting tools are safe
to be used in high-risk environments. Harsh environments such as subsea and
working at height can be made safer by implementing tools that are specially
designed for the job at hand.
Considerations for safety by
design, their tools have built-in and add on features which enable operators to
carry out challenging applications safely and more efficiently.
Working at heights
Operators within the UK, working
at height are at a risk in injury due to dropped objects, dropped
objects still rank in the top three of the UK’s workplace hazards with over
7,000 non-fatal injuries being reported.
Subsea Operations
Working Offshore is considered
one of the most dangerous jobs in the Oil and Gas Industry. As operators are at high risk to accidents, caused by the complexity
of deeper drilling depths, they require specific tools for subsea bolting
operations.
Safety by Design
When your dedicated supply
partner, should ensure you’re getting the highest quality equipment, that is
tested and designed with in-built safety features. To maintain the ultimate
safety standards, companies such HTL offers decades of expertise and industry
knowledge to support around all their tools to help ensure the safety of
operators.
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