Hot Work Management Areas Of Hazards: Risks, Control Measures, And Responsibilities

Pre-work requirements

Discuss about the Hot Work Management Areas Of the Hazards.

Areas that hot-works are performed have been areas of hazards that claim many lives every year. This is due to lack of understanding as well as education on the dangers imposed. It is recommended to recognize the obligation of managing risks that are associated with contractors, workers and visitors exposure to the workplace hazards or the activities being conducted in these spaces. In relation to the Work Health and Safety Act, it is required that there is a proactive meeting of the work safety and health obligations by means of developing a management plan for areas designated for hot-works. The development of this plan would ensure an application of an approach to risk management to any situation likely to be categorized as a risk. Dangers are posed in these spaces due to the usually built design that is not suitable for people to work in. The usual features of areas of performing hot-works have poor ventilation thereby leading to the development of hazardous atmosphere (CCPS, 2010). Not all of these hazards are easily visible.

In the identification of areas of performing hot-works, there have to be documented areas of performing hot-work that allow undertaking of such duties. The identified documented areas have to be isolated with the use of appropriate warning barriers and screens and should not be close to combustible or flammable materials. The area also has to damp o waterproof with adequate mechanical or natural ventilation.

The areas may be composed of but unlimited to partly enclosed or closed spaces meeting criteria of a confined space definition, that is (Builder’s, 2015);

• Pressure vessels, process vessels, boilers, storage tanks, tank cars, silos and other tank-like compartments.
• Degreaser, shafts, sewers, pipes, ducts, sullage pits and similar structures.
• Any spaces for shipboards entered via a small entry point or hatchway, cargo tanks, ducts keels, cellular double-bottom tanks, oil tanks, ballast and hollow spaces.

The encounters of hazards, as well as association with working and entering in areas of performing hot-works, could possibly lead to bodily injury, death or illness to the respective worker. There are incidences of accident occurrences due to the failure of recognizing the potential hazards. Hence, the management plan, that aims at highlighting the hot workspaces as well as minimizing or removal of associated risks in these work areas has to be developed (Sutton, 2017).

The management plan would provide a working procedure in these confined spaces that minimize the posed risks to workers. The procedure includes;

• Reporting methods for these hot workspace risks and hazards.
• Having an initial assessment of risks.
• Developing a hot work permit.
• Laying out of associated staff responsibilities.
• Evacuation and emergency procedures

Duties that relate to individuals performing hot-works are;

• Management of risk and health in association with performing hot-work duties.
• Ensuring that the workers do not enter these confined paces until related duties are complied with(Great & Health, 2003).
• Rescue and first aid establishment procedures to be observed in the occurrence of an emergency.

The regulations from WHS issues the required control measures that include safety and communication monitoring, connected services and plant isolation and control for maintenance of safe atmosphere.

Risks in Hot Work Spaces

In addition, the Code of Practice provides a guidance of ways of managing risks that associated with performing hot-work duties with the adherence to systematic processes that involve;

• Identification of hazards that associate with hot-work actions.
• Assessment of risk that associate with the hazards.
• Implementation of measures that control the risks.
• Review of measures that control the risk.

1. Consultation of Workers

In management, the critical part comes when workers are consulted of their safety and health with regards to the safety and health risks. Workers who work in the hot work areas would have to be consulted in the process of hazard identification, risk assessment and implementation of control measures. It is more efficient to use a group of people in the process of risk management for drawing a range of experience and knowledge.

1. Co-operating, consulting and coordinating duties with related Duty Holders

In some instances, more than one individual conducts an undertaking. An example is the owner of the structure or plant having the hot work company will have to manage the company while the contractor will have to carry out work in the company. Such occurrences would require effective communication, co-ordination and co-operation between these duty holders. Therefore, there is possible elimination or minimization of risk.

1. Risk Assessment

Assessment of risk in these confined spaces would be done by competent personnel before any associated task is conducted within the hot workspaces after which there would be a resulting documentation that takes into account the following (Dubey, 2009);

• The hot workspace hazards.
• The tasks that are to be performed in the hot workspace.
• The variety of performing the required tasks.
• The associated risks and hazards with the actual equipment and method proposed.
• Procedures for responding to emergencies.
• The competence of personnel conducting the tasks(McGee & Wegman, 2004).

A process of assessing risk has to be determined before being implemented. The process of assessing risk has to be performed by competent personnel. However, it is better to use a group of people compared to single individuals for a wider range of knowledge which includes;

• Knowledge concerning the hot-work duties.
• The methods of working in these hot-work spaces.
• The safety practices to be involved.
• The process of risk assessment.

In instances of numerous like hot workspaces with like talks being conducted and the risk factors are greatly identical, a generic method of risk assessment can be done. These hot workspaces would have single identification of hazards as well as the carried risk assessment to have a sampled representation of the hot workspaces. This is advantageous as it saves time and prevents duplication of the process of risk assessment (Roper & Payant, 2014).

In instances that there might have been a change in risk in the areas of performing hot-works, a review of the risk assessment has to be done.  In this change of risk, factors that may contribute include (Spellman, 2000);

• Modification or installation of plant.
• Change in conditions of operating equipment.
• Change in occupational environment or atmosphere.
• Change in procedures or working arrangement.

1. Safe work procedures

In the process of developing measures that can reduce the occurrence of explosions and fire, the following can be taken into account (Dubey, 2009);

• Developing safe areas of performing hot-work duties with 15m radius from the execution point for the hot-works.
• Prevention of vehicular traffic that may move through the areas of performing hot-works once the work begins(Builder’s, 2015).
• Isolation of ignition sources from fuel sources.
• Making drains and sewer covers for prevention of vapour escape.
• Not storing combustible and flammable materials in the areas of performing hot-works.
• There has to be the maintenance of equipment for fighting the fire within the areas of performing hot-work.

In addition to these, the staff members also have to assign responsibilities as follows;

The manager has to be approved and registered with having to perform the following responsibilities (Arezes, 2017)

• Ensuring identification of all associated hazards to the work being proposed, assessing them as well as controlling them.
• Being familiar with the task to be performed.
• Having to outline the way of undertaking the hot workspace work such as the precautions, procedures and equipment.
• Ensuring prominent display of any necessary sign or tag for awareness of people having an association with the plant.
• Having to cross-reference the hot work permit with other important permits.

Control Measures

They pertain to responsibilities that include (Cheok, et al., 2018);

• Understanding the reason for a hot work permit with knowledge of tagging and isolation procedures.
• Ensuring that no work is started before the hot work permit is availed.
• Ensuring the personnel doing the work is very competent fitting to the required standards.
• Ensuring that relevant personnel are informed of shift changes, job suspension or completion of job thereby leading to hot work permit cancelling or transfer as appropriate.

Competent personnel involved in hot work tasks has the following responsibilities (Kallel, et al., 2017)

• They are to have the satisfaction of being able to understand and achieve the requirements in the hot work permit.
• Has to be skilled, trained, qualified and competent enough to perform the tasks.
• Has to adhere to the hot work permit requirements.
• Has to ensure that the tasks are done in a safe manner.
• Has to be aware of potential hazards that may come up with the way that can control them.
• Has to be able to maintain a safe working area with the ability to consult once doubt arises.
• Has to make the area as well as the equipment safe after undertaking the task.

The standby person has the responsibility of maintaining constant attention on the people working in the hot work area and act accordingly in emergency instances.

The standby person has to (Kletz, 2009);

• Provide an assistance to assembly, checking as well as preparation of work and its equipment.
• Confirm and agree upon the system of communication or method before entry of workers to the hot workspace.
• Monitoring the employee entry into the work area ensuring that it happens safely.
• Ensuring that the equipment availed to the workers are effective in their condition.
• Checking of the airlines for the clean supply of air to workers every time.
• Remaining at the assigned position while the working personnel is in the working area unless substitution occurs.
• Maintaining continuous visual and use of other communication techniques with employed personnel.
• Assisting the employees to vacate and exit the premises when instructed upon.
• Bringing the employees from their working areas in instances of danger, raising the alarm and taking further precautions.

They responsibly provide a management plan that fits outlined principle of safety. Contractors are supposed not to endanger others working on the premises as they perform their duties in safety. They have to complete the hot work permit before entering the hot workspace and submitting it to a qualified personnel (Manuel, et al., 2017).

The management has to ensure an acquisition of hot work permit that applies to the task that is to be undertaken in the confined space. This permit would avail the normal check ensuring all safety systems of the working condition are secured before allowing people to enter the area. In addition, the permit is a way of communicating with the site management, the workers and supervisors ensuring check of business and only entry of authorized personnel (Hughes & Ferrett, 2011).

The permit has to be issued in every entry point to the confined space with every permit only being applicable to one confined space. This is performed by competent personnel with direct supervision after proper nomination and authorization (Xu, 2017).

Before works relating to confined spaces begins, there has to be an erection of signs for prevention of people not authorized to enter the premises. The signs have to warn against people entering other than the listed authorized personnel. These signs also have to put up in places of the entrance but allowing ample space for entrance. The signs need to be there when there is preparation to working in the confined space, during commencing of work and even after packing up when the work is completed. Prevention of unauthorized personnel should not only be done by signposting. One could resort to additional security devices such as fixed barriers and locks.

The purpose of training in hot workspaces is to help in removing or minimizing risks associated with the workplace. It is prudent that supervisors and workers should possess skills as well as knowledge in understanding the hazards that associate with working in such an environment. They also have to understand the content of hot work permit and the control measures that could be used in implementing their protection (Rashvand & Abedi, 2017).

The process of Risk Assessment

Training is important for hot work workers who;

• Work or enter hot workspaces.
• Undertake risk assessment or hazard identification that relates to the hot workspace.
• Perform an implementation of risk control measures.
• Provide hot work permits.
• Appointed as communication or stand-by personnel in these hot workspaces.
• Carry out monitoring activities in the carrying out of work.
• Purchase hot workspace work equipment.
• Layout or design the work area.

Refresher training or re-training has to be availed in the appropriate workplace bases. This training’s frequency has to depend on how regularly the workers are called upon to perform their tasks that associate with hot-works (Collins & Schneid, 2001).

It is necessary for hot workspaces to have emergency response as well as first aid provisions and procedures that will have to be planned, identified, rehearsed and established. Emergency situations can occur in the process of working in areas of performing hot-works. Having a planned procedure, therefore, allows the provision of safety in these spaces if the control measures do not solve the accident. All the workers who may participate in the rescue strategy form these incidences have to be aware that these procedures are to be followed to the later. This includes procedures where;

• Workers get injured but evacuate themselves.
• Entry is a requirement for provision of treatment.
• Works are helped in evacuation by other personnel remaining outside the areas of performing hot-works.
• Workers entry is a requirement for evacuation services.

It is good to have a suggested establishment of emergency procedures where the factors that follow have to be taken into consideration when managing risks associating to areas of performing hot-works;

• The nature of areas of performing hot-works.
• Whether work can be performed without entry instances into the hot workspace.
• Any hazard changes that associates with oxygen concentration or airborne contaminants concentration in the areas of performing hot-works.
• The task to be performed in the workspace with the range of techniques that can be performed and proposed working methodology.
• The type of rescue procedures and emergency required.

Rescue and first aid procedures have to be rehearsed involving relevant personnel for ensuring effective and efficient accomplishment. The conductance of rescue procedures is

It is prudent that the hot workspaces have control measures that are implemented. These control measures are supposed to be reviewed. Additionally, the measures have to be revised making sure they operate as planned with the maintenance of working environment with no risks to safety and health.

Reviewing the control measures can be done by use of similar methods of the process in the assessment of initial risk. In the review implementation, it is necessary to consult employees working within the confined spaces. Also, the safety and health representatives should be consulted as well as considering the questions that follow (Capolongo, et al., 2017);

• Considering the operation and design, are there effective working of the involved control measures?
• To what degree is the process of risk assessment effective? Are the workers aware of the risks involved?
• Are the employees participating in the process of managing risks? Is the employee openly raising safety and health concerns as well as prompt reporting of problems?
• Has the introduction of new methods of work or equipment increased safety?
• Are the procedures of safety being followed?
• Has the training and instruction provided to employees been successful?
• If new information or new legislation becomes available, does it mean that the existing controls stop being effective?
• Is any planned plant change or structure that would result in confined spaces or alter the natural existence of the confined space?
• Has there been an occurrence of an event due to work performed in confined spaces?

If challenges arise, it is necessary to review any point involved in the process of managing risk, the information should be reviewed and any decision concerning control measures revised.

References

Arezes, P., 2017. Advances in Safety Management and Human Factors: Proceedings of the AHFE 2017 International Conference on Safety Management and Human Factors, July 17–21, 2017, The Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, California, USA. 1 ed. Bukit Timah: Springer.

Builder’s, B., 2015. Cal/OSHA Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry. 1 ed. Alexandra: Incorporated Bookstore/Publishers.

Capolongo, S., Settimo, G. & Gola, M., 2017. Indoor Air Quality in Healthcare Facilities. illustrated ed. Kent Ridge: Springer.

CCPS, 2010. Guidelines for Process Safety Documentation. 1 ed. Alexandra: John Wiley & Sons.

Cheok, A., Inami, M. & Romão, T., 2018. Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology: 14th International Conference, ACE 2017, London, UK, December 14-16, 2017, Proceedings. 1 ed. Bukit Timah: Springer.

Collins, L. & Schneid, T., 2001. Physical Hazards of the Workplace. illustrated ed. Chinatown: CRC Press.

Dubey, N., 2009. Office Management: Developing Skills for Smooth Functioning. 1 ed. Aljunied: Global India Publications.

Great, B. & Health, a. S. E., 2003. Electricity at Work: Safe Working Practices. 2, illustrated reprint ed. Aljunied: HSE Books.

Hughes, P. & Ferrett, E., 2011. Introduction to Health and Safety at Work: The Handbook for the NEBOSH National General Certificate. illustrated ed. Kent Ridge: Elsevier.

Kallel, A., Ksibi, M., Dhia, H. & Khélifi, N., 2017. Recent Advances in Environmental Science from the Euro-Mediterranean and Surrounding Regions: Proceedings of Euro-Mediterranean Conference for Environmental Integration (EMCEI-1), Tunisia 2017. 1 ed. Bukit Timah: Springer.

Kletz, T., 2009. What Went Wrong?: Case Histories of Process Plant Disasters and How They Could Have Been Avoided. 5 ed. Kent Ridge: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Manuel, S., Osman, T. & Gurvinder, V., 2017. Human-centric Robotics – Proceedings Of The 20th International Conference Clawar 2017. 1 ed. Bukit Timah: World Scientific.

McGee, J. & Wegman, D., 2004. Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers. illustrated ed. Aljunied: National Academies Press.

Rashvand, H. & Abedi, A., 2017. Wireless Sensor Systems for Extreme Environments: Space, Underwater, Underground, and Industrial. 1 ed. Chinatown: John Wiley & Sons.

Roper, K. & Payant, R., 2014. The Facility Management Handbook. reprint revised ed. Ayer Rajah: AMACOM.

Spellman, F., 2000. Safe Work Practices for Wastewater Treatment Plants, Second Edition. 2, revised ed. Bukit Timah: CRC Press.

Sutton, I., 2017. Plant Design and Operations. 2 ed. Aljunied: Elsevier Science.

Xu, Y., 2017. Nuclear Power Plants: Innovative Technologies for Instrumentation and Control Systems: International Symposium on Software Reliability, Industrial Safety, Cyber Security and Physical Protection of Nuclear Power Plant. 1 ed. Bukit Timah: Springer.