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The better the safety briefing is at the start, the lower the risk of costly errors and incidents will be later on. But how is it possible to ensure that contractors are able to work safely?

Contractor management: Efficient solutions for safe operations Three issues that should be the focus of every safety briefing.

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Contractor management: Efficient solutions for safe operations

Rule of thumb number 3: Short, but clear decision-making channels enhance efficiency. Every minute of uncertainty and debate, as well as any attempt to reach a central point of contact currently unavailable, costs time and money.This includes the responsibilities of the safety personnel. Jurisdic-tional disputes, e.g., concerning who can prescribe a particular piece of protective equipment, are annoying and dangerous. “Espe-cially in the case of a shutdown, one cannot afford lengthy discus-sions or delays caused by an unclear chain of responsibility” says Jan Hegewald, Head of Key Application Field Shutdown & Rental Ma-nagement bei Dräger Safety. “Every work sector requires a defined person, who is in charge of all safety questions, as well as making the necessary decisions.”

Contractors should know where danger may arise during the assignment.

Although external service providers understand the risks of their own trade, they are often insufficiently aware of the specific sources of po-tential hazards and hazardous areas at a chemical production plant. “A joint tour of the plant and premises immediately before starting work is optimal – ideally with all contractors,” says René Lutat, Head of Operations Shutdown & Rental Management at Dräger.

The participants receive their initial orientation on site and see wheremeeting places, distribution points for safety equipment, escape routes and first-aid stations are located. At the same time, members of Health and Safety Management can explain where in the next few days what type and scope of work will be performed and the hazards that may be associated with this work. The contractors should also be made aware if heavy equipment is used at the plant. For example, if a crane is at the site, the required clearance areas for operating it safely will also limit the movements of the contractors.

Contractors should know exactly what they have to do – and what the limits of their decision-making authority are.

The tasks service providers are commissioned to carry out at the plant are listed in their work order. What frequently remains unde-fined is the scope of their decision-making authority, e.g., when it comes to adjusting the volume of work, measures to be taken when unexpected complications arise, etc., in addition to the reporting and documentation requirements. However, clear definitions are important not only for safety, but also for the efficiency of the work.

Example 1: Workers discover damaged areas when cleaning a tank. A welder working next to the tank is asked to briefly take a look to see if the repair can be done at the same time. The welder knows that he cannot climb into the tank without the required gas detector – there is a discussion that costs valuable time.

Example 2: The leader of a team of welders is unable to fix an overhead leak because the lifting platform is not yet available. In order not to hold up work, he asks the scaffolder to quickly build him a makeshift platform to reach the leak. But a short time later, the safety officer comes by and interrupts the risky endeavor, and the makeshift plat-form is removed again. Up to this point, it may have been possibleto find a different, better solution if all parties involved had followed the official communication channel.

Who should decide what to do in this case? When and where are special permits and additional instructions required? Rule of thumb number 1: The kind of responsibilities and authority contractors are assigned depends on their skills and abilities.Rule of thumb number 2: Who is responsible for what, who can make which decisions? All relevant contact persons must be clearly defined and made knownto everybody.

1. Clarifying responsibilities and competencies

2. Comprehensive safety rule instructions

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The use of rental equipment provides an economical solution. The required safety equipment, from personal protective gear and gas detectors to means of escape and air compressors, are all available in sufficient quantities, and cost is based on usage. It ensures that all equipment is in proper working order and ready for use – and demand peaks are also covered in case of emergency. Because “our experience shows that there is no such thing as a perfect shutdown. Unexpected problems and complications are always a possibility,” says René Lutat.

The following applies especially to shutdowns and more complex maintenance tasks involving different specialists: It pays to involve contractors early and as extensively as possible in any planning. This also applies to the safety service provider: “Not only are we able to give advice on safety policies and equipment, thanks to our years of experience, we are also able to provide assistance with many questions pertaining to processes and the organizational structure,” explains René Lutat. “And since we have a pretty good overview of the service provider landscape, we can also offer an informed assessment of the safety performance of many contractors.”

The comprehensive overview of the activities at the plant increases attention and sharpens the external staff´s awareness of the need to look beyond one´s own nose. A scaffolder, for example, not only has to worry about his or her own safety concerning falls, but may also need to carry a gas detector as part of the required gear.

Comprehensive training in such an instance is expensive and not al-ways practicable for scheduling reasons alone. “Still, the goal should be to inform all contractors together with their teams as compre-hensively as possible,” explains René Lutat. “This is one of the key things that we can do for contractors when our experts take over the safety management of a plant.”

Contractors should know what safety equipment is required to accomplish their tasks.

Scaffolders know that they must provide fall protection. Welders need visors, respirators and heat-resistant clothing. But do they also know that they may need respirators or portable gas detectors when working at a chemical production plant? And are they familiar with the requirements of the client concerning the technical specifica-tions and quality of the protection equipment? What needs to be brought along and what is provided at the plant? The safety briefing should make all these points as clear as possible.

At the same time, this basic rule applies: Not having to worry about the safety equipment saves time and money – but only so long as nothing happens. If there is an incident in which contractors are in-jured due to inadequate personal protective equipment, or which even involves your own employees in risky rescue operations, the situation looks quite different. Every worker should be equipped as best as possible for working at the plant when striving for zero accidents.

3. Ensuring that each employee is equipped as best as possible

Contractor management: Efficient solutions for safe operations

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Shutdown of a chemical production plant. Various main-tenance tasks must be performed, and several dozen con-tractors are working on site. A team of industrial cleaning specialists prepares to service a tank that has already been checked and cleared. Suddenly the mobile gas detector alarm of one of the wor-kers is triggered. The worker pauses and exchanges a look with his colleague. The colleague calmly shakes his head: His own gas detector, just a few meters away, has not been triggered. The first worker takes a few steps toward his colleague. Now his own device no longer displays a gas concentration, and he deactivates the alarm message on the display.When the team returns to the workshop at the end of the shift, the incident is not mentioned – after all, “nothing happened.” And none of the workers feels like writing reports and answering questions shortly before the end of the workday… But by doing so, the contractors are viola-ting a clear safety rule: The rules for this facility stipulate that every gas alarm must be reported. Management wants to be informed of any potential leak at the plant.

This is a typical problem for which a reliable and efficient solution was found. Two new software features in the mobile gas detection equipment from Dräger, which are used in this plant, ensure that each gas detection incident is registered and forwarded – even when the detected gas concentrations are below the alarm limit. The Pac 3500/5500 portable gas detector, for example, responds to low gas concentrations with warning signals such as flashing light, vibration and horn. The display shows the alarm alternately with the measured gas concentration. The warning signals can be turned off on site, but not the display, which can be disabled only in conjunction with the workshop system. Another solution is connecting the Pac or X-am series with the X-Dock Manager. Each portable gas detector can be assigned to a specific workstation or user. The active data management system allows for the notification of the X-Dock Manager with an automated e-mail each time gas is detected.

INNOVATIVE TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS CAN SUPPORT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SAFETY MANAGEMENT –AN EXAMPLE:

IMPRINT / CONTACT

Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaARevalstraße 123560 Lübeck, DeutschlandTel. +49 451 882-0Fax +49 451 882-2080

www.draeger.com

Contractor management: Efficient solutions for safe operations

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