Pall Industrial Hydraulics Laboratories operates from its facility at Walton Road, Portsmouth. The survey undertaken on June 5th looked at the Bubble Point rig and a variety of other rigs (both low and high pressure), additionally a review of the general area was completed including storage and transportation issues.
Some substances used around the site are combustible and may generate a flammable atmosphere under certain conditions. Hence a risk assessment was undertaken by Martin Moy of MESH Consultants to identify areas where the Dangerous Goods and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) may apply. The aim of the survey was to identify appropriate control measures to minimise the risk of an incident.
A key element was to identify the impact from flammable substances in areas with an inherent risk of ignition – and which may lead to fire and explosion. While the company had measures in place to significantly reduce the potential for incident, it was necessary to confirm the classification and location of any specific hazardous zones, as defined under DSEAR, to support ongoing safety of plant operations.
Some of the test rigs operate under high pressure and have the potential to create oil mist hazards; here the key concern is that ignition is much easier where a \’fuel\’ is under pressure.
