Facilities Management Services Feature Library
Operations Engineer's library catalogues editorial features going back five years.
Access to all archive material is free to all, including non-members of IPlantE
(the Institution of Operations Engineers) or BES (Bureau of Engineer Surveyors), under
the umbrella of SOE (Society of Operations Engineers). However, to discover the
many benefits of becoming an SOE member, please click here.
20/05/2013
Tough choices
Moving bulk product around the factory and warehouse is no mean feat without the most robust conveyors.
» Read More
05/10/2012
Lifting the bar
Case law demonstrates that courts are taking an increasingly tough line with lifting-related accidents, if companies and plant managers cannot prove due process, writes Crispin Kenyon
» Read More
08/06/2012
Blowing hot and cold
Energy efficiency demands are driving ever more sophistication in both HVAC and building energy management systems. Steed Webzell aids plant engineers faced with tough technology decisions
» Read More
08/06/2012
Lighting the way
As plant engineers and facilities managers continue to seek out ways to reduce costs and improve efficiencies, one key area often overlooked could have significant impact. Brian Wall reports on the control and use of lighting
» Read More
05/04/2012
Is your boiler house safe?
As de-manning on steam and hot water boiler plant continues to gain momentum, operators need to consider best practice and their legal duties in respect of operational safety, warns S Moore Holmes
» Read More
06/02/2012
Shock tactics
About 1,000 accidents at work involving electric shock or burns – of which around 30 prove fatal – are still reported to the HSE annually. Brian Wall investigates procedures that could prevent needless deaths
» Read More
07/12/2011
Cool and legal
Nearly every commercial and industrial building has refrigeration plant. Some is well maintained, some not – until things go wrong. John Cherry updates plant engineers on their duties
» Read More
07/12/2011
Playing it safe
The October 2011 arrival of new guidance for the safe operation of steam and hot water boilers gives boiler operators and managers up-to-date advice, and recognised training is a key focus. Brian Wall reports
» Read More
07/12/2011
The case of Mr S
The role of an individual acting as, or on behalf of, a 'competent person' under PSSR (the Pressure System Safety Regulations 2000) comes with serious obligations S Moore Holmes takes us through the case of Mr S
» Read More
06/10/2011
Hazardous electrics
Hazardous areas demand properly certified equipment – and that applies to maintenance kit, too. But cost and efficiency are also key. Gordon Low examines the issues
» Read More
08/08/2011
Health and Safety North
Health and Safety North, the third in the regional series this year, claims to offers plant engineers a valuable learning and networking experience. Brian Wall reports
» Read More
07/06/2011
Making light work
There's more to cutting lighting energy costs and carbon emissions than the luminary technologies themselves. Brian Tinham reports
» Read More
07/06/2011
Green without eco-bling
As energy saving climbs up plant engineers' agendas, Dr Tom Shelley reviews some of the good and not so good technologies for heating, ventilating and air conditioning
» Read More
07/04/2011
Fail to danger
Most toxic and flammable gas detectors feature the fundamental flaw of failing to danger. Dr Tom Shelley looks at the problem and some useful solutions
» Read More
07/04/2011
Risk-based changes
Get it right and the savings can be huge, but get it wrong and the cost is unimaginable. Brian Tinham talks to John Wintle about changing best practice for hazardous plant inspections
» Read More
06/10/2010
Deepwater Horizon
Last month's report by BP into the causes of its Gulf rig explosion and fire, and the lessons to be learned, point to a chilling sequence of failures. Brian Tinham reports
» Read More
06/10/2010
The benefit of hindsight now
BP's long awaited report into the causes of its oil rig explosion and the worst oil spill in US history is finally out (page 8). The Deepwater Horizon saga makes grim reading, providing, as it does, a detailed study of the sequence of ...
» Read More
10/08/2010
Alighting on lighting
Equipment for illumination, both internal and external, is not standing still. Brian Tinham sheds some light on the technologies and their application
» Read More
10/08/2010
Uplifting engineering
Modern lifts are taking advantage of recent electronic and electromechanical technology advances to improve efficiency and cut emissions. Brian Tinham examines the background
» Read More
10/08/2010
The cost of complacency
If there is one lesson that emerges in the wake of last month's conclusion to the 2005 Buncefield disaster prosecution, it surely is the importance of vigilance. And that applies to all plants, not just to those in the chemicals, oil and ...
» Read More