Maintenance, Repair and Operations 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.

01/06/2008 First floor Although the number of major injuries to employees as a result of slips and trips decreased slightly between 2006 and 2007, from 10,955 to 10,790, they remain the most prevalent cause, accounting for 38% of the total. More disturbing is ... » Read More

01/06/2008 Fair enough Line managers in engineering companies worry that the law of the land seems to be tilted in favour of their employees, and increasingly fear they need to tread carefully. But what does ?carefully' mean? How much of what we hear is just bar ... » Read More

01/06/2008 Cage or maze? It's a sad fact that plant owners and operators have long since shed most of their engineering departments, leaving behind only skeleton staffs stretched to carry out essential inspection and maintenance tasks. So, with the process, ... » Read More

01/06/2008 Building better controls Improved sensors, electronic controls, automation, modern materials - they're all great, but they're not only about developing radical, high tech engineering solutions. Many can also give a huge boost to old, some very simple and ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Up and away Bad news travels fast, as the saying goes - but not so with rules and regulations. Apparently, somewhere in the region of one third of small businesses in the UK have still not heard of the PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Transform efficiency The good news is that transformers - both the plant used throughout the network operating companies' infrastructure and those at large energy users, such as factories and hospitals - are relatively efficient. In fact, modern power ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Teach a man to fish The Leitch Review of Skills, published in December 2006, warned that the UK must raise its game on training and education, if it is to sustain, never mind improve, its position in the global economy. Whether that study will turn out to ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Spend a little, save a lot Now that we know conventional energy costs aren't likely to fall any time soon, spending what turns out to be relatively little to save a lot has suddenly become much more attractive. All the more so, as engineers and business leaders ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Raising the curtain When DS Smith Converters introduced automatic paper reel handling at its corrugated board production site in Louth, Lincolnshire, it faced a dilemma. The process was already automated, with operators ensuring that paper reels were received ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Power to the people We've got a problem with energy generation. We need more capacity and higher efficiencies to cater for unrelenting increases in demand, but we also need to reduce CO2 and other emissions. This at a time when many of our fossil fuel power ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Overall benefits The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide (Scotland) Act 2007 will enter the statute books in June this year. Under its provisions, it will be easier for companies of all sizes to be successfully prosecuted for causing the death of ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Fuel for fire Converting corn into fuel ethanol is a fast-growing business, responsible for one of the fastest plant-building programmes in the world. But it's not been without its challenges, particularly in terms of process optimisation. So it's well ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Field of dreams Ever thought about EMFs - electromagnetic fields caused by everything from power lines to mobile phones and arc welding gear? If not, you should, because a little-reported European directive that seeks to restrict exposure of workers to ... » Read More

01/04/2008 Commercial Vehicle '08 What: Commercial Vehicle Show 2008 Where: NEC, Birmingham When: April 15-17 How: www.cvshow.com » Read More

01/04/2008 Cheap as CHPs Combined heat and power (CHP) isn't only about CCGT (combined cycle gas turbine) installations that generate hundreds of megawatts. Especially in these times of expensive energy and environmental awareness, all of us need to be considering ... » Read More

01/03/2008 Welcome to the machine Studying the latest version of the Machinery Directive in its draft form, it is apparent that, contrary to the common charge of Euro gobbledegook, here is a sound, best practice design guide for machinery designers, builders, operators and ... » Read More

01/03/2008 State of the nation Health and safety in the workplace is not only about PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) and LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations), important though both are. It's also not just about precautions ... » Read More

01/03/2008 SILs explained It's clearly important to determine the safety functions that we want an automatic electrical, electronic or programmable electronic safety-related system to perform - but what about the safety integrity level (SIL)? What does it really ... » Read More

01/03/2008 Raise your safety game During the 10 years that LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) and PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) have been in operation, they've played a significant role in providing safe working ... » Read More

01/03/2008 Passport to safety No one would disagree with the HSE's insistence that health and safety training, as well as engineering competence, must be demonstrated before employees, contractors or visitors are allowed on-site. That's the proof we all demand of ... » Read More

01/03/2008 Law in your own hands You could be forgiven for thinking that on 6 April the eyes of the legal profession will be firmly on the Corporate Manslaughter (Corporate Homicide in Scotland) Act, as it comes into force. But you would be wrong. Why? Because for the ... » Read More

01/03/2008 Friends in high places Falls from height are the single biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the predominant causes of major injury in the UK. According to HSE statistics, 2006/07 falls from height accounted for 45 fatal accidents at work and 3,350 major ... » Read More

01/03/2008 Electric shock Electrical standards governing design, build, installation, commissioning, testing and maintenance of electrical and electronic systems are changing - and the changes do impact engineering choices, methods and responsibilities. They also ... » Read More

01/03/2008 Building a safer future Some 2.2 million people work in Britain's construction industry and, in the last 25 years, more than 2,800 have died from work-related accidents. Many more have been injured or made ill. What's more, HSE's figures show an increase in both ... » Read More

01/03/2008 Belt, braces and proactive safety The Kings Cross tube fire on 18 November 1987, which claimed the lives of 31 people, changed attitudes to safety on the underground for ever. That one terrible incident (which led to the public inquiry chaired by Sir Desmond Fennell QC) ... » Read More