Training Skills 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.

01/11/2019 Exposed An oil and natural gas producer was hit with a significant fine earlier this year following an offshore gas blast resulting from corrosion under insulation (CUI). But what exactly is CUI and how can it be prevented? » Read More

01/11/2019 Avoiding the trap What are some of the ways in which operators can protect themselves from the dangers of purchasing counterfeit spare parts? » Read More

07/10/2019 Going to great lengths The Historic Dockyard Chatham, situated on the River Medway in Kent, has been handed funding for conservation and repair works to machinery within its working Victorian Ropery. OE’s deputy editor made his way along the ropewalk to find out ... » Read More

05/08/2019 Comment: Ripple effect Provisional annual data released by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) recently has revealed that 147 workers were fatally injured between April 2018 and March 2019 – an increase of six workplace fatalities from 2017/18. » Read More

05/08/2019 Listen ear Noise exposure from tools and equipment can be damaging to personnel. A range of PPE and other solutions can mitigate the risks » Read More

04/07/2019 Comment: Speak up The Chernobyl disaster of 1986 seems to have hit the headlines again in recent weeks, following rave reviews of a new HBO TV mini-series that depicts the nuclear disaster and the clean-up effort that followed. » Read More

04/07/2019 HIPP, HIPP, Hooray! High integrity pressure protection systems (HIPPS) have become increasingly a solution of choice in managing the risks of ever more demanding environments – and none more so than offshore gas installations. How exactly do they work? » Read More

03/06/2019 Avoiding robo-flop Make UK launched a course last year to retrain and up-skill employees, covering the knowledge and practical skills involved with robotic and automation engineering. Commercial manager Mark Farrant, and commercial maintenance tutor Gordon ... » Read More

03/06/2019 Clean break On the face of it, non-contact cleaning of hospitals and healthcare facilities – by employing, for example, nebuliser technology, or ultraviolet light – sounds more hygienic than wiping and washing. But is it as effective? » Read More

03/06/2019 Wet & healthy Who knew the humble tap could kill? OE takes a look at water safety in healthcare and how it should be managed » Read More

05/02/2019 Gas Train The Industrial Gas Operations Accreditation Scheme, designed to provide an independent determination of competence for those working on large-scale gas installations, is two years old. How is it faring? » Read More

05/02/2019 At sea Oil spills in the offshore oil and gas industry were put under the Health and Safety Executive’s spotlight over the past year » Read More

04/01/2019 Searching for solid ground Performing service and maintenance tasks off-site need not be unsafe. But because risks could be less controlled than in a plant environment, engineers need to take care, and be particularly alert for changing situations » Read More

04/01/2019 Exposed to vibration Workers that frequently use hand-held power tools can become exposed to hand-arm vibration. However, this potentially disabling problem can be reduced and eliminated through different ways of working » Read More

05/12/2018 Signs of safety - quiz answers Health and safety signs are common throughout many sectors. The December magazine issue of Operations Engineer tasked readers with identifying some of these different signs through a health and safety quiz. Below are the answers. » Read More

05/12/2018 Statement of truth Method statements outline the hazards involved in a task and include a step-by-step guide on how to do the job safely. Yet there often remains confusion about their true purpose » Read More

02/11/2018 Ladder to success Working at height is one of the main causes of industrial fatalities, so using the right access equipment is imperative. What are the most important considerations to be made when choosing, and using, a ladder for access or work at height? » Read More

17/10/2018 Fire safety – after Grenfell In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, building inspectors and engineering surveyors must now assess the degree of fire protection in similar buildings. Brian Wall asks: Without adequate blueprints or records to fall back on, how are ... » Read More

17/10/2018 Rise of the drones Recent research by PwC estimates that there will be more than 76,000 drones in use across the UK skies by 2030. What role can this technology play in industrial maintenance? Adam Offord investigates » Read More

21/08/2018 Improving safety through connectivity in gas detection Honeywell explains how introducing a greater level of connectivity into gas detection can help optimise safety and improve productivity » Read More

21/08/2018 Why monitor dust in the workplace? Airborne particulates in any industrial operation can have serious health effects for workers, making effective monitoring a vital tool, as Mark Venables discovers » Read More

21/08/2018 Signs of danger Oil & Gas UK held its Safety 30 conference in June to mark three decades since the Piper Alpha disaster. Lord Cullen, who conducted the inquiry into the tragedy, used the conference to illustrate how ‘signs of danger’ need to be recognised ... » Read More

28/02/2018 Putting safety first Mark Venables looks at the potential hazards involved in compressed air use and asks how aware is industry of the preventive measures that can be taken, the current pressure regulations and the legal obligations of compliance » Read More

26/08/2017 Breaking the barrier Accidents do happen and for this reason safety showers and eye baths are essential first aid equipment in minimising the damage caused by contamination of workers with harmful materials, as Mark Venables reveals » Read More

26/08/2017 Peril of particles Mark Venables examines the issues facing managers as they balance the needs of people and productivity associated with laser and 3D printing processes, particularly in meeting their health and safety obligations in the light of recent ... » Read More