The safety of ageing plant is an increasingly important area of activity in the field of materials testing. Recently ESR Technology, a leading engineering, safety and risk management consultancy, announced that it has been awarded a major new contract by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to produce guidelines on the safety and integrity management of ageing process plant in the UK.
The aim of the project is to identify, target and prioritise the key issues associated with ageing plant to provide HSE field inspectors with clear guidance related to assessment, intervention and enforcement strategies. The work will build on previous research in this area carried out by the HSE and Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL).
The issue of ageing industrial assets is of increasing importance to regulators and the industry, as their successful management is critical to the overall safety performance of process plants. The study began last September 2008 and is likely to run until the middle of this year.
“ESR Technology is delighted to be working with the Health and Safety Executive in this whole area of ageing plant,” said Phil Ramskill, ESR Technology’s project director for the study.
“This is a subject which is of great importance to industry as we look ahead to how to best ensure asset integrity and the safe management of ageing plant across sectors.”