Health and Safety Executive

Part I: The Work of The Gas & Pipelines Unit of Great Britain
Wednesday 26th January 2011
Nick Dickety HM Specialist Inspector (Human Factors), Gas & Pipelines Unit, Specialised Industries, Hazardous Installations Directorate.

Contents
Part 1:

1. Overview of HSE
2. Roles & Responsibilities of the Gas and Pipelines Unit 3. Regulation of the Gas Industry

4. Recent inspection topics & emerging themes

Break Part 2: 1. The UK Gas Network 2. Transfer of control 3. Making the demonstration that Human Factors are being managed 4. Conclusions

HSEs Organisational Structure

Gas & Pipelines Unit

Roles & Responsibilities

Pipelines: Gas, Oil, Chemicals (Onshore and Offshore)

Gas: Transmission & Distribution (all pressures) down to Emergency Control Valve (ECV) on Consumer Meter.

Major Accident Hazard Installations - establishments that store/handle large quantities of dangerous substances, e.g. >50 tonnes of Natural Gas

Regulation of the Gas Industry

Pipeline Safety Regulations 1996 Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1999 Gas Safety Management Regulations 1996 Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974

Enforcement Actions
Gentle Persuasion Letter Improvement Notice Prohibition Notice Prosecution - through the courts
NB Enforcement will be in accordance with HSE enforcement management model - this balances seriousness of breach, company history, public interest

Gas and Pipelines Team

January 2011
Tony Hetherington Head of Unit

Doug Souden*

Nicola Wade

Giles Hyder

Jim Stancliffe

Scotland

Southern England & Wales

North and Central England

National Inspection & Operational Support

Ian Craig* Hazel Hancock* Steve Johnson Dave Stanford* Fred Williams* Vacancy

Andrew Cooke Nick Dickety Paul Hopkins Yannis Savidis* Martin Wayland* Vacancy

Francine Clarke Keith Pittman* Beth Rawson Ian Redshaw* Peter Rycroft* Kirstin Wattie Vacancy

Helen Berry Mike Potter

Recent Inspection Topics

Bio-methane
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Growth of LNG Gas Storage Gas in Flats Live Gas Working PE standards

Biomethane
5th October 2010 first plant in Britain to inject methane produced by anaerobic digestion of sewage directly into local gas distribution network Oxygen (O2) content of bio-methane >0.2% set out in GS(M)R increased risk of corrosion, odorant masking etc.

Conclusion of GL report commissioned to review literature on injection & combustion of biomethane: probably does not represent a significant risk

Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS)

Capture of CO2 at coal fired power generation plants and storing at sea in depleted oil/gas reservoirs Pipeline transmission advice bidders instructed to treat CO2 as hazardous fluid within Pipeline Safety Regulations, e.g. produce MAPD

Complex fluid dynamics mean pipeline design challenges, e.g. corrosion control, thermal/pressure relief, steel toughness requirements, internal/external coatings, odorisation or CO2 detection (at low points) material selection for seals, liners, valves etc

CCS Bid

Tie into 36 pipeline (No. 10 Feeder) to St. Fergus at 32bar (gaseous phase)

Beach compression to 160bar (liquid)

Stored in Golden Eye depleted gas field

Growth of LNG
LNG as a portable pipeline to reinforce gas distribution networks, e.g. mains replacement, operational maintenance, emergency supply losses etc

Gas Storage
UK net importer of gas limited storage (approx. 16 days)

Gas Storage
Offshore storage proposed in Baird & Deborah fields

Bacton

Gas in flats
Several incidents involving failures of risers in high-rise buildings (>6 stories) GL developing risk model to inform riser replacement programme and prioritise resource

Live Gas Working

Any activity where there is a potential for the release of gas e.g. work on gas plant, mains or services A confined space means any place, including any chamber, tank, vat, silo, pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or other similar space in which, by virtue of its enclosed nature, there arises a reasonably foreseeable specified risk Reasonably foreseeable specified risk: 2 fatalities and 7 major injuries (loss of consciousness)

Live Gas Working

Avoidance: preventing the need to access confined spaces

Remote Working Core & Vac Machines Invested 700k in 6 new Machines Vacuum Excavation Construction
Safety by design Planned work designed to be worked on when dead Currently 92% Construction mains are dead inserted Currently 50% Term mains are dead inserted No Gas Techniques LP Service Isolator MP version developed Live Service Insertion

Poor PE installation standards.

Fittings too close together

Snatched top tee

No alignment clamp used

Service not laid directly to property

Carefully selected backfill ?

Health and Safety Executive

Contents
Part 1:

1. Overview of HSE
2. Roles & Responsibilities of the Gas and Pipelines Unit 3. Regulation of the Gas Industry

4. Recent inspection topics & emerging themes

Break Part 2: 1. The UK Gas Network 2. Transfer of control 3. Making the demonstration that Human Factors are being managed 4. Conclusions

Health and Safety Executive

Part II: Human Factors Review of Gas Control Operations

Wednesday 26th January 2011
Nick Dickety HM Specialist Inspector (Human Factors), Gas & Pipelines Unit, Specialised Industries, Hazardous Installations Directorate.

The Gas Network

Entry points: Beach Terminals, LNG Importation Terminals, Pipeline & Interconnector National Transmission System: 3,700 miles of steel pipeline.
Pressure maintained by 24 Compressor Stations Gas storage sites: Cryogenic, salt cavity & depleted gas/oil reservoirs

Regulation of Gas Distribution Activities

Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 cover the transport of natural gas to the public Gas Distribution Networks (GDNs) must prepare a safety case and submit it to HSE for acceptance Proposed changes to operation require resubmission of the safety case SCADA upgrade & transfer of control from one central facility to three new local control centres

National Grid Gas Distribution National Control Centre (DNCC)

Hinckley

Gas Distribution Networks: 3 New Control Centres

Sunderland

Hinckley

Newport Horley

What are Human Factors?

Human factors refer to environmental, organisational and job factors, and human and individual characteristics, which influence behaviour at work in a way which can affect health and safety
(HS[G]48, 1999)

Human Factors Assessment Criteria

Competence of Gas Control Operators Staffing levels & workload Shiftwork and fatigue Control Room Operations (including SCADA system, alarm handling and layout of the control room)

Competence of Gas Control Operators

Describe how CROs will be integrated into Competence Management System (CMS) Selection: how will competence criteria and desired knowledge template be identified?

Training: identification of training needs (including refresher training) and training type (classroom, simulators, models etc).
Assessment: measure against standards and arrangements for collecting evidence of workplace performance. Evaluation: is it delivering desired results? How will efficacy be measured etc?

Competence Management Systems

Competency-based Selection Observation Tests, exams etc Competency-based Training

Task Analysis

Recruit Staff Identify/Review Competencies Train staff Assess Competence Maintain/Enhance Competencies

Competency-based Training

Staffing Levels & Workload

Describe process by which Operator ensures adequate numbers of competent staff available Use recognised HF techniques (e.g. task analysis) to assess workload Projected staffing levels should model all operating conditions, including upset and abnormal and take into account training and development opportunities (e.g. project work)

Workload Analysis

Safe Staffing Assessment

Developed so that non-experts can complete Physical and Ladder Assessments

Physical assessments look at ability of staff to detect, diagnose and recover hazardous scenarios Ladder assessment benchmark organisational factors in relation to industry best practice

Shiftwork & Fatigue

How will GDNs manage the risk of undue fatigue? Shift rota should follow HF good practice, e.g. Limit night shifts to a maximum of 12hrs Limit number of consecutive night shifts Allow at least 2 nights full sleep when switching from day to night shift Allow at least 11 hours rest between successive shifts Forward rotation of shifts

HSEs Fatigue Index Tool

50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27
Duty

Fatigue Index

29

31

33

35

37

39

41

43

45

47

49

51

53

Graph of fatigue index values (y-axis) plotted over the six week period of the rota (x-axis)

Control Room Operations

Design of SCADA system minimise potential for human error, e.g. benchmark against EEMUA 201? Will the alarm system be compliant with industry best practice, e.g. EEMUA 191?

Control Room designed to relevant standards, e.g. BS EN ISO 11064 (Ergonomic design of control centres)
Physical aspects (ergonomics): layout of control room, workstation design and built environment (temperature, air quality, lighting, acoustics etc) Cognitive aspects: information acquisition & display sharing, amount of team working, supervision arrangements etc.

HCI Analysis
5= 4= 3= 2= 1= Very Satisfactory Moderately Satisfactory Neutral Moderately Unsatisfactory Very Unsatisfactory

Visual Clarity 5 User guide and support 4 3 Error prevention and correction 2 1

Consistency

Compatibility

Flexibility and control

Informative feedback

Appropriate Functionality

Explicitness

Subjective analysis of existing SCADA system positive Objective analysis of new SCADA system?

Alarm System Analysis

Average and peak alarm arrival rate outside EEMUA 191

Alarms poorly prioritised Alarm response procedures neither informative or instructive

Incomplete alarm management documentation

Proposed change likely to reduce risk! Enforcement considered whilst robust improvement plan developed

Control Room Layout

Proposed Existing

Exit

Sto re

Da y wor

Ov er vie

Me et

OE des

PO E des

NM des

Workstation Analysis
5th percentile female g d s popliteal height elbow sitting seat height desk height height, 355 (385 with shoes) 185 495 (k-d: 680-185) 650 95th percentile male 490 (520 with shoes) 295 520 785

d
k

k
f

keyboard height
footrest height

680
110 (s-g: 495-385)

815
0

g f

Analysis of Control Room Environment

Comfortable thermal environment Air Quality meets BS EN ISO 11064-6 Lighting appropriate to the visual demands of task Acoustic environment appropriate to communication and alarm handling needs.
Humidity Sensor Sound Pressure Level Sensor Temperature Sensor

Lux Sensor

Inexpensive 4 in 1 environment test meter

Conclusions

HF methods used to demonstrate that transfer of control did not increase risk HF review identified opportunities to improve existing risk control measures Successful migration of people System migration?