TSA Conference 2017
Tank storage – new challenges
WELL-ATTENDED WITH A PACKED CONFERENCE AGENDA AND BUSY EXHIBITION STANDS, THIS YEAR’S TANK STORAGE
ASSOCIATION (TSA) CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION WAS THE GO-TO-EVENT FOR THE TANK STORAGE INDUSTRY
Regulations
Speaking on future regulation, Dr
Paul Logan, director of chemicals,
explosives and microbiological
hazards division (CEMHD) at the
HSE, reported that the UK is one
of the safest places to work in the
world. (Of the 144 work related
deaths in 2016/17 there were 27
incidents caused by the release of
a flammable liquid or gas.)
HSE will continue to work
with stakeholders and trade
associations to reduce the
likelihood of low-frequency, high-
impact catastrophic events.
In common with other
industries liquid storage could
be affected by a potential rise
in electric vehicles which would
reduce current storage volumes.
‘Under such circumstances, will
companies be willing to invest in a
more uncertain future?’
Without identifying individual
companies, the COMAH Strategic
Forum is looking at publishing
data to give an idea of the
sector’s general performance in
the near future.
In its mission to prevent work-
related death, injury and ill health,
last year HSE introduced a new
health and safety system strategy
– Helping Great Britain Work Well
– www.hse.gov.uk/strategy.
Whilst the continually
changing political and regulatory
environment will present new
challenges, it was confirmed
that all current legislation will
continue after Brexit with no other
legislation changing in the short to
medium term.
Bunding
“With not a single major incident
in the environment since 2010,
we’re in a better place,” said Mike
Nicholas, senior adviser COMAH,
Environment Agency, who focused
on the complex subject of bunding
and, in particular, when it costs
too much.
Although 110% or 25%
are normal minimums for bunds,
more capacity could be required in
some cases.
Exploring the 25% rule and
ALARP – ensuring any risk is as
low as reasonably possible – Mike
looked at a range of scenarios and
Adler & Allan’s Chris Gregory was on hand to discuss the
services offered including cathodic protection
case studies, including Buncefield,
where some bunds worked whilst
others failed in the aftermath of
the serious incident in 2005. Post
Buncefield, the 25% rule has been
widely adopted as good practice.
When considering the best
bunding solution – is the likely
frequency of an incident known?
Wider costs, such as asset loss
due to the escalation of a major
accident to the environment
(MATTE) or catastrophic tank
failure (CTF), must be taken
into account, along with the
cost implications resulting from
reputational harm.
improved competence standards
and given greater awareness of
COMAH critical tasks.
Sellafield uses a point of work
checklist with yes/no questions
with any no’s being referred to a
colleague or team leader. ‘Being
human, how do you ensure this
checklist is done properly…?’
asked a questioner from Navigator
Terminals.
NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY
STRATEGY 2016-2021
Human factors
At Sellafield the company’s sites
are dependent on both the safety
of process equipment and the
humans that operate it, said
COMAH manager, Ron Graham.
Asking what is the
consequence of getting this task
wrong?, the company employs
human factor specialists to
walk through a task to ensure a
thorough understanding of where
human dependency could result in
the failure of safety measures.
“Where reliance is placed on
people as part of those necessary
safety measures, human factors
and human reliability should be
treated with the same rigour
as technical and engineering
measures.”
In a human/machine
interface where safety critical
equipment such as alarms,
controls and indications are
required, performance shaping
factors such as light, visibility,
noise etc all impact on human
performance.
At Sellafield such work has
improved instructions, helped
enhance training programmes,
Security
The liquid bulk sector is of huge
importance to