Trips to the beam

1
Trips to the beam

• Managing health and safety a universitys
  perspective
• Dr David Kinnison, School of Chemistry,
  University of Southampton

2
Sites visited by Southampton chemists

• Daresbury (SRS)
• Diamond
• Trieste (INFN)
• Grenoble (ESRF)

3
Past and present work

• Daresbury All research below X-rays IR
  (400 cm-1)
• Grenoble Catalysis group (X-rays)
• Trieste PES group (22 eV)
• Diamond? Former Daresbury users

4
Health Safety planning

• Integrated approach HS is woven into thinking
  not bolted on last (minute). Soton policy.
• Risk assessment multi-layered.
• Initial preparation (basic how, who ,when, where,
  what)
• Categorise stages (preparation, transfer,
  execution, extraction, return)
• What if process (HAZOP)
• Identifying appropriate controls
• RA ? Managing the Risk

5
HS planning continued

• Risk management process
• RA has identified hazards and how those might be
  realised ? i.e. the risk.
• Applying appropriate controls (risk reduction)
• Checking that they are indeed in place
• Suitable and sufficient assessment (HSE)
• Record/review the assessments
• (post visit) debrief identify what worked and
  what didnt.
• All University personnel receive Hazard awareness
  and Risk Assessment training.

6
H S Responsibility

• Host institution- own HS policy is
  responsible on site.
• University/organisation (the employer)
• duty of care and
• HASWA s.2 responsibilities
• to its employees and those under its care i.e.
  research students.
• University must cooperate (MHSWR 99)
• Our mantra safety is everyone's responsibility

7
Applicable legislation?

• HASWA 74 S.2-8 (Simply)
• MHSWR 99
• PUWER 98
• COSHH (2002)
• MHOR 92
• PPEWR 92
• Workplace (HSW) Regs92
• RIDDOR 95
• LOLER 98
• Control of Noise at Work regs 2005
• Work at Height Regs 2005
• Electricity at Work Regs 89
• Regulatory reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

8
Potential hazards (pre-arrival)

• Transfer of equipment
• Manual Handling Issues
• Damage in transit
• Dangerous Goods (Has your DGSA been consulted?).
• Chemical/sample contamination ?
• In transit
• Electrical Safety (portable appliances)
• Our policy Test before use.

9
Potential hazards personnel

• Fatigue
• working long hours
• Abnormal shift patterns
• Stress
• short duration, intense
• pressured environment,
• reliance on external factors ? not in control.

10
Potential Hazards cont

• Equipment failure
• Release of materials (e.g. water, toxic gas (H2S,
  HF), Bio?) ? detection?
• Electrical ? personal safety (tested?)
• Potentially ? gt stress (equip. not working ? lack
  of results).
• The expeditions rely on good preparation.

11
Host institution controls

• Pre-visit questionnaire (on line forms)
• Access controlled to authorised users only
• Safety induction provided (emergency procedures ?
  house rules).
• General users MUST send Risk Assessment for
  approval.
• Visit is hosted by site scientist/liaison.

12
Transfer of equipment and personnel

• Road Kit is on a lorry/ Car Personnel
• Ferry/Chunnel Trips Outside UK
  (Kit/Personnel)
• Air Transfer of personnel
• Our personnel are at greatest risk when they use
  their own cars for work!

13
Controls for Transport

• No compressed gas cylinders/lecture bottles
• No flammables/toxics (limit samples by quantity)
• Employ appropriate carrier
• Plan lifting operations (forklift)
• (Ensure host can accommodate)
• In principle Soton policy is to order reagents
  through host institution.

14
Trieste work

• Photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) group
• Trieste (previously Daresbury)
• Rig weight gt300 kg ? loading/unloading problems
• Additional equip ? secondary hazards (e.g. UV,
  heat, noise)

Portable rig on wheels
Microwave power supply
15
Trieste

• A manual is produced for each trip (2-3 weeks)
  Dummys guide
• Host liaison scientist works in the team
• Kit is palletised and numbered
• Experience in alignment of beam lines and
  authorisation for working on beam.
• Group has 3 native speakers (out of 6)

16
Rig at Daresbury
Close up of the front view of the mini-cell
The users experienced a major pipe failure when
pinhole developed and sprayed water over the
hutch!
Picture of the experimental setup used on station
7.1 at the Daresbury laboratory
17
Rig at ESRF

Employment of H2S led to concerns from host.
The optical bench weighs 350 kg
b
c
a
Photo showing an overview of the experiment (a)
IR spectrometer orthogonal to the X-ray beam, (b)
optical bench and (c) mass spectrometer.
18
Summary of issues

• Handling transfer of equipment (outside of UK ?
  lorry)
• Manual handling and securing heavy loads e.g.
  optical benches / portable rigs
• Management contractors, e.g. Haulier
• method statement?,
• RA?
• insurance?
• Note researchers will cut costs in DIY transfer
  and rely on others to do the paperwork.

19
Summary continued

• Management at site
• Abnormal working hours
• coping with illness in team.
• Behavioural carrying on regardless when
  something is obviously wrong!
• Waste?
• Does the University fulfil its duty of care?
• Are sufficient checks made at site (by us)?