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ENERGY INTERNATIONAL
Oct/Nov 2011 www.esb.ie/em
Turlough Hill Refurbishment Project Safety Awareness Day
GENERATION OPERATIONS
SAFETY IS A priority on the Turlough Hill Refurbishment Project and a recent Safety Awareness Day focused on the identification and prevention of risks and hazards, particularly during the heightened activity of the current refurbishment works.
Much time and research went into preparation for the day and presenters included John Irwin, John Mc-Donnell and Darragh Duhy, along with guest speakers Larry Henry of McRory Scaffolding and Gary Henneberry of the Red Cross.
Part of the scope on the overhaul project included the assembly and disassembly of four turbine generator units and painting of the penstock. During the course of the day, the audience members were given several examples of accidents that have occurred while undertaking similar work at similar plant around the world and how these incidents teach important and valuable lessons that can be used to prevent similar accidents occurring at Turlough Hill.
Project Commissioning Manager John Irwin’s presentation focused on the procedures for proper isolation, verification and communication, which are all critical components when working with live equipment. He also presented the findings of the investigation into the Sayano Shushenskaya turbine explosion in Siberia.
The presentation by John McDonnell, HSE advisor on the project, included a video from the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) regarding a fire and explosion that occurred in the penstock of a plant in Denver, Colorado. The CSB accident investigation found a number of weaknesses in the safety management system and contractor procedures used. John spoke about the controls that were in place for painting of the penstock at Turlough Hill and noted that if similar procedures had been in place in Denver, the incident was unlikely to have happened.
Project Manager Darragh Duhy discussed P1 incidents across ESB Group in the last 12 months, the associated lessons learned and the importance of good relationships between contractors and project management team in the successful delivery of any project.
The two guest speakers, Larry Henry and Gary Henneberry, outlined their experiences of the dangers of working from heights and Gary demonstrated how to treat eye injuries and cardiac arrest.
As the day came to an end, prizes were awarded to contractors in recognition of their contribution to the present LTI rate of zero, a remarkable achievement considering that over 250,000 manhours have been worked on the project to date. A prize was also presented to Billy Lynch of Suir Engineering for ‘the best good catch report’ on the project.
Overhaul Group Manager, Brian Dolan, closed the conference by complimenting all presenters and reiterating that such safety days are an important part of management’s commitment to safety. He also said there were outputs from the discussions that should be considered by the project management team to ensure continual improvement in health, safety and welfare.
Life and Times of an ESBI Engineer
GEOFF DARLOW joined the ESBI O&M Solutions team as Senior Chemistry Consultant in 2006, having previously worked on the Takoradi Power Project in Ghana during the late 1990s. EM caught up with him to find out how he finds his current role.
A member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Chartered Chemist, Geoff is currently based in the UK at Corby Power Station from where he oversees the chemists and chemistry policies of six ESBI plants worldwide.
“The technical support team at ESBI O&M Solutions consists of a group of technical specialist who advise on a variety of disciplines throughout the business. My specific role is to formulate chemistry policy and ensure it is put into practice via auditing and onsite training,” said Geoff.
“When I am working from my office, I usually review chemistry audits and reports from the plants, and prepare briefings and bulletins for issue to the plants. Through my various industry contacts I also keep up to date with international developments in power plant chemistry. During site visits, I am involved with chemistry troubleshooting, site training and chemistry operational and safety issues. I enjoy the variety of tasks and not knowing what each day will bring. The training side of the job is very challenging, keeping our plant chemistry teams up to date with new techniques and technologies.”
Geoff supported Corby when they recently carried out a boiler chemical clean at the plant. This involved a lot of hard work and new experiences which were subsequently shared across all plants. Such knowledge sharing is of paramount importance, and Geoff is responsible for forming a close knit group of plant chemists and bringing these people together at two very successful chemistry conferences in Dublin.
On a personal level, Geoff’s interests revolve around his two children, Daniel, who is a very good footballer at the Nottingham Forest Academy, and Emma, who loves dancing and fashion design. Additionally, Geoff says, “I love my work at a great company with highly professional and friendly colleagues, and I love my visits to Dublin – a great city!”
ESBI PRESENTS AT GREEN TECH WORKSHOP
Ghana Fundraiser a huge success
ESBI
TASTEFEST, A fundraiser for the ESB Ghana Osu School Project, recently took place in ESB’s Head Office Restaurant. The event organisers, Chau Nguyen, Claire Morrison and Kieran Coughlan, all from ESBI Engineering’s HV group, would like to thank everyone who supported the event.
Special thanks also goes to the many local businesses who set up stalls on the night, as well as those who donated raffle prizes.
Chau, Claire, Kieran and 24 other staff from across ESB spent two weeks in Ghana during September working on the Osu School project. The tasting event of food, wine and beer was a huge success and raised more than €3,800 for this worthwhile project.
