Well Handled, Well Done

Manual handling cuts across virtually all offshore operations, from turning valves to preparing meals, and with space at a premium, the provision of manual handling equipment is not always feasible.

Tanya Heasman reviews guidance from the HSE aimed at reducing the risk.

Several offshore tasks involve heavy loads such as pipes, barrels and sacks which must be lifted, pushed or pulled. Unfortunately these tasks can lead to serious injuries which are both painful to the individual and costly to their employers.

Seminars

On June 24th and 26th 1997, the Health and Safety Executive Offshore Safety Division (HSE OSD) held two seminars to launch their new guidance on manual handling in the offshore oil industry, Well handled - offshore manual handling solutions. The guidance contains 43 illustrated case studies of practical solutions on offshore installations which System Concepts collected last year on behalf of HSE with the co-operation of offshore employers. As with the earlier case studies publication which we helped HSE to prepare, A pain in your workplace?- Ergonomic problems and solutions, the cost effective solutions described in the book are intended to both raise awareness of manual handling risks offshore and to inspire employers to solve their own problems. The book costs £15.50 and can be ordered from:

HSE Books
PO Box 1999
Sudbury, Suffolk
CO10 6FS
England
Tel: 01787 881165.

Speakers

The seminars in Aberdeen and Great Yarmouth featured speakers from HSE and the offshore industry, with several speakers describing their own case studies and general approaches to assessing manual handling problems. Attendees found this practical aspect of the seminars very useful. The presentation by System Concepts focused on those actions which operators and design contractors can take during the design of new offshore installations to reduce the manual handling risk. This included applying anthropometric information to ensure that valves and controls are correctly positioned and that there is sufficient space to access machinery during maintenance. Some design teams also consider the weights of all equipment and supplies to be moved and build in specific equipment and procedures for loads greater than a certain threshold weight. Both the seminar and case studies book supported the HSE's Good health is good business campaign.

With our manual handling experience both offshore and onshore, as well as our knowledge of the installation design process, we are well placed to help offshore operators and contractors optimise the ergonomics aspects of their new and existing installations. Some of the services which we offer to offshore operators and design contractors include the following:

• Ergonomics and human factors reviews of installation design projects
  This is the best opportunity to optimise the ergonomics of your installation. Working with design contractor engineers and operating company representatives, we can apply proven ergonomics and human factors tools and techniques to optimise the working environment throughout the design process.
• Ergonomics training for offshore design engineers
  By helping engineers understand the key ergonomics risk factors, and providing usable information which they can apply immediately to offshore engineering projects, we can help you improve the installation's usability, reduce the risk of injury to offshore personnel, and provide your company with ergonomics self reliance.
• Ergonomics and manual handling audits of existing installations
  For your existing installations, we can audit the installation and recommend practical engineering solutions to improve operability and reduce the risk of injury. Our client-oriented approach ensures we take your requirements, constraints and operational goals into account when developing solutions.
• Manual handling and ergonomics training for offshore safety staff and operatives
  Some of the best solutions to ergonomics problems are developed by the people closest to the jobs. Our training for offshore personnel and safety staff gives them skills so they can conduct accurate assessments and provide useful recommendations to the engineers who design the solutions.

Our other areas of expertise, such as display screen workstation assessment and software interface design to improve usability, also have applications offshore, especially in control room environments. Displaying correct information in an unambiguous manner is critical to the safety of your facility. Based on task analysis methods, we can help review or redesign the software to ensure that the information displayed matches the user's requirements.

Tanya Heasman

First published 1997