RoSPA recognises Simon’s safety leadership in the storage industry
Exemplary personal and process safety performance has won Simon Storage Ltd (“Simon”) a raft of awards in the 2011 Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Annual Safety Awards. Simon’s Immingham East and West Terminals each won an Order of Distinction, presented after no less than 15 consecutive Gold Awards, while Simon Management Ltd, Simon Riverside, Seal Sands and Tyne Terminals all received a President’s Award, after having won at least 10 consecutive Gold Awards.
The impressive array of awards reflects the success of Simon’s internal safety initiatives, such as the “TAKE 2” mini-risk assessment programme, and the company’s contribution to external groups, including the Process Safety Leadership Group (a joint industry and regulators group) and Process Safety Forum, set up to drive the process safety management performance agenda by facilitating sharing and learning across industry sectors.
New “TAKE 2” Safety Campaigns
Since it was launched by the company in August 2008, Simon’s “TAKE 2” safety drive – “TAKE 2 minutes to make sure you do every job safely, every time” – continues to effect improvements in safety performance across the company’s bulk liquid and gas network. To keep the “TAKE 2” message fresh and interesting, Simon’s Group SHE Officer, Alan Dixon, has introduced a new series of TAKE 2 promotions, focusing on different safety topics and promoted via posters, presentations, and pocket cards for the workforce. New campaigns for 2011 include “TAKE 2 … with hot water and steam”, which highlights the potential dangers when working with hot water and steam systems, and “TAKE 2 … Hands!” to promote the importance of wearing appropriate hand protection for the task, as well as good hand hygiene.
Leading from the top
“TAKE 2” is just one example of Simon’s constant drive to spread safety awareness and best practice across all levels of its organisation. Simon provides its Board with ongoing safety training which then assists the directors with their hands-on, critical review of safety arrangements. Board level visibility and promotion of safety is also evident through regular safety tours of facilities and involvement in individual site SHE meetings. Additionally, a regular SHE Bulletin reinforces the safety message and shares advice arising from trade associations, including the Tank Storage Association, and safety groups, such as the Process Safety Forum.
Process Safety Leadership Group
As an established leader in the design and development of bulk liquid and gas handling systems, Simon continues to be an active participant in the work being undertaken by the Process Safety Leadership Group (PSLG) and its predecessor, the Buncefield Standards Task Group, following the explosion at the Buncefield oil terminal in December 2005.
In 2009 the Chemical Industries Association (CIA), Oil & Gas UK (OGUK), United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA), Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), and Tank Storage Association (TSA), established the Process Safety Forum (PSF). Meeting on a quarterly basis, the PSF encourages sharing and learning across high-hazard industries, as recommended by the Major Incident Investigation Board after Buncefield and the HSE.
Process Safety Forum Conference 2011
In his role as Chairman of the TSA, Simon’s Managing Director, Martyn Lyons, was a key speaker at the 2011 Process Safety Forum Conference. In his presentation, he explored the background to cross-industry information sharing as a means of further reducing hazard risk. He examined what is involved in sharing experience between industries, and how data is collated, analysed and disseminated. To illustrate this point, he cited the Process Safety Database, established by the UKPIA as part of its commitment to developing an effective process for learning lessons from relevant process safety incidents across industry sectors.
As an example of an incident outside the storage industry, Martyn Lyons highlighted the catastrophic mid-air fire and explosion of RAF Nimrod XV230 over Afghanistan in 2006. PSF members carried out a high level review of the Haddon-Cave Report into the incident and identified where there might be scope to improve process and practices in the storage sector, particularly in areas such as competency management systems and procurement systems. This resulted in work being initiated within the industry and by Cogent, the Sector Skills Council.
Concluding his presentation, Martyn Lyons said that the Buncefield incident had spurred the storage industry into action and called for maximum openness between organisations and industries, whilst remaining aware of the sensitivities of sharing some information, and avoiding the potential for information overload.
Response to RoSPA Awards 2011
Commenting on the 2011 RoSPA Awards for each of its UK operations, Martyn Lyons said Simon and all its employees were delighted to have received this prestigious accolade for another year running. He says: “The Awards acknowledge Simon’s high standards in occupational health and safety management and our ongoing commitment to promoting a positive safety culture at every level of the business. At its own facilities, Simon will continue to pursue health and safety standards above and beyond industry regulations and recommendations. Furthermore, we remain committed to working with representatives from inside and outside the storage sector to improve personal and process safety standards still further.”
