HSE has issued a safety notice following the failure of a GEC VMX high-voltage vacuum circuit breaker.
The failure caused electrical arcing and a fire in a substation. The safety notice applies to GEC VMX switchgear manufactured between 1985 and January 2003, including GEC Alsthom, Alstom and Areva T&D models.
HSE warns that ageing equipment, environmental conditions and legacy design issues may increase the risk of catastrophic failure.
Key actions for dutyholders:
As a dutyholder you should:
- identify whether affected VMX switchgear is installed on your site
- review maintenance records and confirm all required modifications and improvement programmes have been completed
- verify substation environmental conditions meet manufacturer requirements
- implement routine partial discharge monitoring and vacuum integrity checks
- review risk assessments and any access or operational restrictions
A construction firm built an extension over gas pipework and a boiler flue without relocating them, despite repeated warnings.
The extension was built over the top of the existing gas service pipework, and without repositioning the flue serving the property’s gas boiler. This exposed a family to the risk of gas leaks, fire, explosion and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Northern Gas Networks declared the installation immediately dangerous and disconnected the gas supply, leaving the residents without gas for several weeks.
The company failed to comply with an HSE improvement notice, and its director failed to co-operate with the HSE investigation. Both were fined and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge.
Read more about the incident in our press release: Building company and director fined after botched extension put lives at risk.
For more health and safety stories visit our news centre.
Employers must make sure workers get immediate help if they are taken ill or injured at work.
Our step-by-step guide on first aid in work explains how you must have the right arrangements, including:
- a first aid kit
- training for workers
- first aid for homeworkers
- first aiders appointed
You can also access more first aid guidance on our website. This includes guidance on legislation and the duties of first aiders, employers and employees. There is also information on special requirements for offshore work
HSE's Accident Book is a valuable document that businesses and organisations can use to record information about incidents and accidents at work.
The Accident Book can be used to record details of all specified work-related incidents and accidents, including injuries from accidents at work, that employers must report under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
The book contains 50 perforated accident record forms and is designed to support users in complying with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
HSE is running 2 courses this autumn to help employers comply with the CDM Regulations 2015.
The courses focus on the roles of the principal designer and the client (as defined by CDM 2015).
They cover what dutyholders must or should do to comply with the law and ensure projects are carried out in a way that secures health and safety.
|
