Where is Jamestech currently, and what are we doing?

Below are some of our Customers in the Cu, Copper and Au, Gold Mining spaces where we are currently assisting :

Australia

CST Lady Annie, Nth Qld, Australia - Copper
* Electrical & Instrumentation Tradesmen assisting with Site Maintenance and Projects
* High Voltage Electrical Engineering assistance
* Electrical Mine site and High Voltage Safety Audit Services

Ernest Henry Mining, Nth Qld, Australia - Copper & Gold & Magnetite
* Electrical Tradesmen assisting with Process Plant and Underground Maintenance
* Electrical Engineering assistance with Site Expansion Projects
* Electrical Mine site and High Voltage Safety Audit Services

Xstrata Mt Isa Mines, Nth Qld, Australia - Copper
* Electrical & Instrumentation Tradesmen assisting with Site Maintenance and Projects
* Electrical Engineering assistance with Site Projects

Aditya Birla Mt Gordon, Nth Qld, Australia - Copper
* Electrical Engineering assistance with Site Projects
* Electrical Mine site and High Voltage Safety Audit Services

Carpentaria Gold, Ravenswood, Nth Qld, Australia - Gold
* Electrical Engineering assistance with Site Projects

Papua New Guinea

Hidden Valley Mine, Morobe Province, PNG - Gold & Silver
* High Voltage & Safety Training
* Electrical Minesite and High Voltage Safety Audit Services

Wafi Golpu, Morobe Province, PNG - Gold & Copper
* Electrical Engineering and Supervision of site upgrade and construction works

Jamestech always strives to provide the best possible service and know that we can always supply a quality product with our own staff, to assist you with your specialist, Electrical Engineering, Safety Training and, Trades and Technical labour needs.

Should you require Jamestech to assist, or may wish to join the Jamestech team, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Jamestech staff on +61-7-55493471 (outside Australia), or 1300 732 881(freecall within Australia).

Darren Caulfield
CEO

The commission of inquiry into the Pike explosion has uncovered a company that was deaf and blind to its own failings.

Photo Mark Mitchell/NZH

The balance-of-probabilities explanation of what happened at Pike River coal mine at 3.45pm on November 19, 2010, was delivered bloodlessly in the ninth week of inquiry hearings. Australian mining man David Reece – one of five experts hired by the Department of Labour and police to investigate the disaster – said a slug of methane gas had probably been expelled from the coalface by a large collapse of the “goaf” (the void left after coal has been extracted). As it travelled down the mine, it would have mixed with fresh air to form an explosive concentration. Around the same time, a pump turned on by the surface control room caused electrical arcing in poorly configured underground equipment. The mine exploded.

Even assuming Reece’s explanation of what happened stands up to further scrutiny, it leaves many more burdensome questions still to be answered. Why did Pike’s management systems not prevent the catastrophic combination of two of the most critical risks in underground coal mining – explosive levels of methane and ignition? Why was there not a belts-and-braces­ regime of vigilance, running from the board of directors at the top through the multiple layers of management and down to the workers at the coalface, that would have detected and dealt with those risks long before they were calamitous? Why did no one in a position of authority respond to Pike’s multiple warning signs by saying what needed to be said: shut this mine down?

Some saw the signs of looming disaster, said their piece, then left. Albert Houlden, a former leading hand with Pike’s biggest subcontractor, McConnell Dowell, and a man steeped in the traditions of British coalfields, worried about poor supervision, the lack of teamwork underground and the inexperience of men pressed into tasks beyond their training. He made complaints about various incidents, and left in April 2010 after six months, telling his wife, “That mine is going to go.”

Masaoki Nishioka, a Japanese mining expert hired in mid-2010 to commission Pike’s hydro-mining system – which was critical to the company’s ambitious coal production forecasts – was terrified of the combination of Pike’s gassy coal, its inadequate ventilation and gas-monitoring system, and the lack of an emergency exit. He says he warned middle and senior managers several times (although his evidence on this is disputed), and left after three months, fearing an explosion.

In mid-2009, Harry Bell, a former chief inspector of coal mines, was so concerned at what he was hearing from senior miners about gas management and behaviour underground at Pike that he rang the company’s then general manager, Peter Whittall, to raise his extreme concerns. Whittall told him: “Sometimes your officials let you down.”

These individuals were able to recognise the dreadful signs, but the company itself was deaf and blind to the trouble it was in. Vital information lay fallow in organisational dead ends, rather than flowing systematically to key decision-makers. For instance, news of repeated instances of high methane readings in the main ventilation shaft in the month before the explosion didn’t reach Doug White, the highly experienced and respected Australian who was the statutory mine manager from mid 2010 until the time of the explosion.

As for a series of potentially explosive methane spikes during the commissioning of the hydro-mining system, White told the commission he could not recall knowing about them at the time. He acknowledged there was no documented system of alerting him to such “high potential incidents”. White didn’t know until after the explosion that of the three key sensors measuring gas levels in the air circulating away from the coalface, one was not properly calibrated, one hadn’t been working for over two months and the third was poisoned by repeated high readings and was not sending information to the control room.

In the final weeks of the mine’s life, White, who became Pike’s general manager when Whittall was promoted to chief executive in October 2010, effectively handed the statutory role of mine manager over to a new man, Australian Steve Ellis. Ellis was the seventh person to hold the role in just two years, and at the time did not hold the official qualifications needed to do the job.

After he took over, little time was spent at daily management meetings discussing gas levels, according to former middle manager Gregory Borichevsky. The main thrust, he told investigators, was “achieving target metres and tonnages”.

Underground supervisors were reporting that contraband items such as lighters, cellphones and non-regulation watches – all capable of producing enough ignition to react with explosive methane – were being taken into the mine. But exactly where that information wound up is unclear. One who did not receive it, despite his responsibility for implementing safe procedures at Pike, was health and safety manager Neville Rockhouse.

Until the explosion that took the life of one of his three sons, Ben, and nearly claimed another, Daniel, Rockhouse believed “we did things good” at Pike. But no one had been telling him about gas spikes, sparking machinery, workers bypassing machine-mounted gas detectors, or incidents such as when a spot search of a group of miners was carried out and two-thirds were found to be carrying contraband.

Rockhouse was so busy writing operating procedures and management plans – most of them never signed off by the relevant departmental managers – that he rarely had time to go underground to see for himself what was going on. As he told the inquiry, “You can’t manage what you don’t know.” Sometimes dire warnings were acted on, but only partially. When senior miner Brian Wishart wrote an email in April 2010, listing major failings in Pike’s system of draining methane from the coalface, he closed with an ominous reference to the recent explosion at West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch coal mine, which had killed 29 men. “History has shown us in the mining industry that methane, when given the [right] environment, will show us no mercy.”

There was a flurry of activity as a result, including bringing in a consultant with expertise in methane drainage. But the consultant’s key recommendations – to increase the capacity of the system to deal with gas volumes – had not been implemented by the time the explosion occurred. Other measures that might have helped lessen Pike’s risks were blocked. In mid-2010 White budgeted $800,000 to install a tube-bundle system – a highly accurate gas monitoring system that’s regarded as standard equipment in modern underground coal mining. But Whittall took it out of the budget.

The highly respected Harry Bell was contracted to provide extra training for the workers (who were crying out for it); he did one session in October 2010, but only three workers turned up to the second session because others couldn’t be spared from the coalface.

Up and down the line, people operated under dangerous assumptions. When asked about the disconnection of the critical methane sensor near the hydro-mining area, monitoring engineer Daniel du Preez told investigators he was new to coal mining and had assumed “management is there and they decide it’s fine, then it’s fine probably [sic]”.

White assumed (wrongly) that the gas sensors were being regularly calibrated, and that Ellis was keeping a close eye on gas levels. There was no integrated management information system that would have automatically drawn his attention to glaring problems.

The board of directors – none of whom had any experience in underground coal mining – assumed if there were any serious safety concerns the company’s managers would let them know. Chairman John Dow spoke of the “church and state” separation between governance and management; it wasn’t for the board to be poking around in operational detail.

For instance, they didn’t check whether gas monitoring was sufficient, whether the electrical system was intrinsically safe or whether the risks of major new processes such as hydro-mining had been thoroughly assessed. When White did address the board, four days before the explosion, Dow recalled him expressing “comfort” with the gas levels, which were a “nuisance” rather than a concern. And even when warnings were sounded that might have put the board on high alert, not much seems to have come of it. In August 2009, for instance, Pike’s then contracts manager, Les McCracken, made an unsolicited approach to Dow to express concerns about the training, morale and cultural mix of staff at the mine.

Dow responded by contacting an experienced mining consultant, Dave Stewart, who did a series of audits in March and April 2010. Stewart saw a range of problems, including deficient gas monitoring, poorly designed ventilation, the lack of an effective emergency exit and a “dysfunctional” culture. His reports went to the management, but the board never saw them. Even more surprisingly, the board didn’t receive an insurance review carried out in 2010 that raised several red flags, including a lack of key risk assessments, a low standard of methane and strata control and poor general housekeeping.

Pike’s board – like most company boards – claimed to put health and safety at the top of its priorities. In fact, it did no such thing. Its health, safety and environment committee didn’t meet in the 13 months before the explosion, and although Dow said the whole board was taking an interest in health and safety, board minutes show it was not at the top of the agenda. Further, the board overtly rewarded production over safety, linking 75% of the chief executive’s bonus to production and budget targets, and only 10% to safety.

Even if the board and senior managers had been alert to the perils by the latter part of 2010, they may have been too burdened by Pike’s short deluded history to have done much about it. Based on scanty geological information, Pike’s promoter, New Zealand Oil & Gas, had chosen to mine one of the most difficult coal seams on the West Coast. It had attracted investors with grandiose production forecasts of over a million tonnes a year of coal – more than twice the annual yield from its nearest comparable mine, Spring Creek.

The project was launched in the middle of an international mining boom, making it difficult to recruit experienced people. Pike River Coal was repeatedly caught out by the geological complexity of the area, and its 2.3km access tunnel cost 100% more than budgeted and took two years longer to complete than planned.

The company selected machinery that didn’t work, causing further production delays and endless frustration to those on the job. It chose an unconventional mining method – hydro-mining, which uses a high pressure water jet to carve the coal out – which carried a unique set of risks, and then employed people with no experience in the system to run it. It chose to install its main electrical ventilation fan – the lungs of the operation – underground, where it was inherently vulnerable to the very hazard it was supposed to control.

By 2010, Pike had invested $350 million in a hole in the Paparoa Range that had yet to produce commercial quantities of coal. It was burning through $4 million a month, and was losing the confidence of its shareholders. The company’s leaders had convinced investors to throw another $70 million of capital at the venture, which they believed would see the mine through to steady-state production and release it from its agonising start-up troubles.

Who, in such circumstances, would be brave enough to declare the place a time bomb and order it shut? Not the workers, many of whom were inexperienced, were accustomed to flagrant health and safety breaches and incidents not being followed up, and were busting to earn the pre-Christmas production bonus they’d been offered. Not the managers, who failed to see the whole frightening picture, and – judging by the private emails of White describing Whittall as a liar and a “dodgy git” – worked in a climate of blame and mistrust at the top. Not the board, who, in the absence of news to the contrary from management, assumed the place was a bastion of modern health and safety practice. And not the regulator – the Department of Labour’s mining inspectorate – which had been stripped of authority, skill and resources over two decades of deregulation.

By November 19, 2010, Pike’s workers walked – as they had so many times before – into the maw of a fatally flawed ­organisation.

James technologies has cemented our relationship with Papua new Guinea, gaining Investment and Promotion Authority approval to register and operate as Papua New Guinea Company, James technologies (PNG) Ltd, Company Number 1-82101.

James technologies (PNG) Ltd is a solely owned and operated by Jamestech Australia’s Ken Cryer (below right) and Darren Caulfield (below left).

Darren Caulfield said “Both Ken and I have had many years working within Papua New Guinea and we look forward to continuing this relationship by further providing our Electrical Engineering Services, Electrical Safety Training and General Labour Hire Services to our customers in PNG”.

Electrical Safety and Compliance is always a priority to Jamestech. With a commitment to continuous improvement, a Zero Harm workplace is certainly achievable.

Jamestech look forward to continuing our operations into Papua New Guinea assisting with:

Jamestech Electrical Projects & Engineering;

“Job Satisfaction from Start to Finish”

“Wok mas ran gut long stat igo pinis bilong em”

Jamestech Technical and Specialist Labour Hire;

“Supplying the Right Man for the Job”

“ Givim yu raitpela man igat save long wok”

Jamestech Vocational Education and Training;

“Learning to Stay Safe”

“Save long sefti”

Please also read:
http://www.jamestech.com.au/news/regular-short-safety-courses-key-to-a-safe-workplace/

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact any of the helpful Jamestech staff .

Our reputation for Supplying the Right Man for the Job is what underpins our continuing relationship with our customers. We pride ourselves on supplying personnel of the highest quality.

• Construction Workers – Jamestech provide teams to complete your project on time and within budget.
• Maintenance Staff ‐ We understand your need to keep your plant running to optimum performance and can provide staff to service your needs.
• Shutdown Technical Labour Assistance ‐ Anytime, anywhere with experienced and dedicated personnel.

We consider our knowledge of Electrical Standards, Regulations and Acts to be superior to many of our competitors and have compliance to these regulations as our pirmary focus.

Electrical licensing is our absolute priority and all our workers are fully licensesd relevent to the task required.

In addition to our Electrical expertise, Jamestech Labour can assist with all you staffing needs including:

• Electrical & Instrument Engineers and Supervisors
• Electrical Fitter / Mechanic Tradesmen
• ( All Electrical licenses checked and relevant for the work required)
• Instrument / Electrical Tradesmen
• Planners
• Administration Staff
• Drafters
• Fitters & Turners
• Boilermakers
• Diesel Fitters
• Process Workers
• Labourers
• Trades Assistants
• Cleaning and Services Staff

We supply staff for short term or long term needs, whether you are 1 staff member down for a few days, planning your next shutdown or are looking to outsource your maintenance requirements, you know Jamestech won’t let you down.

Please call our friendly Jamestech staff at anytime on :
Main Telephone, 1300 732881 (freecall withing Australia)
Brisbane Office, +61-7-55493471
Townsville Office, +61-7-47267709

We look forward to assisting with your project.

In 1996, the same year as John Howard was sworn in as Prime Minister of Australia and Bill Clinton won his second term as US President, Jamestech began as a simple electrical contracting company, completing small electrical and instrumentation projects.  

Over the next 10 years the need within the mining industry for inexpensive, efficient supply of tradesmen, technicians and engineers prepared to travel anywhere, was serviced by Jamestech and we soon grew to having employed more than 400 personnel.  

The Jamestech Group of companies is proud to have 3 core business units, to assist our customers.  

1 – Jamestech (Labour)

Maintenance and Shutdown, Electrical Labour Hire
Having our own supply of electrical and mechanical specialist technicians within Jamestech (Labour) , enables us to support industries technical labour needs.

Whether it be, hourly rate hire of our personnel to complete your project or a fee for service recruitment contract, we pride ourselves on supplying personnel of the highest quality whilst adhering to the “Jamestech Vision”. 

2 – Jamestech (Projects)

Electrical Contracting and Engineering Compliance
With all Electrical Contracting and Engineering Licenses, and all relevant Professional Indemnity and Public Liability Insurance requirements, Jamestech (Projects) has the ability to complete all Electrical Engineering, Compliance and Auditing Requirements.  

Jamestech (Projects) is an organisation that provides specialist advice and solutions to the Mining, Refining, Oil and Gas, Building Construction and Electrical Supply and Distribution Industries.  

3 – Jamestech (Training)

Electrical and Mines Safety Training

To assist our growth and ensure our on-going commitment in providing the highest quality service as well as the continued quest for perfection, we became our own RTO (Registered Training Organisation); Jamestech (Training).

Our aim of vocational education and training is to provide accredited training to enable personnel to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes essential in our staff for the highest level of workplace performance.  

Jamestech always strives to provide the best possible service whilst providing competitive electrical labour and engineering contractor and know that we can always supply a quality product with our own staff, to assist you with your specialist project, training, engineering and technical labour needs.  

Should you require any further information on Jamestech Services, or may wish to join the Jamestech team, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Jamestech staff on +61-7-55493471 (outside Australia), or 1300 732 881(freecall within Australia).  

Darren Caulfield
CEO

Mines Inspectorate—Underground metalliferous mines Safety Alert No. 280 | 18 January 2012

Emergency refuge bay explosion

What happened?

 A periodic inspection of an underground Rescueair emergency refuge bay (ERB) found that an explosion had occurred inside. It is believed that an explosive atmosphere was created by the hydrogen generated when the EverExceed® VRLA (Valve Regulated Lead Acid) batteries were overcharged.

Batteries from the ERB 

Outside of the ERB after the incident

Why did it happen?

 Factors contributing to the incident include:

• EverExceed® battery-charging system did not switch off when manufacturer’s fully charged battery voltage was reached.
• Overcharging the batteries produced hydrogen which, in this case, vented into the ERB.
• Location of batteries inside the ERB.
• ERB inspection procedure was not followed correctly by personnel.
• Gas was ignited by an unknown energy source. Flammable limits of hydrogen in air are 4 to 74% by volume.

The batteries were housed under a seat within the ERB. The gas expelled from the overcharged batteries was circulated around the airtight ERB by the air-conditioning unit. While the ignition source hasn’t been positively identified, the battery charger is suspected. Other potential ignition sources inside the ERB include lights, two-way radio and an air conditioner.

ERBs form an integral part of an underground mine’s emergency response plan and system. The site safety and health management system must ensure that ERBs are installed, operated and maintained according to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) recommendations. Where OEM recommendations are not followed, suitable risk and change management processes must be applied to ensure that the risk remains at an acceptable level.

Recommendations

1.  Inspect all ERB battery and battery-charging systems to ensure that they are compatible with, and installed and operating within, OEM specifications.
2. Ensure that all ERBs are subject to scheduled inspection and maintenance by suitably qualified personnel, covering OEM specifications as a minimum.
3. Regularly inspect batteries for signs of gasification (swelling) or other defects such as cracking of cases and deterioration of terminations.
4. Relocate batteries to a place where flammable gases cannot accumulate.
5. Use batteries that do not expel hydrogen in the event of overcharging.
6. Install battery cell monitors on each battery to ensure that the internal impedance of the battery is within acceptable limits. Where a defect is detected, initiate an alarm.

Hermann Fasching | Manager, Safety and Health – North Region
Contact Damian Lee, Inspector of Mines, +61 7 4747 2157

Place the alert on noticeboards and ensure all relevant people in your organisation receive a copy. See more safety alerts and bulletins at http://mines.industry.qld.gov.au/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MiningSafetyQLD

Hello to All,

It is hard to believe that Christmas is once again upon us, it seems that I only just finished writing last year’s message. Each year it seems that the year goes by quicker and quicker as our modern lives leave little time to stop and smell the roses.  At this time of the year life becomes even more hectic preparing for the holiday, parties, shopping and so much more.  In the midst of this “busyness” it is important that we do not lose sight of what is important: Our families.

Spending time with our families keeps us focussed on what is important as well as the true meaning of Christmas.  Christmas is a time where we take the time to get together with loved ones or take the time to pick up the phone and remind those that we love what is in our hearts.  With financial times being what they are many of us have to be resourceful in showing those around us how we feel. Simply be creative and do it!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has made this another great year for James Technologies.

Thank you to our customers, we value your business greatly and look forward to further assisting you in the New Year.

Thank you to our suppliers, for the wonderful service you provide to us.

Most of all, thank you to our employees for being part of the Jamestech Team and working so hard on all our customers’ sites. As contractors on site you often do not receive the same support and mateship as others and it is always easier to complain than to compliment.  Please be assured your hard work and dedication is always noticed and appreciated by site management.  Our employees are the most important part of our business and to state the obvious; Jamestech would not exist without you.

May the miracle of Christmas fill you heart with warmth and love.

Whatever you do, take the time to sit back and enjoy a beverage or two and stop and smell the roses!

Darren Caulfield
CEO

This Standard applies to all persons carrying out work on or near low-voltage electrical installations and equipment.

It is the responsibility of all persons to ensure that the work they are doing does not present a risk to themselves and others at the work site or at a remote location.

2.3.3 ARC, BLAST AND FLASH INJURIES
Persons working on or near energized conductors of electrical equipment should be aware that fault currents of up to 20 times the rated current of the supply transformer can flow for short times during arc fault conditions.

WARNING:
ARCS THAT ARE PRODUCED UNDER THESE CONDITIONS HAVE THE ENERGY TO CAUSE AN EXPLOSION, MELT METALLIC SWITCHBOARD CUBICLES AND EQUIPMENT, CAUSE SEVERE BURNS AND FLASH BURNS TO THE FACE, EYES AND BODY AND INJURY THROUGH IMPACT FROM FLYING DEBRIS OR DISLODGED COMPONENTS. CIRCUIT PROTECTION DEVICES MIGHT NOT OPERATE TO SAFEGUARD THE WORKER IN SUCH CIRCUMSTANCES.

3.3 FAULT FINDING OR TESTING
The risk of electric shock, electrocution, arc, blast and flash burn injuries exists when performing fault-finding or testing on or near exposed energized conductors or live conductive parts.

To manage this risk the following precautions shall be taken:

(a) Before commencing any fault-finding work on or near exposed energized conductors or live conductive parts, an assessment of the associated risks shall be made. The risk assessment shall include, but not be limited to, the determination as to whether isolation, the use of suitable barriers or a safety observer is required.

NOTE: Regulatory authorities and legislation in some jurisdictions may have requirements for the use of a safety observer during fault-finding work.

(b) Any persons undertaking fault-finding work on or near exposed energized conductors or live conductive parts shall be competent in the work to be carried out.

(c) When fault-finding work is to be carried out on or near exposed energized conductors or  live conductive parts, precautions shall be taken or procedures put into place to prevent the possibility of simultaneous contact with conductors at different voltages or to earth.

9.0 PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
Protective clothing worn by electrical workers working on or near exposed energized conductors or live conductive parts shall be appropriate for the purpose, fit correctly, cover the full body (including the arms and legs) and be in good condition while the work is being performed.

Bracelets, rings, neck chains, exposed metal zips, watches and other conductive items shall not be worn while working on or near exposed energized conductors or live conductive parts. If worn, earplugs or earmuffs shall not be conductive.

What does it all mean?

Given this simple drawing let’s have a look.

Let’s assume an electrician is fault finding and as normal this must be completed live to undertake the measurements required for the job.

The electrician is wearing standard PPE, including hard hat, glasses, cotton long sleeve shirt and pants and of course safety boots.

How well is the person protected should a fault occur while they are fault finding?

First of all it is clear to see that the fault level will be of a different value depending where the fault occurs.

Taking the fault levels in to account let’s have a look at the Arc Flash Levels and the PPE required for each point. 

Are your electrical personnel exposed to undue risk?

How James technologies can assist?
We here at James technologies are fully conversant with the relevant standards, IEEE 1584 and NFPA70E.  We use both standards depending on which standard is the most relevant to your installation.

The first step of the process is to ensure a current single line drawing is available, up to date and complete with cable size and lengths.  Also, a listing typical cell sizes on site and of course a complete list of all the protection installed and its current settings.  We can of course arrange for one of experienced electrical personnel to come to site and assist with this.

From this, all information is then loaded in to our software and a fault level study is produced to determine  the fault levels across the installation.  This also verifies if the protection settings are correct for the installation.

Next step is to perform Arc-Flash-Analysis of each cell, (bucket, tray, DB, MDB,SWB, JB, JPS, or other enclosure) within the system.  These results are tabulated and then stickers are produced to place on the cells to warn of the arc-flash hazard and the correct PPE for working within that enclosure.

All of this is done with the electrical personnel on site so any engineering, administrative or  PPE controls recommended, are in line with the site standards and of course achievable.

Here is a typical finished warning sticker. 

The Stickers can be modified to include other information, such as upstream isolation point, where fed from, etc.

We do hope this has been of some interest and value to you and you company.  

At James technologies we have the knowledge and skills to effectively review your work
practices and systems to provide a clear and concise picture of your position. We will
work with your people to provide recommendations on how your business can meet it’s
obligations with minimum disruption or expense.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Jamestech staff on +61-7-55493471 (outside Australia), or 1300 732 881(freecall within Australia).

Ken Cryer
Engineering Manager

When the instruments are used for the measurement and control of industrial manufacturing, conversion, or treating processes, the term Process Instrumentation is applied and when the measuring and controlling instruments are combined so that measurements provide impulses for remote automatic action, the result is called a Control System.

In most situations where the desire is to totally control and measure the properties of a material within a process, several instruments may be required. This makes it necessary to have different instruments along the pipe, measuring numerous properties of the medium such as Temperature, Pressure, Level, Flow, Humidity, Density, Viscosity, to give a full understanding of the operation and understanding of the process.

Over the life of a plant many situations arise where the site drawings are not kept up to date and important current information is not recorded. Usually it is the P&ID associated with the loop being changed that does not get immediately updated.

Current up to date P&ID’s asssit everyone from the Engineers and Technicians to the Process Plant Operators both within the Control Room and in the field. The P&ID is regularly used as a platform for the Control Room HMI. Where the 2 differ kaos and confusion are the outcome.

The small amount of time spent updating the drawings after changes to piping and subsequemt instrumentation saves many hours of head sctratching and frustration during a process loop failure … which generally happens on nightshift during a major process push.

Jamestech Instrument Technicians are always available to assit in either a simple review, or a full site audit of you P&ID’s to ensure what is in the field is in the drawings.

Jamestech also have the Engineering support and Technical Draftspersons to assist in completing a full drawing review and update.

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Jamestech staff on +61-7-55493471 (outside Australia), or 1300 732 881(freecall within Australia).

Darren Caulfield
CEO

AS/NZS 4836: Safe working on or near low-voltage electrical installations and equipment.

Below are some exerpts from Section 9, AS/NZS 4836, relating to PPE.

This Standard outlines principles and procedures of safe work, organization and performance on or near low-voltage electrical installations and equipment. It provides a minimum set of procedures, safety requirements and recommendations to manage the hazards associated with electricity, specifically arc blast, arc flash, electric shock and electrocution.

Protective clothing worn by electrical workers working on or near exposed energized conductors or live conductive parts shall be :

- appropriate for the purpose,
- fit correctly, cover the full body (including the arms and legs),
- be in good condition while the work is being performed.

All personal protective equipment (PPE) shall be selected in accordance with the risk assessment and with the type of work being performed.

Table 9.1 lists the requirements for PPE and Table 9.2 provides guidance on the selection of PPE.

Bracelets, rings, neck chains, exposed metal zips, watches and other conductive items shall not be worn while working on or near exposed energized conductors or live conductive parts. If worn, earplugs or earmuffs shall not be conductive.

TABLE 9.1 – Requirements
Eye protection – Eye protection without metal frames and complying with AS/NZS 1337 and selected in accordance with AS/NZS 1336.
Face shield – Face shield certified as rated at 10 cal/cm2 protection.
Arc flash suit and hood Arc flash suit and hood rated at a minimum of 40 cal/cm2 protection.
Footwear – Shoes or boots complying with AS/NZS 2210.2 and selected and maintained in accordance with AS/NZS 2210.1.
Insulating gloves – Gloves complying with AS 2225 or an equivalent Standard and insulated to the highest potential voltage expected for the work being undertaken, and air tested each time prior to use.
Flame-resistant gloves –  Gloves complying with AS/NZS 2161.4, e.g. gloves made from leather or other non-melting heat-resistant material.
Hearing protection - Ear plugs or muffs complying with AS 1270.
Protective clothing - Flame-retardant clothing covering the full body (including arms and legs) and not made from conductive material or containing metal threads.
Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices - Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices complying with AS/NZS 1891.4 and that have been checked and inspected each time before use with particular attention being paid to buckles, rings, hooks, clips and webbing.
Safety helmets -Headwear complying with AS/NZS 1801.
Respiratory protection - Respiratory protection complying with AS/NZS 1715 and AS/NZS 1716.

NOTES:
1 Regulatory authorities may have additional requirements for personal protective equipment.
2 Where insulated and flame-resistant gloves are worn together, they are to be matched in accordance with the insulated glove manufacturer’s instructions.

TABLE 9.2 - Guidance on the selection of PPE

TASK	CURRENTS UP TO AND INCLUDING 100 A	CURRENT EXCEEDING 100 A AND UP TO AND INCLUDING 400 A	CURRENTS EXCEEDING 400 A
Work (isolated and verified)	Footwear Protective clothing (if required) Eye protection (if required) Gloves (if required) Hearing protection (if required) Safety helmet (if required) Respiratory protection (if required)	Footwear Protective clothing (if required) Eye protection (if required) Gloves (if required) Hearing protection (if required) Safety helmet (if required) Respiratory protection (if required)	Footwear Protective clothing (if required) Eye protection (if required) Gloves (if required) Hearing protection (if required) Safety helmet (if required) Respiratory protection (if required)
Switching, isolating, removing fuses or links	Footwear Protective clothing Eye protection Gloves (if required) Hearing protection (if required) Safety helmet (if required) Respiratory protection (if required)	Footwear Protective clothing Eye protection Gloves Hearing protection (if required) Safety helmet (if required) Respiratory protection (if required)	Footwear Protective clothing Eye protection Gloves Hearing protection (if required) Safety helmet (if required) Respiratory protection (if required)
Isolation verification, testing or fault finding	Footwear Protective clothing Eye protection Gloves Hearing protection (if required) Safety helmet (if required) Respiratory protection (if required)	Footwear Protective clothing* Eye protection Gloves Arc flash suit and hood (if required) Hearing protection (if required) Safety helmet (if required) Respiratory protection (if required) Face shield (if required)	Footwear Protective clothing* Eye protection Gloves Face shield Arc flash suit and hood (if required) Hearing protection (if required) Safety helmet (if required) Respiratory protection (if required)
Live electrical work	Footwear Protective clothing* Eye protection Insulating gloves Arc flash suit and hood (if required) Flame-resistant gloves (if required) Face shield (if required) Safety helmet (if required) Hearing protection (if required) Respiratory protection (if required)	Footwear Protective clothing * Eye protection Safety helmet Insulating gloves Arc flash suit and hood (if required) Flame-resistant gloves (if required) Face shield (if required) Hearing protection (if required) Respiratory protection (if required)	Footwear Protective clothing * Eye protection Insulating gloves Flame-resistant gloves Arc flash suit and hood Hearing protection Respiratory protection (if required)
‘(if required)’: Determined by the risk assessment. * Collar up, top buttons done up and sleeves down.		Bracelets, rings, neck chains, exposed metal zips, watches, and other conductive items shall not be worn while working on or near exposed energized conductors or live conductive parts.

For more information on Australian and New Zealand Standards go to http://www.saiglobal.com

For assisance with PPE and protective Clothing see http://www.mrworkwear.com.au/

Should you require any further information or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Jamestech staff on +61-7-55493471 (outside Australia), or 1300 732 881(freecall within Australia).

Darren Caulfield
CEO