POWER GENERATION PLANT SAFE PRACTICES

1. Confined space work is often
considered to be one of the
most dangerous types of
work performed in power
generation settings.
Confined spaces may contain
hazardous atmospheres, they
can trap entrants, and they
generally can increase the
hazards associated with
otherwise common tasks.

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 When the risks are not recognized, workers all too
often regard incidents as surprises, but the
hazards of working in confined space can be
predicted, monitored, and mitigated. These
“accidents” are caused by unsafe conditions,
unsafe acts, or both; all accidents are preventable.

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 Several common dangers found in confined
spaces include the hazards of working with
electrical equipment, engulfment, and releases
from pipes containing fluids or gases.

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 Electrical. Electrical energy poses several threats to
the health and safety of entrants going into confined
spaces. For spaces with a potential for flammable
atmospheres, both the equipment already in the space
and the equipment used in the work performed may
become ignition sources.

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 Arc flash, thermal burns, and other electrical
hazards are particularly dangerous in a confined
space because it may be difficult for the worker to
avoid accidental contact or proximity. In most
settings, policy dictates that such equipment
simply be de-energized and lockout/tagout
procedures put into effect.

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* However, this is not always possible in a power
generation environment. Instead, complex
operational controls and tagging systems must be
used to ensure proper safety

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. Restricted access.
When dealing with confined spaces in power
generation settings, operational controls and
tagging systems must be used to protect the safety
of workers.

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 On alert. Confined space work at power plants
requires the identification and removal of unsafe
conditions, if possible; controlling access where
conditions are inherently dangerous; and
 training
 entrants to prevent unsafe acts.

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 Engulfment. Many materials have the potential to
engulf an entrant. When small solids are in
motion, they begin to act like a liquid. Coal, sand,
dirt, and other materials flow, following the shape
of their container. The presence of materials with
a combination of fluid and semi-rigid properties
makes storage areas potentially hazardous

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 This is an especially important concern for coal-
fired plants, where employees must walk across
loose coal. A parallel hazard is bridging. When an
auger operates, material flows out of the bottom
of the storage area. Material at the top may not
flow down evenly, forming a temporary bridge out
of the material. Walking over the surface of
bridged material can lead to immediate
engulfment.

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 Pipes Containing Fluids or Gases. Pipes that carry
liquids or gases also present several potential
hazards. The condition of a pipe may be
hazardous, as a leak could quickly create a
dangerous situation. Valves, piping, and
infrastructure in confined spaces may be hard to
access and are inspected infrequently, so it is
important to consider that the risk posed by leaks
may be unknown.

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 Materials being transported in lines and piping,
such as steam or coolant, may be at extreme
temperatures. Even without a release, such pipes
are potentially hazardous if entrants must work
in close proximity, as this scenario increases the
likelihood of unintentional contact. Gases being
vented or brought to a process can quickly create a
hazardous atmosphere. Even without obvious
damage to lines, leakage usually occurs in most
piping systems.

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 Otherwise nonhazardous fluids, such as water,
may not be immediately threatening, but the
introduction of any fluid to a confined space
creates potential hazards. Fluid may conceal
trip/fall hazards, come into contact with
energized equipment, or may fill the space.
Entrance into lines themselves is always
potentially dangerous, and dead or decaying
matter in those lines can cause a buildup of
hazardous gasses in short amounts of time

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 Lines used to transport saltwater are particularly
vulnerable to such organic matter, even if filters
and other measures are taken to clean the
incoming supply. Valves normally under pressure
from liquids in a line may not seal as well as
expected when the lines are drained, so air quality
testing is incredibly important in these areas.

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 Spaces such as large tanks present the possibility of a
stratified gaseous atmosphere. Gases have different
densities and can rise or sink relative to each other.
Gases like carbon dioxide tend to pool, while gases
like methane and acetylene rise. Depending on the
temperature and source of the gas, or whether the
atmosphere inside the space is disturbed, these
hazards may be found anywhere in a confined space.
When left for some time, the atmosphere in confined
spaces will tend to separate out. The air must be
tested at small intervals in a potentially stratified
atmosphere

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 Any suspected areas of reduced ventilation, such
as behind a baffle or an internal barrier, should
be tested as well. Always use a remote probe or
sampling tube, and allow workers to advance into
the space only as far as the atmosphere has been
tested.

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 Successfully Evaluate Potential Risks
 The situations mentioned above are just a few of the
potentially hazardous conditions that warrant a
stringent evaluation procedure when an employee will
be working in a confined space. This evaluation
should also include measuring the size of the space as
well as access and egress availability. Oxygen, carbon
monoxide, hydrogen sulfide concentrations, and the
percentage of the lower explosive limit (LEL) in the
confined space must be measured and analyzed. The
atmosphere within the confined space should be
measured in terms of its LEL; typical permissible
exposure level (PEL) and time-weighted average
exposure

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 Understanding the risks. Before a worker enters a
confined space at a power generation facility, the
plant safety officer should measure and analyze
gases present to determine if the space has an
explosive atmosphere or is otherwise a danger to
human occupants.

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 Even the slightest potential for a change in air
quality or hazardous atmosphere is cause for
concern. A space that has walls that converge
inward or floors that slope downward and taper
could trap or asphyxiate an entrant

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 Area inspections must identify all of these
potential conditions so that efforts can be made
to mitigate or control any and all hazards before
work begins. It should be considered likely that
the space will require a permit entry program,
though efforts to control the condition will make
entry far safer.

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 As important as what is evaluated is who does the
evaluation. Make sure the group is properly trained
and qualified to perform evaluations. If a contractor
has his or her own designated safety personnel
performing evaluations, make sure they are qualified
as well as audited. Many power plants are stepping up
their safety

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 programs
 and requiring all outside contractors to comply
with internal programs and use certified
equipment. The fact of the matter is that people
may cut corners to save time and money; however,
there is no acceptable compromise when it comes
to safety. Audits should be frequent and
unscheduled, and each work site should have an
internal person assigned to that task.

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 Emergency communications should be well
defined and centralized. A phone number or radio
frequency needs to be on every document and
work order so no one has to look far in the event
of an emergency. Attendants must be in
continuous communication with workers. Special
attention will be required if the space or work
performed will be creating excessive noise and
workers must wear hearing protection.

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 Layout of the workspace can be critical as well. If
workers are not visible from outside the confined
space, alternate means must be employed.
Radios, video monitors, or other methods should
be considered. Some systems of communication,
such as tugging on a safety line or rapping on the
barrier of a space, are prone to error or
misinterpretation and should be considered a
backup method that is only suitable for use in an
emergency.

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 Customizing Safety Programs for Power Plants
 Confined space work requires the identification
and removal of unsafe conditions, controlling
access where conditions are inherently
dangerous, and training entrants to prevent
unsafe acts. This can be an especially difficult task
for power generation facilities. Besides the usual
confined spaces found in many industrial
settings, power plants have additional challenges

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 , including high-voltage hazards, tunnels, tanks,
coolant lines, and dozens of other safety threats.
The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health
Administration’s 1910.146 standard sets out the
requirements upon which safety specialists and
operational managers should base safety
programs for their individual plants’ operations.

30. SAFETY ALWAYS SAVE
 THANKS