Energy Isolation: Standards, Techniques and Best Practices

Introduction

It is important for modern-day process plants, large industrial installations, Oil & Gas plants and offshore installations to be able to implement methods of operation which are reliable, proactive and cost-effective. In the 21st Century, a modern practice to ensure that practical and cost-effective are utilized is to have a multi-skilled workforce.

This 5-Day intensive training course will provide authorized workers with step-by-step procedures for isolating equipment using such techniques as lockout tagout, lockbox, blinding, misalignment, double block and bleed, and single valve isolation. The training course emphasizes each employee’s responsibilities during those procedures using practice exercises and simulations. Key Topics Covered: Energy Isolation Standard, the types of energy sources, potential hazards, and step-by-step procedures for isolating equipment.

This course will highlight:

• The importance of regional Legislative requirements
• Best Practice Versus Minimum requirement
• Safe Working Practices
• Electrical Isolation and procedures
• Instrumentation system isolation
• Mechanical Isolation
• Common problems and solutions

Objectives

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate familiarity with the principals of Energy Isolation
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of energy sources
• Demonstrate a basic awareness of procedures standards and practices
• Understand the need for implementing Safe Systems of Work
• Understand common terminology related to isolations and control
• Understand common energy hazards
• Understand the differences between Best Practice and Minimum requirement for Energy Isolation
• Understand the purpose, principles, and practices of isolation procedures and safety rules – for their own role, and for others involved in the operation of isolations systems and the legal issues associated with the same
• Identify Primary Isolation practices versus Positive Isolation practices; including where and when each is used. Also, understand industry terms associated with these objectives.
• Identify the different pieces of equipment used in positive isolation including where and when they should be utilized
• Identify the hazards pertaining to loss of containment and personal injury, conduct a risk assessment and identify Risk Reduction measures using the As Low as Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) qualification
• Describe the Roles and Responsibilities with achieving safe and reliable process isolation
• Describe the stages involved in achieving safe process isolations and demonstrate their ability to design and implement the various forms of process isolations in a range of scenarios
• Demonstrate their ability to safely re-instate plant

Training Methodology

The program is delivered in a combination of lecture-style and computer-based training. In addition, a significant amount of time is set aside for small working group activity when addressing case study problems. Extensive use is made of case study material to underline the key aspects of the course and to give the delegates exposure to current best practice.

Who Should Attend?

This course is intended for a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:

• Operatives/Employees working with Machines or equipment in which the sudden release of energy could cause injury or damage
• Persons with specific plant responsibility
• Persons with Technical executive function
• Qualified Supervisors within an Energy Isolation environment
• Plant Operators and Operator Technicians within the Onshore and Offshore Oil and Gas Industry
• Plant Operators and Operator Technicians within the Petrochemical and Manufacturing Industry
• Any other plant personnel directly responsible for performing Safe Process Isolations
• Any other plant personnel indirectly responsible for performing Safe Process Isolations.  Such persons may include Senior Operational Managers and anyone who monitors audits and reviews isolations systems.

Course Outline

Day One: Energy, Legislative Requirements and Codes of Practice

• What is Energy
• Common Energy Sources
• OSHA requirements and Electricity at Work Regulations
• Procedures, Standards and Approved Codes of Practice

Day Two: Safe Systems of Work, Electrical Isolation and LOTO

• Introduction to Energy Isolation (Electrical)
• Safe Systems of Work
• Safe working practices
• Electrical Isolations and Techniques
• LOTO requirements
• Earthing requirements for isolation
• Issues/problems associated with Electrical Isolation

Day Three: Documentation, Instrumentation, Control and Associated Mechanical Systems

• Isolation Confirmation Certificates
• Introduction to Energy Isolation (Instrumentation)
• Instrument isolation Techniques
• Intrinsically safe systems and dangers associated with Intrinsic safety
• Safe Systems of Work
• ELV isolation for Instrument energy sources
• ‘Block and Bleed’ Techniques
• Isolation of Instrument piping
• Isolation of Instrument devices used in process control
• Issues/problems associated with Instrumentation Isolation

Day Four: Mechanical Systems, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, and Potentially Explosive Energy

• Introduction to Energy Isolation (Mechanical)
• Safe Systems of Work and Safe working practices
• Mechanical Isolation Techniques
• Valves, Gearboxes, and Motors
• Piping, Pipe Flanges and Joints
• Hydraulic and Pneumatic Isolation
• Issues/problems associated with Mechanical Isolation
• Introduction to Potentially Explosive Atmospheres
• Standards and Good practices

Day Five: Potentially Explosive Energy and Concepts

• Safe working practices
• Overview of Potential Electrical Energy release risks
• Overview of Potential Instrument Energy release risks
• Overview of Potential Mechanical Energy release risks
• Ignition Energy Assessment of process/Oil & Gas operations
• Overview of Equipment concepts