Friday 3rd August 2007
Following the explosions at the Buncefield Oil Storage Depot in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire on the 11th December 2005 the independent Buncefield Major Incident Investigation Board have made a number of recommendations to improve safety in the design and operation of fuel storage sites.
Over 40 people were injured in the explosions and a huge fire engulfed a high proportion of the site. There was also significant damage to neighboring commercial and residential properties.
The main recommendations within the safety equipment section of the HSE report are centered on the competency of existing safety systems and developing new systems to automatically switch off the inbound source of fuel when a critical point is reached within the tank without the need for human checking - a failsafe system.
Recommendation 13 also states flammable gas detection equipment should be used in secondary containment areas to detect hazardous conditions arising from loss of primary containment, looking at the relationship between gas detection systems and overfill prevention systems.
Groveley Detection have the experience and knowledge combined with fail safe products to advise, design and supply in all areas where flammable gas is a risk and have a large reference list of sites with which to give examples.
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