| Description |
When undertaking an investigation on the Nelson it was established that on the date of 25th July 2023 a team of three Stork Fabric Maintenance employees, working under your control as installation duty holder were in area P1E applying paint to the surface of pipework (30"-PX-10029-L1383Y). The permit for the work (Nelson-00-5623728) included a risk assessment which included multiple chemicals being used over several different stages of a sequence of work to inspect, clean, prepare, paint and apply a finish coat to the pipework.
The permit paperwork included a Chemical Risk Assessment (CRA4399) which identified the chemical constituents of the paint being applied as containing Xylene, Ethylbenzene and 4-methylpentan-2-one, which are known to be substances hazardous to human health if inhaled.
The investigation found that your risk assessment was not suitable and sufficient in that it was unclear as to which protective measures should be implemented for which stage of the work. In particular, you failed to ensure that when applying paint to the pipework, painters should wear the appropriate Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) to protect their health from the risks associated with long term exposure to the hazardous substances within the paint.
The investigation established that the 3 painters undertaking the work were not wearing the prerequisite RPE while applying the paint as the risk assessment implied that it was optional. In addition, 2 of the 3 painters had full beards, compromising the effectiveness of the RPE in securing an adequate face seal and preventing exposure contrary to company clean-shaven policies to ensure RPE remains effective. Platform supervision failed to identify these failures and thereby take steps to ensure that reasonably practicable protective measures were implemented, giving rise to risks of exposure to substances hazardous to health. |
