Publications

This publication marks the launch of a set of life saving rules which can be used in the industrial gas industry to mitigate risk and reduce fatalities and serious injuries. EIGA believes that if all workers in our industry follow a fundamental set of rules, many serious or potentially fatal accidents could be avoided. Life Saving Rules are intended to remind workers of the hazards and to refer to their local risk assessments. The rules were developed from knowledge of accidents and incidents, especially those which are particular to the gas industry. Each Rule consists of a simple icon and descriptive text, with additional detailed guidance to explain why the Rule is important and what aspects workers and supervisors should focus on. The rules are intended to be widely shared and in the end they may be used to reinforce existing in-company safety messages and/or to provide the basis of a safety culture in any member company. Member companies may wish to omit individual rules in order to best align with existing company safety rules and published programmes. Each Rule is also linked to relevant EIGA publications which provide guidance on controls and barriers which, if used properly, can prevent or avoid potentially fatal incidents. The publication of the main document (Doc 924) is accompanied with the publication of a brochure and poster as Safety Leaflets (SL 06 and SL 07) and a presentation as an EIGA Training Package (TP 46).

The Safety Leaflet is intended to promote the safe transport, use and storage of acetylene cylinders. It gives guidance on all aspects related to these activities.

The air we breathe contains about 21% oxygen. Without oxygen we would die in a matter of minutes. It may be hard to believe, but oxygen can be also dangerous! Every year several incidents are reported where workers’ oxygen enriched clothing catch fire. Fires in an oxygen enriched atmosphere start easily and are very intense, so people can suffer very serious burns, which are often fatal. This leaflet summarises the risks and hazards of oxygen enrichment, identifies common causes of enrichment and the precautions that should be taken and references the EIGA Life Saving Rule on the hazards of dealing with oxygen. Other EIGA documents that will help to train staff and create safe systems of work when using oxygen are referenced, including the recently revised Doc. 04 Fire Hazards of Oxygen and Oxygen Enriched Atmospheres.

Each year there are a number of deaths reported to EIGA that involve asphyxiation caused by industrial gases. The majority of these fatalities are caused by people entering a confined space where there is an oxygen deficient atmosphere, usually caused by the presence of an inert gas. EIGA believes that all workers should understand and search for potential asphyxiation hazards, in enclosed spaces as well as near to equipment containing gases or cryogenic liquids... take care and warn others. EIGA’s safety leaflet explains the common risks and hazards, the causes and effects of asphyxiation and provides basic guidance on procedures that should be observed to stay safe. It contains an outline summary of the hazards of inert gases, methods that can be used to control the risks in the workplace and provides references to other EIGA documents.

This Safety Information is focused on raising awareness of the risks of stopping in emergency lanes. While the focus is on heavy goods vehicles for the transport of dangerous goods travelling on motorways, the guidance given in this publication may also apply to other types of vehicles on other types of roads.

Fatigue can affect all people in their working environment to varying levels. Driving is a complex mental and physical task requiring sustained levels of concentration and skill to maintain maximum performance. No driver can afford to be fatigued nor can anyone else. The purpose of this publication is to provide training topics and recommendations that can help to avoid situations that affect drivers in their daily lives and can make them fatigued. It gives guidance on what to consider when creating a fatigue management system.

Driving a vehicle safely in a fast moving and dynamic environment takes a large amount of concentration by the driver. Anything that distracts the driver to lose their concentration on the road ahead, even for just a few seconds, can have disastrous consequences that puts their life and those of the public at risk. Drivers need to be aware that relatively common actions can cause a distraction and lead to an incident while management need policies, procedures and training in place to recognise these risks and mitigate them. This Safety Information provides an overview of the types of potential in vehicle distractions and steps that can be taken to reduce them to improve the transport safety performance of gas company and their contractors’ delivery vehicles, for the transportation of industrial and medical gases.

Modern vehicles generate large amounts of data from their on-board computer systems fitted by the vehicle manufacturer and also from the electronic devices and driver aids that are often retrofitted to monitor vehicle and driver performance. Managing this data can provide a strong foundation for transport safety performance management and improvement. This Safety Information provides an overview of how data can be managed and used to improve the transport safety performance of gas company and their contractors’ delivery vehicles, for the transportation of industrial and medical gases.

Near-misses, incidents and accidents are generally analysed in detail when they occur, and action plans are put in place afterwards. Checks and audits identify gaps or non-compliances which require corrective actions. However, the management of safety should not only be based on input perceived as being negative. It is also very important to promote good safety results and outstanding behaviour through positive means. This will encourage a positive approach towards safety by transport function personnel. Beside the encouraged day to day acknowledgement of safe behaviour, recognition programmes are a way to positively promote transport safety. This Transport Safety Information provides guidance on recognition programmes targeting the road safety stakeholders, either individuals, teams or organisations.

This publication gives an overview on the most commonly available vehicle related safety equipment. The aim of this publication is to inform the reader on pieces of equipment that can either be mandatory due to legislation or can be considered to improve the safety performance although not mandated. Furthermore, this publication gives advice on how to manage the maintenance of transport equipment.