| Waste Management Operators may have done
| |
| | retained on site showing the locations
|
| all they can to maintain good health and
| |
| | and extent of these ATEX area
|
| safety practices in the past, and will
| |
| | classification zones, and each zone must
|
| continue to do so; but how many will be
| |
| | be marked on site by a sign. These zones
|
| compliant after 30th July 2006 when the
| |
| | will all need defining individually for
|
| EU's ATEX Directive finally comes into
| |
| | each site on the basis of a risk
|
| force?
| |
| | assessment. The ICoPs recommend the best
|
| The EU Directive applies to all
| |
| | person to carry out these assessments
|
| workplaces where the risk of the presence
| |
| | will normally be the site manager.
|
| of an Explosible Atmosphere exists, and
| |
| | (Please include the ATEX sign graphic
|
| encompasses all installations from waste
| |
| | here.)
|
| transfer and processing plant (where
| |
| | This requirement is in addition to the
|
| explosive dusts, and unused solvents may
| |
| | normal practice of writing method
|
| create an explosive atmosphere), to any
| |
| | statements based upon risk assessments,
|
| landfill - no matter how long since
| |
| | plus internal H&S checks, and Supervisor
|
| closed and made over to other uses -
| |
| | approvals in place in companies already,
|
| which possesses any wells (for gas or
| |
| | as has been the case since the
|
| leachate monitoring or management) in
| |
| | introduction of various health and safety
|
| gassing waste.
| |
| | legislation in the 1980s.
|
| Although the large waste operators have
| |
| | A major area of concern remains in
|
| been actively tackling the issues
| |
| | respect of the impact which the DSEAR
|
| surrounding ATEX compliance at their
| |
| | will have on the after-use and
|
| waste collection, transfer and processing
| |
| | restoration of landfill sites, and such
|
| facilities, and on their (mostly active)
| |
| | matters need to be taken on-board by the
|
| landfill sites, most landfills are
| |
| | planners when after-use policy is
|
| historical and fall into the "closed"
| |
| | established for sites. The directive is
|
| category. In this area there has been
| |
| | explicit and prescriptive in that each
|
| very little activity to review old sites,
| |
| | zone area must be signed, and it is clear
|
| assess which exhibit the potential for an
| |
| | that these zones extend into the general
|
| explosive atmosphere to be present, and
| |
| | airspace around and above chambers,
|
| compile the necessary risk assessment,
| |
| | wells, and boreholes etc. Just how this
|
| ameliorative, training and record keeping
| |
| | can be squared with public access uses
|
| actions needed for compliance.
| |
| | such as golfing, and even dog-walking has
|
| Similarly, activity would seem to have
| |
| | yet to be resolved - yet the defined
|
| been minimal in reviewing and risk
| |
| | zones apply to workplace activities and
|
| assessing existing leachate treatment and
| |
| | not the public usage of the site.
|
| methane stripping plant for compliance -
| |
| | Generally, the ICoPs give guidance which
|
| so far.
| |
| | by its specificity will clarify the
|
| Even within the big five UK waste
| |
| | interpretation DSEAR requirements and
|
| operators active sites there are real
| |
| | reduce costs to an affordable level.
|
| problems in interpreting the requirements
| |
| | Detailed reading of the ICoPs should do
|
| and in achieving compliance, and much of
| |
| | much to allay concerns that wholesale
|
| this arises from the inherent difficulty
| |
| | replacement of equipment which has given
|
| in applying regulations which were
| |
| | long-term incident free service over many
|
| originally perceived for factory and
| |
| | sites and for extended periods, would be
|
| industrial workplaces, to a landfill
| |
| | required just to comply with the
|
| setting.
| |
| | directive.
|
| However, the industry has been actively
| |
| | There have however, already reportedly
|
| working to solve the matter. For more
| |
| | been substantial costs to some major
|
| than the past 12 months the waste
| |
| | operators in preparation for DSEAR. SITA
|
| industry has been endeavoring to tackle
| |
| | themselves have been reported as finding
|
| the various issues surrounding ATEX
| |
| | it necessary to spend between £50,000
|
| compliance, as regulated under the UK's
| |
| | and £100,000 per flare, on changing 18
|
| instrument known as the DSEAR (Dangerous
| |
| | of its landfill gas flares on sites
|
| Substances and Explosive Atmosphere
| |
| | around the country to comply.
|
| Regulations). A working group has been
| |
| | Such high costs are likely to be the
|
| meeting, and is currently well advanced
| |
| | exception rather than the rule, and costs
|
| in its programme to produce six Industry
| |
| | will be best controlled by careful
|
| Codes of Practice to provide
| |
| | reading, and in-depth knowledge, of the
|
| comprehensive guidance on the application
| |
| | ICoPS. Although not all ICoPs have yet
|
| DSEAR to all waste management activities.
| |
| | been published, reviews can be undertaken
|
| The first Code (ICoP1) was published in
| |
| | in full knowledge of the approach being
|
| Autumn 2005, and establishes general
| |
| | taken by the ICoP committee. Industry
|
| principles of compliance, provides basic
| |
| | participants will normally also be
|
| calculations for establishing ATEX Area
| |
| | provided with final drafts of ICoPs prior
|
| Classification ("Zones") around landfill
| |
| | to publication for their comments, on
|
| wells, boreholes etc., and provides
| |
| | request.
|
| examples of the most common zoning.
| |
| | So the message is that all Site Managers,
|
| ICoP 2 is titled, "Area Classification
| |
| | Estate Managers with former landfills as
|
| for Landfill Gas Extraction, Utilisation
| |
| | part of their landholding portfolios, and
|
| & Combustion", and was published in
| |
| | the Waste Disposal Officers for Council's
|
| November 2005.
| |
| | responsible for closed landfill should be
|
| ICoP 3; "Area classification for leachate
| |
| | aware of this legislation and should be
|
| extraction, treatment and disposal", has
| |
| | making it their duty to familiarise
|
| now also recently been published, and a
| |
| | themselves with the ICoPs, and then carry
|
| further ICoP on Landfill Operation is
| |
| | out their reviews, and all this needs to
|
| well advanced.
| |
| | be done by the end of this month (June).
|
| All these documents are approved by the
| |
| | By taking this approach DSEAR compliance
|
| Health & Safety Executive, before
| |
| | should become both affordable, and reduce
|
| publication, and are available for free
| |
| | injuries from these risks. Whether the
|
| download on the ESA web site
| |
| | rate of injury directly from the risks
|
| All operators will find that changes to
| |
| | covered by these regulations was ever
|
| existing practices will be required in
| |
| | sufficiently high for any statistically
|
| order to comply with the DSEAR. Previous
| |
| | relevant Health and Safety gain ever to
|
| procedures for carrying out risk
| |
| | be seen is doubtful, but we hope we are
|
| assessments and establishing safe working
| |
| | proved wrong, and that the passage of
|
| methods will need to be re-assessed and
| |
| | time will reveal real benefits to the
|
| modified to comply with the new DSEAR
| |
| | industries workforce. In any event, the
|
| Zoning requirements. Specifications for
| |
| | implementation of these regulations will
|
| equipment will require review and either
| |
| | go ahead on 1 July, so the wise will go
|
| ATEX Certified equipment installed, or a
| |
| | ahead now and comply as a matter of
|
| site specific risk assessment undertaken
| |
| | urgency.
|
| to justify each plant installation is
| |
| | Note 1: The article refers to the "ATEX
|
| "appropriately" certified if ATEX
| |
| | Directive", for brevity, however, the
|
| Certificates are not available for
| |
| | DSEAR actually implements two EU
|
| existing plant, as required under these
| |
| | Directives on the subject, namely: The
|
| regulations.
| |
| | ATEX Product Directive, and the ATEX
|
| All staff and operatives will in future
| |
| | Worker Protection Directive.
|
| under these regulations be required to be
| |
| | Note 2: The term "ATEX" is derived from a
|
| trained specifically in atmospheric
| |
| | shortening of the words ATmosphere and
|
| explosion risk management in general, and
| |
| | EXplosible.
|
| in the meaning of three ATEX Zones, each
| |
| | (Steve Last served on the committee in
|
| of which reflect the degree of risk
| |
| | preparation of ICoP 3, and has commented
|
| within one of three classified risk
| |
| | on others.
|
| severity situations. Drawings must be
| |
| |
|
