THE APPLIED INSPECTION
NEWSLETTER

Issue No. 85 - September 2001

FROM THE EDITOR

European Week for H&S
The European week for safety and health at work begins on 15 October 2001. Here are some facts and figures issued by the Health and Safety Executive as part of the publicity for the project.

The bad news:
1. Health and safety failures cost Great Britain up to £18 billion each year.
2. 400 people every year are killed in accidents caused by work activities.
3. Over a million workers get injured every year.
4. Falls from heights are the most common cause of death to employees.

The good news:
1. The fatal injury rate for employees in Great Britain is a quarter of what it was in 1971.
2. Great Britain has a lower rate of deaths to workers than America or any other European country. The rate is 1.7 per 100,000 workers in Great Britain, 3.2 in America and an average of 3.9 across Europe.

We are proud of our health and safety record at Applied Inspection, but we are keen to improve it further. Anyone who has any suggestions on how to improve any aspect of health and safety, please contact John Morris (QHS&E Manager) or any director, manager or supervisor.

New Premises at Burton
As part of our ongoing expansion and facilities improvements, Applied Inspection has now taken on a new building at Burton, in addition to the existing facilities. The building is called Bond End and is located only a short walk from Bridge House. The workshop / laboratory measures 4,500 square feet and there are offices, reception and a car park. The premises will house the specialist welding operations, a new metallurgical division and additional NDT facilities including a 6,000-amp bench unit.

Quotation
"Life is made up of getting and giving, and forgetting and forgiving"

ANON

PERSONNEL

Welcome
To Laura Patrick who started at Burton during August.

Congratulations
To Kevin Armstrong and Scott Young who both passed PCN Ultrasonics (Welds) Category 3.8 (Nozzle welds).

To Gail Sanderson who passed ASNT Level 2 in Magnetic Particle Inspection.

To John Greenan who passed PCN Level 1 (Rail) Ultrasonic Testing of Solid Axles.

The National Lottery
Dawn Andrews at Holmewood and Keith Dashper at Cleckheaton run the Applied Inspection lottery syndicate. There are currently 33 members who each pay £1.00 per week (stopped at source) which is put on the Saturday lottery. Anyone who is not a member, and who would like to join, should contact Dawn or Keith.

Our winnings to date are as follows:
1995 - £160.00 (40 weeks)
1996 - £297.00 (52 weeks)
1997 - £220.00 (52 weeks)
1998 - £251.00 (52 weeks)
1999 - £290.00 (52 weeks)
January, 2000 - £50.00 (5 weeks)
February, 2000 - £30.00 (4 Weeks)
March, 2000 - £50.00 (4 weeks)
April, 2000 - £10.00 (5 weeks)
May, 2000 - £20.00 (4 weeks)
June, 2000 - £0.00 (4 weeks)
July, 2000 - £10.00 (5 weeks)
August, 2000 - £10.00 (4 weeks)
September, 2000 - £30.00 (5 weeks)
October, 2000 - £30.00 (4 weeks)
November, 2000 - £0.00 (4 weeks)
December, 2000 - £30.00 (5 weeks)
January, 2001 - £50.00 (4 weeks)
February, 2001 - £30.00 (4 weeks)
March 2001 - £10.00 (5 weeks)
April 2001 - £20.00 (4 weeks)
May 2001 - £30.00 (4 weeks)
June 2001 - £40.00 (5 weeks)
7 July 2001 - £10.00
14 July 2001 - £20.00
21 July 2001 - £10.00
28 July 2001 - £0.00
4 August 2001 - £0.00
11 August 2001 - £10.00
18 August 2001 - £0.00
25 August 2001 - £0.00
Any errors in the above list will be corrected as soon as possible.

Joke of the Month
Whilst the Germans were planning reunification celebrations after the collapse of the Berlin wall, it came to light that Adolf Hitler was still alive and well in Brazil. They sent a delegation to ask him to come back and run the new unified country.

After several days of negotiation, Hitler agreed, but said that this time there would be "No more Mr Nice Guy".

Jeff Thomas

QUALITY & TRAINING

Standards and Specifications
ASTM A 703/A 703M - 01, Standard Specification for Steel Castings, General Requirements for Pressure Containing Parts, has replaced ASTM A 703/A 703M - 99 which is now withdrawn.

BS EN ISO 9001: 2000
The standard requires 'continual improvement'. This is often wrongly interpreted as improvements in products or services. The focus is clearly on 'continual improvement of the effectiveness of the Quality Management System (QMS)', although an improvement in the QMS might well result in an improvement in the product or service.

NDT Training
The answers to the questions on Radiation Safety in last month's NEWSLETTER are as follows:

1) B     2) D      3) B     4) A     

Here are some more questions, this time on Ultrasonics:

1. The reference holes required to produce a 3 mm FBH DAC are:

     A. Flat-bottomed holes
     B. Concave-surface holes
     C. Convex-surface holes
     D. Conical-shaped holes

2. The gradual loss of sonic energy as the ultrasonic vibrations travel through the material is referred to as:

     A. Reflection
     B. Refraction
     C. Reproducibility
     D. Attenuation

3. Ultrasonic waves transmitted into and received from the test material in the form of repetitive bursts of acoustic energy is called:

     A. Pulse-echo testing
     B. Continuous wave testing
     C. Resonance testing
     D. None of the above

4. Metal blocks which contain one or more drilled holes to simulate discontinuities are called:

     A. Scrubbers
     B. Crystal collimators
     C. Single plane angulators
     D. Reference blocks

Quality at Applied Inspection
Applied Inspection has a number of statements relating to its position on that subject. They are Vision, Mission, Quality, Training, Health & Safety, Environmental, Equal Opportunities and Alcohol & Drugs.

These statements are contained in the Company Rules booklet, available at each site on the Notice Board, and the Health & Safety booklet, issued to all employees. In addition, from time to time we also publish the statements in the NEWSLETTER. Here is our Alcohol and Drugs policy statement. We welcome comments and/or suggestions from staff in relation to any company policy statement. Please contact any Director or Email us through the company Website.

Alcohol and Drugs Policy
1. The Applied Inspection policy on alcohol and drugs at work is designed to promote safe and sensible attitudes. Drinking at work is not therefore encouraged and the use of drugs is only permitted when prescribed by a doctor. Keeping either alcohol or drugs on the premises for consumption at work is strictly forbidden, as is being under the influence of drink or drugs whilst at work, or travelling to and from sites.

2. This policy applies to all levels in the organisation, and to any visiting contractors.

3. The company recognises that both alcohol and drug problems may be an illness and, as such, will be treated in the same way as other illnesses. In addition, it will take measures wherever possible to prevent misuse through education and raising awareness about their effects on work performance and health.

4. Any employee who has a problem, or thinks he may be developing one, should discuss it with his or her superior at the earliest opportunity so that appropriate action can be taken. For example, action can be taken to avoid situations where alcohol or drugs are available, or arrangements for counseling or treatment can be agreed. Failure to take action can result in exposure of other employees to unacceptable health and safety dangers, and disciplinary action in accordance with the company rules may be taken.

5. All managers and supervisors are required to ensure that strict confidentiality is maintained.

HEALTH & SAFETY

Radiation Safety
In last months NEWSLETTER we reported on comments, observations and advice made by, Mr James Taylor, HM Principal Specialist Inspector - Radiation at the British Institute of NDT Service Inspection Group meeting on 26 April 2001 relating to the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 (IRR99) and the Approved Code of Practice and Guidance. Last month we covered Site Radiography Diagram Requiremnts. This month we cover the next heading in the following list, ALARP:

o Risk Assessments
o Local Rules
o Site Radiography Diagram Requirements
o ALARP
o Outside Workers
o Radiation Enclosure / Compound Engineering Controls
o Seven Day Notification
o Investigation Levels

ALARP
· The HSE has neither the authority nor the expertise to make service inspection companies use alternative NDT techniques to radiography.
· It is expected that small components would be taken to the nearest Radiation Compound rather than being radiographed at site.
· If a component can be handled by a forklift and loaded onto a flatbed truck, and there is a Radiation Compound within a reasonable distance then it would be seen as a breach of the regulations to radiograph the component at site.
· It is the responsibility of both the employers and employees to comply with the regulations. It would be seen as a serious breach if a Radiographer wilfully exposed a colleague's TLD or bypassed engineering controls such as Compound interlocks.
· Not wearing a TLD provided by the employer to the classified worker would also be seen as a serious breach of the regulations and may lead to prosecution of not only the radiographer but also the company for inadequate supervision.

CONTACTS

Holmewood, Derbyshire: Tel: 01246 851864 (3 Lines) Fax: 01246 852243
Burton, Staffordshire: Tel: 01283 515163 (3 Lines) Fax: 01283 539729
Cleckheaton, W Yorks: Tel/Fax: 01274 869900
Glasgow, Scotland: Tel/Fax: 0141 3355191
Internet Website: www.appliedinspection.co.uk

Published by: Applied Inspection Ltd., Holmewood, Chesterfield, UK. Editor: D K Thomas 28/08/2001

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