ABSTRACT
A steel company found that overhead travelling magnet cranes were frequently damaging railway wagons. A refinery compressor was isolated for repair and swept out with nitrogen but, because some hydrogen sulphide might still be present, the fitters were told to wear air-line breathing apparatus. Incidents have occurred because valves which have to be operated in an emergency were found to be too stiff. Operators often complain that valves are inaccessible. Emergency valves should, of course, always be readily accessible. Related to these accidents are those caused by so-called clumsiness. For example, an electrician was using a clip-on ammeter inside a live motor-starter cubicle. The missing tail pipe and handle could have been spotted during plant inspections or anyone who saw them could have reported them. Reliability falls off when people have too little to do as well as when they have too much to do.
