Hart’s milestone installation  

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With 20 Typhoon doors weighing over 60 tonnes for a Hebrides contract , Hart Door Systems of Newcastle upon Tyne is quite rightly celebrating an order which is the company’s largest ever by total weight.   

Nick Hart, Hart’s managing director, advises the order involves various door sizes up to 8M in width and all being installed in a challenging, exposed, marine environment.

The Typhoon is rated up to 4Kpa (4000 pascals) wind resistance, this eclipses the BSEN 12424 class 5 which is tested to 1250 pascals.

Mr Hart says: “We have increasing demand for this door, not surprisingly with global warming increasing the frequency and velocity of storm events.

Extreme wind pressure in a storm is one issue in areas naturally exposed directly to the sea, estuaries, hillsides. However, pressure can be increased by factors due to local topography and adjacent walls and or buildings.

This can be as a result of funnelling of the wind, opening of other doors in buildings and so on bringing an unforeseen pressure risk. The density of the air is another factor that needs to be considered at specification stage. Note that all pressure testing is static and does not reflect buffeting and gusting effects which is the reason for the higher safety factor of the design.

“Recent news advising of extreme typhoons in Asia, one such area is Hong Kong where we have installed Typhoon doors on a multi-story data centre in downtown Hong Kong, and on various Airport units.”

Hart Door Systems is Britain's foremost manufacturer of automatic high-speed doors and security shutters. Hart’s chairman, Doug Hart, comments: “The heavy-duty construction of each Typhoon fully complies with British and European safety standards and will efficiently deliver performance for many years to come.”

“With over 80 years of experience in industrial roller shutter doors, we have used our extensive engineering knowledge to design the Typhoon shutter to be strong and long-lasting.

“In-house design and testing allows Hart to vary the specification to encompass and comply with other standards. For instance Typhoon can be combined with the security rating LPS1175 to SR3 standard with manual or automatic locking and manual or automatic operation and speed enhancement for the smaller doors sizes perhaps more frequently operated.

“The Typhoon roller shutter is perfect for delivering security in areas exposed to extreme winds from tropical storms such as hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones.

“The door curtain profile is available in insulated or non-insulated Steel, stainless steel profiles, optionally galvanised, powder coated or pre-finished plastisol coatings.”

Mr Hart concludes: “Hart’s Roller shutter doors are backed by Hart’s over 80 years’ experience in roller shutter door systems.

“We confirm their design and construction of their many models are suitable for all door openings and with options and specific requirements of interface, automation, speed, safety will efficiently deliver performance for many years.”

www.hartdoors.com

New, no waste RFID label printer

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The training strategies that keep energy project teams deployment-ready

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Industrial contractors working across oil, gas and renewable energy often rely on the same engineering workforce to deliver projects with different operational requirements. A maintenance team may complete work at an onshore processing facility before moving to an offshore installation, while another group prepares for a wind-energy contract. These transitions require careful resource planning because employees need the appropriate safety training for each assignment. When training is scheduled too late, contractors can have qualified engineers available but still be unable to mobilise them.

Match training requirements to the project pipeline

Workforce planning should begin with confirmed and anticipated contracts. Each project allows managers to identify the personnel required, their working environment and the safety training needed before deployment. Establishing these requirements early helps employers schedule training alongside other project activities.

For offshore oil and gas assignments, the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO) develops internationally recognised training standards covering offshore safety, emergency response and technical activities. Completing the relevant OPITO training courses  prepares personnel for the safety requirements of their assignments, including initial offshore safety training for employees who have not previously worked offshore.

The OPITO framework  gives employers a consistent basis for establishing training requirements across different offshore roles. Contractors can then identify which employees need additional preparation and schedule training around existing operational commitments.

Prepare personnel for upcoming wind-energy contracts

An industrial contractor expanding into wind energy may already employ engineers with relevant mechanical or electrical expertise. Their experience provides a foundation for turbine installation and maintenance, but working on wind turbines introduces additional safety requirements, particularly around elevated access and emergency response.

The Global Wind Organisation (GWO) develops internationally recognised training standards for the wind energy sector. Its safety training covers working at height, first aid, fire awareness and manual handling, with additional sea-survival training for offshore personnel. Completing the relevant GWO courses  allows experienced industrial engineers to develop the safety skills needed for wind turbine work while building on their existing technical knowledge.

For operations managers, the transition into wind energy creates an opportunity to make better use of the workforce between contracts. Engineers approaching the end of an industrial maintenance assignment could complete wind-specific training before moving to their next project.

The Global Wind Organisation's training standards  help employers identify the training relevant to upcoming assignments, allowing them to prepare personnel for new projects without unnecessarily disrupting existing operations.

Include training in workforce capacity planning

Training affects the number of productive engineering days available to a business. When several employees attend courses simultaneously, the remaining workforce must still meet existing project commitments.

A resource plan should therefore account for training alongside project delivery. It should identify:

• Personnel required for each project and their deployment dates.
• Training that must be completed before mobilisation.
• Existing commitments that determine when employees can attend training.
• Availability of qualified personnel to cover operational duties during training periods.

This provides managers with a clearer picture of workforce capacity and allows training costs and employee availability to be incorporated into project estimates.

Keep training records aligned with deployment schedules

Certain safety qualifications require periodic renewal, meaning employees who were available for an earlier project may need refresher training before their next assignment.

Recording qualification expiry dates against future project allocations helps managers identify these requirements early. Training can then be arranged during quieter operational periods or between assignments.

A central workforce schedule containing training records, expiry dates and confirmed course bookings makes this information accessible to operations and project management teams.

For wind-energy projects, the Global Wind Organisation's WINDA database  provides a central system for recording and verifying completed GWO training. Employers can use these records to confirm training status before allocating personnel to upcoming contracts.

Coordinate subcontractor readiness with project delivery

Industrial projects frequently depend on specialist subcontractors whose personnel must meet applicable training and mobilisation requirements.

These requirements should be established when subcontractors are appointed. Project teams need to understand which competencies the subcontractor will provide and whether additional training is required for the destination asset.

An experienced subcontractor may have the technical expertise to perform the work but need further preparation for a different offshore or wind-energy environment. Confirming these requirements during procurement reduces the risk of discovering outstanding training needs immediately before deployment.

Make workforce readiness part of project delivery

Effective training planning gives contractors a clear picture of employee availability and readiness across upcoming contracts. By incorporating training requirements into project schedules, businesses can maintain operational capacity while preparing their workforce for assignments across oil, gas and wind energy.

All GWO Training Courses | Train when it suits you at FMTC Safety

Pipe dreams become a lifting reality with turnkey Hoist & Winch package

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For a UK-based manufacturer of plastic pipe systems, flexibility is essential when handling large-section pipework and the customised angle and bend connections required by end customers. To support final assembly operations, Hoist & Winch Ltd has supplied and commissioned a turnkey package of eight aluminium mobile gantry cranes offering 2-ton safe working load (Swl), each equipped with a 110V single-phase electric chain hoist.

The equipment is installed in a dedicated section of the manufacturer's final assembly area, where pipe sections – used to protect electrical cables – are fitted with angle and bend connections.

The company supplies customers across a wide range of industries, including the growing datacentre sector. Flexibility was therefore a key consideration in the specification. Manufactured by Reid Lifting, the aluminium mobile gantries supplied by Hoist & Winch feature adjustable height and span width, allowing the configuration of each crane to suit the available workspace and the dimensions of the pipes that require handling.

With a maximum working hook height of 6 metres and bridge span of 4 metres, the cranes provide sufficient capacity and reach for the largest pipe sections currently processed by the company. They also offer an element of future-proofing should the manufacturer introduce larger sections.

Mobility is another critical feature. Each gantry features large pneumatic-tyred wheels, making the cranes easier to manoeuvre while improving stability when travelling under load. This capability is particularly useful when moving across raised cable ramps or small floor imperfections.

The four wheels incorporate 360-degree swivel action with directional locking at 90-degree intervals, providing operators with further flexibility when positioning the gantries. Once correctly positioned over the workstation assembly jigs, manually operated heavy-duty parking brakes securely hold each crane in place. Here, the lifting systems play a vital role in the assembly process, safely supporting pipe sections while angle or bend connections are fitted and adhesives are allowed to cure.

“It's a deceptively demanding application because the lifting equipment needs to combine substantial capacity with the freedom to move around the assembly area,” explains Hoist & Winch Director Andy Allen. “The aluminium gantries give the customer that flexibility, while the 2-ton Swl hoists offer the reliable lifting performance needed for these large and varied pipe sections.”

To provide effective and electrically safe lifting within the assembly environment, Hoist & Winch installed heavy-duty 2-ton Swl Yale/Loadstar 110V single-phase electric chain hoists. The low-voltage supply is particularly appropriate because the gantries require powering via a trailing floor cable as the company moves them between workstations. Hoist and pendant control cables are managed across each crane bridge using a taut-wire festoon catenary system, helping to maintain orderly cable routing while allowing the hoists to travel along the bridge.

Following installation, Hoist & Winch completed LOLER (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) inspection and testing of each complete lifting system and issued the appropriate LOLER Thorough Examination reports, providing complete peace of mind for the customer.

On-site operator training covered equipment functionality, hoist components and operating controls, including top and bottom limit switches and emergency-stop functions. Training also addressed periodic checks and lubrication, together with annual inspection, servicing and certification requirements. Each operator was given practical experience in using the equipment, ensuring safe and effective operation of the new lifting systems from day one.

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