The safety training facility, CATCH, has expanded and one of its providers believes this marks “good news for health and safety standards” across North East Lincolnshire and the wider UK.
Reynolds Training Services is headquartered at the facility which offers industry-authentic training and assessment, in a replicated operational processing environment.
A week of festivities culminated in the opening of the brand new CATCH 4 building. Speaking at the event, Reynolds Training Services managing director John Reynolds said the continued expansion “demonstrates the region’s commitment to furthering safety, training and skills standards ”.
“CATCH 4 is a fantastic building and the expansion of the complex also aids our own strategic objectives,” he commented. RTS, which works with brands including BP, Inter Terminals & The OPA, recently expanded its own presence at CATCH, moving into larger offices which include a dedicated training room.
John continued: “With classroom, onsite and online safety learning options, our expansion at CATCH enables us to expand the range of courses that we currently offer. 2018 will see the introduction of new courses from NEBOSH and IOSH as well as a continued development of bespoke training, assessment and competency management solutions for the high hazard processing industries.”
“CATCH enables us to provide industry with an unrivalled training experience, further fuelling that all-important ‘from industry, for industry’ adage that our dedicated instructors work to.”
Joined up health and safety
CATCH is an industry-led partnership supporting the process, energy, engineering and renewable industries in the Humber region.
“The facility is home to a range of providers,” explained John. “Safety isn’t for the few, it’s for the masses. The collaboration of skills and experience is key to driving safety forward. RTS, at CATCH, is forging industrial strength partnerships with Roxby, ESC and Lorraine Braben Consulting.”
CATCH boasts facilities including a live three storey process plant with control room, bunded tank farm, process simulator, Skills Enhancement Centre, access zone, CompEx zone and confined space entry zone as well as engineering workshops and classrooms.
“Working at the facility is a constant source of inspiration when it comes to innovating safety solutions,” said John. “From the complex, our team of in-house safety specialists, site managers, consultants and software developers created My Individual Training Record.”
“My-iTR is an online learning management system that is changing the way sites safety train, track and report.”
The system enables organisations to generate and assign specific roles and training requirements to individual users, upload, monitor and record all training and assessment, and generate reports relevant to full company, site or individual to track progress.
The virtual safety toolbox, which comprises of interactive safety courses and the tools to measurably improve then track and report on workplace competence, simplifies this process into one centralised online record. This can be used internally or with the relevant permissions shared with other stakeholders.
And, to fuel continual professional development, automatic alerts are sent to site managers and learners when refresher training is required.
“As with all we do at RTS,” explains John, “My-iTR has been developed for industry, by industry”.
More about CATCH
Created to support the development of the £6 billion Humber chemical and chemistry using sectors, CATCH now boasts members and partners drawn from across the process engineering, energy, engineering and renewable sectors, their associated supply chains, regional and national government agencies and local authorities, including all four Humber local authorities.
CATCH’s approach to industry training is unique. Alongside our facilities, we work in partnership with multiple training providers including local further education colleges and private organisations who are recognised as leaders in their field – finding you the right solutions.
Looking to take IOSH Managing Safely? Accredited IOSH provider Reynolds Training Services has reduced the cost to £399 (including VAT, study materials and refreshments!) for the upcoming course to be run at CATCH, 30th October – 1st November 2017.
IOSH Managing Safely will bring you up-to-speed with the skills you need to tackle health and safety issues in the workplace. Join RTS at the industrial simulated training facility CATCH to undertake the hands-on, practical IOSH course that forgoes jargon in favour of a sharp business focus.
IOSH Managing Safely engages and inspires. The practical programme has helped a huge range of businesses to raise standards of health and safety. Now, it’s your turn.
IOSH Managing Safely course only £399
With IOSH Managing Safely, your business will enjoy:
Greater productivity as fewer hours are lost due to sickness and accidents
Improved company-wide safety awareness culture and appreciation for safety measures
Active staff involvement to improve the workplace
Nationally recognised and respected certification for managers and supervisors
For more information on IOSH Managing Safely and to redeem your special promotional price offer, simply contact Karon Reynolds on karon@reynoldstraining.com or ring 01469 552846
The new Hughes Building at the CATCH training facility will help close the skills gap across the region, Conservative MP for Cleethorpes, Martin Vickers, has said.
CATCH’s simulated training grounds, classrooms and facilities play a role in the skills development and competency assurance of organisations.
Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in Stallingborough, Mr Vickers said: “Skills shortages are something that we constantly hear about from industry and it is a tribute to the facility here that we can provide those skills and that training that is needed here and that is absolutely vital to our future prosperity.”
The ever-expanding facility, which is home to a range of training providers, supports the process, energy, engineering and renewable industries in the Humber region and wider UK.
“In my council days, I can remember when this was a building site,” recalled Mr Vickers.
The new building, he added, paid a “great tribute to all those partnerships which have formed the facility”.
“I’m delighted to hear there’s plans to expand further.”
CATCHing up on safety standards
Labour councillor, Ros James, who was also among the dignitaries attending the event, praised the CATCH training facility and its range of training providers.
“Hundreds of apprentices and other learners have started their career here and have gone on to work, not only across the Humber, but across the world,” she said.
“The Hughes Building will continue that tradition with the first learners from North Lindsey College starting their courses next week. These are exciting times for the Humber and North East Lincolnshire.”
CATCH CEO, David Talbot, described the new building as a “testament to everyone’s vision”.
“When we decided what to call the building, for me, there really was no other choice but to call the building ‘The Hughes Building’ in memory of Dr Glyn Hughes of the Humber Chemical Focus.”
“The CATCH project was initiated in 2004 with Glyn at the helm and we owe the early success of the facility to Glyn along with the support he secured from our members, directors and public sector partners.”
CATCH boasts facilities including a live three storey process plant with control room, bunded tank farm, process simulator, Skills Enhancement Centre, access zone, CompEx zone and confined space entry zone as well as engineering workshops and classrooms.
Reynolds Training Services is set to exhibit its industrial strength portfolio of health and safety solutions at Business Hive Live 2017, Tuesday 3rd October 2017 at Grimsby Auditorium.
Reynolds Training Services’ team of specialists will be on hand to demonstrate the industry-leading online safety system, My Individual Training Record (My-iTR), in the new Tech Lounge and will be ready to answer all your health and safety questions.
“Developing confidence in competence is key to unlocking safer processes,” explains Reynolds Training Services managing director, John Reynolds. “This is particularly important given that the HSE has grabbed the issue by the scruff of the neck when it comes to high hazard sites”.
To make this measurable, sites must safety train, track and report.
John continues: “At the Business Hive event, we’ll be giving companies a first-hand demonstration of how My-iTR can help them keep an accurate record of their health and safety procedures, something they must do to comply with legislation.”
“The system allows site managers and their operators to access interactive learning safety courses. They can record knowledge in your Individual Training Record. Then track worker competence to demonstrate compliance.”
My-iTR, which runs alongside Reynolds Training Services’ more traditional onsite and classroom solutions, centralises this information into one online record. Users can upload and record all progress from individuals to whole site reports. It is a virtual safety toolbox comprising of interactive safety courses and the tools to measurably improve then track and report on workplace competence.”
To fuel continual professional development, automatic alerts are sent to site managers and learners when refresher training is required. And, when it comes to site audits, managers can supply the regulator and other stakeholders with access to the system.
“They’ll find everything organised in one easy to navigate area. It’s a clear demonstration of competence.”
From industrial sites to occupational workplaces, local business leaders have been responding to the regulator’s drive for improved safety and competency. We are right on the doorstep of Business Hive members at the CATCH Training Facility, Stallingborough.
Come say hi to us at the Business Hive Live 2017, Tuesday 3rd October, to discuss all your health and safety needs.
Business Hive Event Details
11am – Doors open
12pm – 1pm Andrew Dixon & Dan Riley
Experts in ‘Big Data’ who will tell you what the term actually means and how that translates for you, into valuable knowledge to help grow your business.
1.30pm – 2.30pm Geoff Burch
An internationally renowned keynote speaker and master storyteller, he is a leading authority on sales, customers, leadership and change.
**2.30pm – 3.00pm – Interval**
3.00pm – 3.45pm Google
Hear from a representative of the world’s leading search engine and find out what is needed to gain a competitive advantage in the ever changing digital landscape.
4:00pm – 5:00pm Kevin Gaskell
An extraordinary leader who led iconic brands Porsche, BMW and Lamborghini to unprecedented levels of success. Kevin is a corporate trailblazer, serial entrepreneur and world class team builder.
The Business Hive Live is Northern Lincolnshire’s largest FREE B2B Conference and Expo, and will have over 70+ Exhibitors and more than 200 people coming through the doors.
As part of CATCH Week, Reynolds Training Services is participating in a joint event on Tuesday 26th September with Engineering Safety Consultants & Lorraine Braben Consulting. The trio of safety experts are set to explore how joined-up thinking can bring together different elements of safety management.
From functional safety design to reliable people performance
There are so many different aspects to managing safety systems that it’s not always clear how they all hang together at times. There’s lots of talk about taking Human Factors into account but what does that actually mean? As part of Catch Week, we invite you to an informative and interactive event which will provide an example of how joined up thinking will bring different elements of safety management together and how that translates into designing systems which will help your people do the right thing when it really counts.
View and download CATCH Week flyer
More about the the participants
Paulo Oliveira of Engineering Safety Consultants (ESC): Paulo is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with more than 10 years’ experience in asset management and safety applications. Paulo was the Functional Safety Leader for a COMAH top tier site where he was accountable for the development and implementation of IEC61511 compliant systems, covering the whole lifecycle including competence and with links to broader Process Safety areas like process hazard analysis, human factors, alarm management and compliance auditing under OSHA 1910. As part of ESC’s team Paulo specialises in IEC61508/61511 compliance, certification and broader reliability analysis, including experience in chairing SIL Determination studies, SIL verification and reliability modelling, IEC61511/IEC61508 compliance gap analysis, Functional Safety Assessments, competence reviews and product certification including FMEA studies.
Lorraine Braben of Lorraine Braben Consulting: Lorraine Braben is an independent Human Factors Consultant with over 25 years’ experience working in the process industries. Having lead the Human Factors agenda for an upper tier COMAH site, Lorraine is a Technical Member of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF), reflecting the range of projects that she has delivered around the Human Factors subject areas. With a background in Chemical Engineering and HR, Lorraine uses both her technical knowledge and people management experience to support businesses in reducing their Human Factors risk profile.
John Reynolds and Alan Oxborough of RTS: Managing Director of Reynolds Training Services John has a wealth of experience from operational roles through to managerial appointments within upper tier high hazard facilities. Learning his trade from the floor up has given John a rounded view of all aspects of process operations. In 2009 Reynolds Training Services took shape developing and delivering training and competency management solutions, supporting businesses in achieving their training and Competence goals.
Alan, as lead consultant, works closely with Reynolds Training Services with a focus on Process safety and Competence Management Systems. Building on his industry experience that has encompassed Chemical Process Operations through to power generation where, as Technical Training Manager saw wider development within the process, operational and health and safety courses as well as competency development leading a team of over 100 assessors and trainers.
CATCH Week is a new series of industry-specific events running from Monday 25th to Friday 29th September at the industrial training facility in Stallingborough. The climax of the week will be the official opening ceremony for the brand new CATCH 4 building.
Reynolds Training Services is gearing up to exhibit at 2017’s Tank Storage Conference and Exhibition, Thursday 28th September, 2017, at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry. It is the must-attend event of the year for all those who work in the fuels, chemicals, edible oils and fats storage industries.
Reynolds Training Services will be on hand to give delegates a first-hand demonstration of its online safety management system, My Individual Training Record (My-iTR).
Online learning: My Individual Training Record
Alongside its NEBOSH, IOSH, ECITB and PAAVQ-SET accredited courses, Reynolds Training Services’ online learning management system is changing the way sites safety train, track and report.
My Individual Training Record (My-iTR) enables you to upload and record all progress from full company, individual to site reports. The virtual safety toolbox, which comprises of interactive safety courses and the tools to measurably improve then track and report on workplace competence, simplifies this process into one centralised online record.
And, to fuel continual professional development, automatic alerts are sent to site managers and learners when refresher training is required.
TSA event details: when
Reynolds Training Services will be onsite at the Ricoh Arena a day before the event on 27th September to talk to interested parties and exhibit on the 28th September at STAND 40
TSA event details: where
This years event will be held at the Premier Lounge of the Ricoh Arena, Coventry. The venue, which is located less than a mile from junction 3 of the M6, is just a 70 minute journey by train from London and is close to Birmingham International Airport. The conference programme features presentations from Government, Regulators and industry experts on topics which are of key interest to those who operate in this sector.
More about Reynolds Training Services
Reynolds Training Services redefines the way high hazard sites achieve safety. With classroom, onsite and online safety learning options, exceeding your regulatory requirements has never been easier.
RTS, which works with brands including BP, is headquartered at the CATCH training facility in Stallingborough. Alongside its NEBOSH, IOSH, ECITB and PAAVQ-SET accredited courses, Reynolds Training Services’ online learning management system is changing the way sites safety train, track and report.
Chemicals and Downstream Oil Industries Forum (CDOIF) members, as part of their role in promoting and leading on key sector process safety initiatives, have published new guidance on Installed Safety Instrumented Systems.
Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), when installed within the process industry sector, are an important measure in reducing the risks of harmful events. They provide a layer of protection to prevent plant or process entering a state which could result in harm to either people or the environment.
The Tank Storage Association (TSA), together with one of its associate members, P&I Design, led on the development of the publication.
Safety Instrumented Systems guidance
Safety Instrumented Systems, the guidance reads, are “typically implemented together with other measures” which can be used to demonstrate that the site operator has done all that they reasonably can to reduce the risk of a hazardous event occurring.
It continues: “Demonstrating this risk reduction can be part of an As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) demonstration.
“The design, operation and maintenance of SIS are particularly important because they provide a significant risk reduction. The international standard that has been adopted for SIS as applied to process industries is the current version of IEC 61511 Functional safety – Safety instrumented systems for the process industry sector.”
The guidance provides a “reference” by which existing site procedures, practices and standards can be “reviewed or developed to ensure that installed SIS are appropriately managed”.
Reports suggest that The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) could be set to utilise the Safety Instrumented Systems guidance as part of their EC&I Interventions.
More about The Chemical and Downstream Oil Industries Forum
The Chemicals and Downstream Oil Industries Forum was established in 1997, bringing together regulators and many of the sectors most influential people and organisations. The core aim of the forum is to inform regulatory and industry approaches to issues affecting the safety and health of people, sustainability and the environment.
Through its membership, the forum is able to tackle issues of most importance to manufacturers, primary producers, and service providers. The group aims to adopt pragmatic solutions and develop long-term strategies to ensure that businesses and workers are heard on the issues that matter within the industry.
The health and safety standards for portable ladders are changing under new guidance intended to improve ladder safety and simplify the process of buying products.
BS EN 131, the single British & European product standard covering all types of portable ladders (step, extending and combination), has been substantially revised. The revised standards are now published and manufacturers are in the process of changing over to new designs.
The Ladder Association, which has played an important part in these changes, has released guidance to help businesses and manufacturers meet the requirements of the revised standard.
Ladder standards are changing
Ladders certified to the withdrawn British Standards, BS 2037 and BS 1129 (often referred to as Class 1 and Class 3 ladders), will no longer be available after a transition period.
The British Standards BS2037 and BS 1129 – often referred to as Class 1 and Class 3 ladders – must now be amended to remove conflicting products.
In its publication, The Ladder Association explains that after the transition period “certified ladders from these standards will no longer be available”.
EN 131 has new requirements that are designed to improve the health and safety of ladders:
Dimensional changes will improve stability
Increased strength test requirements
New requirements for ladder durability
Check out and download the guidance
The Ladder Association’s guide details all you’ll need to know to comply with the changes. The publication includes insights into:
How will a ladder be different?
How will this affect you?
Can I still use my ladders?
Can I still buy ladders to the old standards?
How to shop smart
How to change ladders and retrain
More about The Ladder Association
With around two million ladders in daily use across the UK, the Ladder Association is home to all the vital guidance and training needed to help ensure work at height is as safe as possible.
Anyone looking to buy or hire ladders can use the Ladder Association members found across the UK and beyond. Our members offer the peace of mind that comes from being part of an international industry body.
The ideal of a perfect health and safety procedure is most beautiful to behold. In a perfect world, perfect safety procedures would indeed exist. Yet debate seesaws back and forth on whether this ideal is grounded in fact or fiction.
It is fiction – in our opinion – which orbits this perennial question. If there is no such thing as a perfect health and safety procedure then, does this mean we should hang up our gloves and adopt a ‘what will be will be’ attitude?
Of course not. We don’t go cancelling Christmas just because there’s a questionmark over Santa’s existence. Likewise, in the high hazard sector, failure is never an option. Breakdowns in process safety systems can cause huge damage to life, plant, communities and the wider environment.
This is where it gets ironic. Industry leaders who accept that the pursuit of perfection is unattainable actually position themselves to be more proactive to risks.
It is this type of thinking which drives companies to regularly evaluate their safety culture, continually improving resources to enhance key skills and knowledge around process safety. Leaders who are on edge keep their sites on the cutting-edge of safety.
The Health and Safety Executive agrees
We are not alone in this thinking. Speaking to industry leaders back in 2013, the chair of the Health and Safety Executive called on industry to demonstrate leadership in the prevention and mitigation of major catastrophic process safety incidents.
“A leader who constantly seeks reassurance and doesn’t welcome bad news will get told everything is ok even when it isn’t,” Judith Hackitt said to delegates in Texas at the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center symposium, Tuesday 22nd October, 2013.
“The leader who asks to understand what the process’s greatest vulnerabilities are and how they need to be addressed will create a very different climate in their organisation.”
Ms Hackitt said industry needed leaders who could live with a “chronic sense of unease and who can spot the warning signs of complacency creeping in.”
What do you think?
German poet and writer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, postulated many moons ago that “the man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection”.
Taking a page from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s book, we in industry must come to understand what we don’t know and be willing to fill in the gaps by learning day in, day out.
That’s not to say in our new age of increased oversight that many leaders don’t already take this approach. We are to be proud that the majority of companies work hard to ensure the safety of their site, staff and surrounding communities.
Whilst major incidents such as Buncefield are rare, rare doesn’t mean extinct. So let us replace the notion of safety perfection with an understanding that we must neverendingly evolve systems.
Leadership is essential in this. Given that the apple never falls far from the tree, boardrooms should sound positive safety signals which echo across the whole of their organisation from directors, to site managers, to operators.
The operation must then work as a collective body to ensure safety remains atop of the agenda, rolling out effectively implemented and robustly maintained systems.
Making profit is important, but safety is crucial. After all, a process will be further delayed by an avoidable accident.
What do you think?
On November 22nd, 2016, a fire erupted during maintenance activities at the ExxonMobil’s refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, severely burning four workers.
The US Chemical Safety Board (US CSB), an independent federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical accidents, has published an animation which explores the causes of the fire at America’s fourth-largest oil refinery.
Watch US CSB health and safety animation
More about the US CSB
The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating serious chemical accidents. The agency’s board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.
Paulo Oliveira of Engineering Safety Consultants (ESC): Paulo is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with more than 10 years’ experience in asset management and safety applications. Paulo was the Functional Safety Leader for a COMAH top tier site where he was accountable for the development and implementation of IEC61511 compliant systems, covering the whole lifecycle including competence and with links to broader Process Safety areas like process hazard analysis, human factors, alarm management and compliance auditing under OSHA 1910. As part of ESC’s team Paulo specialises in IEC61508/61511 compliance, certification and broader reliability analysis, including experience in chairing SIL Determination studies, SIL verification and reliability modelling, IEC61511/IEC61508 compliance gap analysis, Functional Safety Assessments, competence reviews and product certification including FMEA studies. 
experience that has encompassed Chemical Process Operations through to power generation where, as Technical Training Manager saw wider development within the process, operational and health and safety courses as well as competency development leading a team of over 100 assessors and trainers.
