COIL PIPE SAFETY: RAISING THE BAR FOR OPERATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS

Understanding the key challenges and risks associated with laying coiled pipe is crucial for ensuring the safety, efficiency and longevity of pipe installations, and the team behind the install. Regulatory gaps and inconsistent industry standards continue to pose serious challenges for professionals across various sectors, including construction and utilities, yet real change is still yet to be made.

Commonly used for gas and water in the utilities market, coiled piping has become the preferred choice for utilities and construction industries, overtaking traditional straight-length alternatives due to its ease-of-use, speed of instalment and cost-effectiveness. But, when improperly installed, it’s a method that can pose serious health and safety risks.

Specially-designed solutions, however, built to target the fast-paced and demanding utilities market, are demonstrating that safety and efficiency can be a evenly matched.

The importance of precautions

Across the board, one of the key risks of coiled piping is the release of stored energy during the unwinding process. It’s a release that can cause sudden and erratic movement from the pipe, posing a significant risk to operators and potentially leading to major, possibly life-changing injuries.

Take the construction industry, for example, a sector known for its high injury rate. Just last year, according to research, 47,000 workers in the UK construction industry sustained a non-fatal injury at work, with 33% of these resulting in absence from work for over 7 days. While injuries can, and do, occur, fatal injuries also remain prominent in the sector, with problems ranging from falls from a height, to being struck by moving objects.

Evidence of this occurred in April 2023, when a HS2 worker was struck and killed by an unsecure coiled pipe during an installation on a site in Solihull. Shaken by the incident there were widespread calls for enhanced safety protocols, particularly concerning drilling and pipe dispensing practices.

While this tragic event highlighted the critical need for thorough evaluations before operating machinery, it also demonstrated the importance of ensuring all safety measures are properly implemented before, during and after coil pipe installation.

Challenges faced by industry professionals

There are a range of factors that can significantly impact efficiency and safety levels while on-site, from inadequate training to sluggish approval processes.

Take coil pipe installation, for example. A crucial, yet often overlooked, aspect of projects in utilities, manufacturing, construction and civil engineering, the laying of coil pipe may seem like just one piece of the puzzle, but proper planning and execution are essential to preventing safety risks and costly setbacks (both reputationally and financially).

The safe installation of coil piping starts long before the first pipe is uncoiled, and companies must conduct thorough risk assessments, provide the correct protective equipment, and train workers on safe handling techniques and emergency procedures.

When it comes to laying the pipe, the right tools make all the difference. Restraints, uncoiling devices and mechanical lifting helps to prevent hazards and reduce the risk of serious injuries – those like we saw with the HS2 accident, which shone a light on the dangers of overlooking safety measures.

Over the past few decades, and during my time at Towmate Trailers, much improvement has been made in regards to health and safety across various industries, like utilities. Despite the HS2 incident taking place almost two years ago to the date, there are still no firm regulations in place for mandated safety procedures in similar scenarios, and some industries are slow to adopt new safety solutions due to cost, lack of knowledge or resistance to change procedure.

While some have considered banning the use of coil pipe in favour of ‘stick’ installation, they’ve found there are a good number of disadvantages to doing this, such as increased costs, longer installation times, greater labour requirements, and a higher likelihood of joint failures due to the increased number of connections.

To kick-start more conversations around safety in those environments, and drive forward stricter safety procedures, we created the LaySafe® innovation. It’s a safety mechanism that can be fitted to our Raptor Pipe trailer, and offers utilities firms a solution for the safe transportation of pipes used in the water, gas and electrical industries. Not only helping to prevent injury and fatalities, the mechanism – used by a number of our existing utilities customers, like Severn Trent Water – has already proven to save both time and money.

The need for innovation in safety solutions

Physical demands of the job, combined with the complexities of working in constantly evolving conditions such as road-side or on-site maintenance, means that protecting the physical and mental well-being of workers is not only a legal and ethical responsibility, but a crucial factor in maintaining operational efficiency. By putting it first, companies can reduce the likelihood of accidents and injuries, or even fatalities.

Health and safety protocols should be a priority for both the workers and the wider company. Ensuring that all practices are compliant and that employees are proficiently trained lessens the risk of accidents, prevents potential legal issues and safeguards the business. The media coverage following the HS2 incident laid a portion of blame on the company, and individuals involved, consequently negatively impacting the reputation of the business – issues which, further down the line, could hamper their ability to attract new custom, and both hire and retain new talent.

Although project timelines can be tight, health and safety is not an area where shortcuts should ever be taken. As industry standards continue to evolve to improve safety, efficiency, sustainability and technology integration, the need for innovation and specially-engineered solutions, like LaySafe®, have become increasingly more essential. Innovations designed to enhance health and safety, while simultaneously boosting productivity and reducing time and cost implications, help create a resilient, efficient and safe working environment.

What measures are already out there?

As well as providing awareness and safety training for employees, companies can look to introduce specially-designed solutions that significantly reduce the risks associated with laying coil pipe.

Almost a year on from its launch, LaySafe® has been making waves across utilities. It’s become a game-changer in coil pipe installation, allowing companies to safely feed the coil pipe through to the rear of a trailer, while eliminating stored energy and keeping the pipe in an inert, safe state as it is laid. No risk of uncontrolled activity. Thanks to its integrated novel chute design, and a centre disc to retain the trailing end, the coiled pipe is better stabilised and allows for more precise pipe control while dispensing.

With demand for projects to be as efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly as possible to align with the Government’s net-zero energy targets, companies must adopt faster and more efficient practices, all without compromising safety. A tricky balance, no doubt.

Yet, by using innovations like LaySafe®, the time needed to safely lay pipe is not only ten times faster and more cost-effective, replacing the traditional, labour-intensive methods that often require extensive excavation, but also drastically improving the safety of a workforce. And that’s something we can’t take chances with.

The road to safer practices

Workplace safety has come a long way, but there’s still plenty of ground to cover before health and safety standards are fully optimised across key industries, like utilities and infrastructure. Thankfully, with ongoing product innovations, regulatory advancements and a growing commitment to high standards, companies have access to simple, effective solutions that can significantly reduce preventable incidents.

Introducing new systems or processes can be daunting, particularly in ‘traditional’ industries, but past events serve as a stark reminder of why safety must take precedence. Change now could not only save lives, but also protect your business’ reputation in the long-run.