Glen Robertson describes a dramatic approach to health and safety intervention in the offshore sector

A new plant design suite can help reduce wasted engineering hours, says Derry Vaughan

Start-up, shutdown and transition actions are often the most dangerous periods of operation in the process industries. Ian Curtis argues that companies could consider reducing the potential for human error by employing automated control through safety permissive sequencing at such times of high risk

Placing staff and contractors in high risk locations needs to be based on high quality and timely information and backed up by detailed emergency planning. The two allow for proactive solutions that can be implemented smoothly in the face of rapidly changing circumstances. Nick Stocker reports

The world depends for much of its energy supply on oil and gas extracted from beneath the seabed. New technology for installing production platforms offshore provides a welcome reduction in costs

Alpine Ocean Seismic Survey launches 110ft research vessel for marine surveying

Jo Firth looks at an integrated geophysical approach to characterising shale gas reservoirs

PE42750 addresses FCC 15.115 isolation spec, offers unpowered operation for broadband TV applications

The gear drives feature heavy-duty sealed ball bearings, 1:1, 2:1 or 3:2 ratios

RockTron and Eurostar Engineering Plastics announced grade of polypropylene containing RockTron's 100 per cent recycled Eco-Mineral Fillers

Features PTFE seats and seals for longer life and leak-free operation and a blowout-proof stem for added safety

Tool for process development and automated production in many sectors including chemical industry

Inspection and measurement of underground pipes such as gas, water and sewerage, and rainwater drainage pipes

Hydrostatic Regenerative Braking system from Bosch Rexroth stores brake energy in a hydraulic pressure reservoir

Poll suggests student engineers see the UK as an attractive market; but USA, China and Germany seen as best option by academics

Chemical giant Huntsman upgrades fleet of explosion proof forklift trucks at its Guangzhou facility in China

Scanners enabled rapid part-to-CAD conversion, allowing quick prototyping, re-engineering and testing

Solar sails or antenna reflectors could be manufactured in space, says Magna Parva

Designed for direct food use, especially in the meat, cheese and dairy industries, says Habasit Rossi

Wolfgang Ranft makes the case for adaptable automation in the refinery industry