A multidisciplinary team of Bilfinger Tebodin consultants supported Rijnland to improve the asset management and process safety of their bio fermentation plants.
Rijnland, also known as Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland, manages the water roughly in the area between Velsen and Gouda in the Netherlands. Safety and water quality are important topics for Rijnland and their daily business. Related to their focus on safety, one of Rijnland’s employees is a member of the Dutch standards committee for biofermentation plants NEN8771, on design and maintenance.
Around 10 months after the release of this new standard, Rijnland commissioned consultants from Bilfinger Tebodin to conduct an external audit of their assets to see if they comply with the NEN8771. In discussion with Rijnland the audit also covered the ATEX directive and the ‘ARBO’ catalogue and procedures and to have an expert opinion.
Our consultants from the Water Management, Safety and Asset Management departments were involved throughout the whole project. The audit started with four well-planned days of: site visits, interviews and samples. Thereafter, the close out report was presented to the Rijnland leadership. The discussions held were the starting point for an improvement roadmap.
“Bilfinger Tebodin has a broad experience in the industry and proposed a multidisciplinary approach, which included different relevant disciplines,” says OIav ten Broek, senior safety expert at Rijnland. “The cooperation went well and we are happy with the work done by the team. Due to this multidisciplinary approach, the recommendations are more broadly applicable than just the installations in scope.”
Rijnland is now in a position to work with the results and implement our recommendations and actions. Biofermentation requires procedures and ways of working that are common in the chemical industry, such as management of change, monitoring operating windows, etc. We expect to do even more similar projects in the future that can benefit from our extensive experience in industry.
