Engr. Najeeb resolves to contest for second term, expects allies’ support Contesting for the last time; Oldies should leave space for younger lot, PEC Chairman PEC advices former chairmen bracing for polls

on 03/01/2024

Chairman Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) Engr. Muhammad Najeeb Haroon is determined to contest PEC Elections 2024 for the second term and expects that his key allies—National Engineers Association (NEA), led by Engr. Abdul Qadir Shah and Engr. Mukhtar Sheikh will support him.
‘Contesting for the second tenure is my right {by the Act} and also necessary for the continuity of the programs, of them a number are very innovative ones like the On Job Training (OJT) Program and have benefitted engineers in Pakistan’, Engr. Haroon told Engineering Review.
I have already announced in clear terms that I would contest the PEC elections and also communicated this to my allies, friends, and my team, now it’s their decision if they continue to support me, says Engr. Haroon. However, he said he expected his allies to stand along with him like they did in the last elections.
”The PEC Elections 2024 would be my last election which I shall contest in the PEC he declared saying he would never cling to it and leave space for younger generations.
Chairman PEC who presided over the council’s last GB meeting of the year 2023 with a major decision to declare the Year 2024 as the Year of Information Technology, aimed to transform the council into a technology-driven headquarters of engineers in Pakistan where colonial-style files tied with red ribbons have outplaced the offices at Islamabad advised all ‘oldies’ aspirants of top office who have already held the office of the chairman should step down for the younger generations.
Engr. Najeeb says Pakistan’s young engineers are not impotent that the older lot is clung to power and never allowed their younger generations to take the reins. Without taking their names, he advised previous chairmen of the PEC, for floating younger leaders from their camps for the next PEC Elections.
Engr. Haroon justified his candidature for the next term on the basis of what he termed as his performance which included his efforts to transform the council into a well-connected organization at the national as well as the international levels.
He said he brought professionals to the council in various departments especially in Finance and IT. Now, they will celebrate the year 2024 as the year of IT and shall computerize all departments from top to bottom so that transparency is ensured in all processes of registrations and services to engineers and create swift connectivity with consultants both at the national as well as international levels.
Engr. Haroon claimed the PEC is now connected with international engineering organizations and has earned appreciation at various forums including the one held in Dubai recently.
A Washington Accord Review team has recently visited various universities in Pakistan and we are sure to be able to have a 6-year extension in the program, he says.
Engr. Haroon said he launched the On Job Training (OJT) Program under which over 4000 young engineers have been trained and many have gotten jobs in those organizations. This program would continue until all engineers are accommodated in their jobs, he declared.
The PEC chairman who inaugurated the council’s Lahore Regional Office, an 8-storey building in the heart of the city on the eve of the GB moot believes he has sufficient performance points to claim the second stint in the office revealing that the council has decided to fund 593 final year projects of the students of engineering universities across Pakistan. Never has happened and no one has ever taken such decisions, he says. This is an outcome of a grand moot of 102 engineering universities of Pakistan that was organized in Faisalabad by the council . Capstone 2024 will be held in Islamabad and all the provincial capitals showcasing final year engineering projects which in the past mostly become part of decorative objects in universities’ shelves, Engr. Najeeb says.

Sir Syed University organized a workshop on Fostering Innovation

on 29/11/2023

The Department of Computer Science and Information Technology of Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology (SSUET) organized a workshop on Fostering Innovation: Exploring a Multidisciplinary Approach to Final Year Projects through Brainstorming. The chief guest of the session was the renowned motivational speaker Asad Ullah Chaudhry.
Expressing his view, Vice Chancellor SSUET, Prof. Dr. Vali Uddin, said that business innovation is the process of generating new ideas or approaching existing products, services, business models, and concepts in new ways. The business world is a fast-paced environment fueled by new technologies, trends, and other elements. Responding to the changes, corporate leaders need to keep their fingers on the pulse of the market to identify opportunities for innovation and mitigate potential threats.
Speaking on the occasion, the President of the Sir Syed University Alumni Association, Asad Ullah Chaudhry, said that the projects must have the features needed to make them marketable. We should know how to commercialize projects, how to experiment with the idea, and how to take it to SEED funding. Don’t ask companies for funding, convince them to invest money in your projects, assuring them a fair return. Companies give money to increase funding. You can earn through mass customization.
Renowned motivational speaker Asad Ullah Chaudhry said that you can make a business plan if it has penetration in the market. Companies do business on business models. The Business Model Canvas (BMC) is a strategic management tool to quickly and easily define and communicate a business idea or concept. A business plan is made when we have data available. Company objectives are derived from the company vision and strategy for building a successful company. Product objectives, on the other hand, are derived from the product strategy and vision.
Addressing the session as Convenor, Dean of the Faculty of Computing & Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Asif said that we have been doing final year projects for the last 25 years. Earlier, there was a trend of presenting research papers from 2009 to 2011, then people started to patent their papers. Now is the trend of converting projects into products. We should look at how we can make final-year projects interdisciplinary. Why can’t we take our projects to international forums when we have multiple disciplines but our participation is not at an international level? We want Sir Syed University to participate in the ITCN Asia 2024 exhibition. We just need one successful story to move forward.
The Chairperson of the Business Administration Department, Dr. Ammad ul Haq, said that every project can not be marketable. Only one or two projects may be up to the mark among hundreds of projects. It is not necessary to come up with new ideas every time, but you can revitalize or regenerate the previous ideas with a new look. Any concept that is contributing to economic prosperity is a new idea.
Chairperson of the Computer Science and IT Department, Prof. Dr. Waleej Haider said that supervisors of FYP themselves must be properly trained, who are going to guide students in preparing the projects. It is necessary for supervisors to make a business map and to learn about the business models and modules.

A Gift from Pak HVACR Society, Karachi Chapter

on 29/11/2023

Pakistan HVACR Society renovated a Cold Storage System and handed it over to Government College of Technology, SITE, Karachi. On this occasion Engr. Abdul Ghani Memon, Director, Regional Directorate STEVTA, Karachi, Engr. Ghulam Rasool Maka, Principal, GCT College, Engr. Zeeshan Ahmed Siddiqui, Chairman, Pak HVACR Society, Karachi Chapter, Mr. Ayaz Ali Khan, Mr. Aly Muhammad, Mr. Khalid Mansoor Mr. Qaiser Ashraf and other members of society are present there.
KM Engineering and Mujahid Engineering Services are the key supporters in the renovation of the Cold Storage.

Variants of Plants and Practices for Cogeneration

on 29/11/2023

A Stirling engine or a reciprocating engine may be used in smaller cogeneration units.
The radiator and exhaust are used to remove heat. Because small gas and diesel engines are less expensive than small gas or oil-fired steam-electric plants, the systems are popular in modest capacities. Some cogeneration facilities use biomass, as well as commercial and municipal solid waste, as fuel. Some CHP plants generate heat and electricity using waste gas as the fuel. Waste gases include sewage gas, landfill gas, gas from coal mines, gas from animal waste, and gas from flammable industrial waste. For added technical and environmental performance, some cogeneration plants combine gas and solar photovoltaic generation. These hybrid systems can be scaled down to the level of a building or even a single residence.
Five main technologies are used in micro CHP installations: microturbines, IC engines, Stirling engines, closed-cycle steam engines, and fuel cells. The most affordable of the so-called microgeneration technologies for reducing carbon emissions, according to one author’s 2008 analysis, is MicroCHP based on Stirling engines. When using natural gas, it depends on steam reforming to transform natural gas into hydrogen before it is used in the fuel cell. As a result, this continues to emit CO2 (see reaction), although running on this can be a reasonable solution (temporarily) while waiting for the hydrogen to start being dispersed through the (natural gas) piping system. An electricity-producing condensing furnace that runs on natural gas or propane is another example of a Micro CHP system. It combines the cogeneration fuel-saving method, which creates useable heat and electricity from a single combustion source. The condensing furnace is a forced-air gas system with a secondary heat exchanger that enables heat to be recovered from water vapor as well as heat to be collected from combustion products down to the ambient temperature. A water drain and vent to the side of the building are used in place of the chimney.
In pulp and paper mills, refineries, and chemical factories, cogeneration is still prevalent. The heat is often recovered in this “industrial cogeneration/CHP” at higher temperatures (over 100 deg C) and used for process steam or drying tasks. Compared to low-grade waste heat, this is more valuable and adaptable, although there is a minor loss in power generation.
Smaller industrial co-generation units are a viable off-grid solution for a range of remote applications to cut carbon emissions. These units have an output capacity of 5 MW to 25 MW. Compared to utilities, industrial cogeneration units typically operate at much lower boiler pressures. One of the causes is that returning condensate to cogeneration units may be contaminated. Industries typically need to treat proportionately more boiler makeup water since boiler-feed water from cogeneration units has significantly lower return rates than 100% condensing power plants. The feed water for boilers must be totally de-mineralized and oxygen-free, and the higher the pressure, the more important it is that the feed water be as pure as possible.
The use of sugarcane bagasse for energy production has advantages for the environment over the use of fossil fuel-based thermoelectric plants, such as natural gas, because it emits less CO2. Along with the benefits to the environment, cogeneration utilizing sugarcane bagasse offers advantages in terms of efficiency when compared to thermoelectric generation, thanks to the use of the generated energy. While some of the heat generated during thermoelectric generation is lost, with cogeneration, this heat may be utilized in the manufacturing processes, improving the process’ overall efficiency.

Fire Safety Management & Prevention

on 29/11/2023

The safety of workers is always on the agenda of the EHS (Environment Health & Safety) department.
The employer is always legally responsible and obliged to provide a safe working environment. This also concerns everything related to Fire Safety Management. The latter also lies within the responsibilities of the EHS department.
What are the regulations and standards for fire safety? What are the procedures for fire safety management?
The fire risk is a reality and the numbers can speak for themselves. According to Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty’s Global Claims Review, 2022, fires and explosions (excluding wildfires) are the leading known cause of company insurance losses, just before natural disasters phenomena. With 21% of the value of all claims, the average claim loss is estimated at 1.5 million euros.
In the United States of America (USA), OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration), workplace fires/explosions are estimated to cause the death of 200 workers and more than 5000 injuries every year. These incidents cost businesses around 2.3 billion dollars in terms of property damage.
In the United Kingdom (UK), there are around 22 000 workplace fire incidents. Workplace fire incidents keep happening even with the huge investment of the UK government to reduce these risks: “in 2020/2021 the government spent 3.13 billion pounds on fire protection services”.
Fire incidents cost greatly in terms of human lives and costs for businesses. However, there are always laws, regulations and standards to help companies put in place a fire safety management system to protect their human force, assets and properties.
Fire safety in the regulatory framework
Every country around the world has its legal framework regarding fire safety in general and workplace fire safety in particular. In every aspect of the legal framework (home or work-based), it is always about protecting the lives of every being and the environment.
For example in England and Wales, The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 covers general fire safety, and other procedures related to the workplace. The latter contains guidance on all the fire safety management and procedure to guarantee the safety of the workers and the surrounding environment.
In the USA, OSHA is responsible for issuing many standards regarding fire safety depending on the industrial activity of the workplace and specifies a list of hazards and possible solutions that can cause any fire incidents in the workplace.
In general, many laws and regulations are similar in some areas, especially when it comes to fire risk assessment by the EHS department, providing fire fighting equipment adapted to the work activity, fire alarms (periodically tested and monitored), personnel training, etc.
In addition, many other organisations have fire safety standards and training programs to guarantee that all procedures are respected, and help companies with their fire safety management. We can list, for example, the National Fire Protection Association (NAFPA), The International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS), British Standards Institution and their fire safety standards (BSI 7974 Fire Safety Engineering; BS 9999:2017 Fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings), Confederation of Fire Protection Associations Europe (CFPA Europe), and, of course, there are the ISO standards related to fire protection and safety (ISO 8421 standard series for fire protection, ISO 13943:2017 standard for fire safety – Vocabulary, ISO 23932-1:2018 standard of fire safety engineering).
All these guidelines, standards, laws and regulations will help to control or eliminate the causes of fire incidents, and if they occur the best conduct to have to save lives.
What are the causes of workplace fire incidents?
Let us start with the basics of the generation of a fire incident. The most common and known as the “Fire Triangle”: Heat (activation energy) – Oxidiser (generally Oxygen) – Fuel (flammable product). The combination of these 3 elements will generate fire, causing incidents and other disasters. If the incident/event’s intensity is high, this could lead to fire explosions.
Therefore, the most common factors in workplace fire incidents are
Incorrect use of electrical appliances (poor workmanship, lack of maintenance, etc.)
Misuse of equipment (heaters too close to flammable or combustible materials, etc.)
Unsuitable storage of waste or other flammable/combustible materials
Incautious handling of fire or hot substances
There are many other reasons than the ones listed above, that can be the reason for fire incidents. Therefore, it is essential to conduct a thorough and rigorous fire risk assessment, in addition to other necessary procedures to implement to guarantee the safety of the workers.
Fire Safety Management and EHS
Responsibilities
“Safety is everyone’s business”. In companies and organisations, it is up to the employer to comply with all the safety regulations in collaboration with the EHS department. The employer must also provide all the necessary tools and equipment for the EHS department to be able to perform their tasks and guarantee the safety of workers. Therefore, fire safety management also lies in the hands of the employer and EHS.
Ensuring fire safety is no different from classical mitigation or controlling any hazards in the workplace. It starts with the risk assessment, eliminating/controlling the hazards, implementing the safety measures and procedures, and always reviewing the risk assessment.
Fire risk assessment
The hazards related to fire safety may differ from one workplace to another, and they depend on the type of industry/activity of the company. However, based on the fire triangle, as described above, we have 3 sources for fire. Therefore, the EHS officer/manager should identify all the areas that contain these sources, such as electrical equipment, hot substances, heater, etc.
It is important to go through all the areas, premises and warehouses of the company to completely cover all aspects of fire hazards in the risk assessment. All the working procedures should be reviewed to analyse if there is any source of ignition handled by the operators during their daily activity.
In addition to a classical risk assessment, the fire safety risk assessment chart details more aspects to be covered, such as emergency exits and procedures, fire detection alarms (also monitor their periodic maintenance), fire fighting equipment, emergency evacuation plan, storage/removal of dangerous flammable/combustible substances, and many more detailed actions to be considered depending on the company’s activity and location.
In addition to the identification of fire hazards, you must identify the people at risk too. It is them that you should put on top of the list in terms of safety and of course after comes the premises and equipment. You should identify your staff, their working posts and their location. This mapping is important to also understand who might be handling dangerous materials and help them recognise the best practices to implement to save their lives and their colleagues. This is one step in the evaluation, elimination and control of the hazards.
If you feel that you lack the experience and expertise to conduct a fire risk assessment, you can rely on many organisations to help you, such as your local fire and rescue authorities, which can give you great advice and they might carry out the fire risk assessment themselves.
Fire safety equipment
Once the fire risk assessment is completed, all safety measures and procedures are then defined and implemented. The aim is that after the evacuation of all the hazards, to eliminate them or control if they cannot be eliminated.
The evaluation of hazards will allow you to classify the different types of fuels that can start a fire. This is essential as based on their type you will be able to choose the adapted fire extinguisher. There are 4 classes of fuels and therefore necessitate adapted fire extinguishing equipment.
Class A: wood, paper, or any non-metal combustible solid material
Class B: flammable non-metal liquids such as gasoline, oil and grease
Class C: electrical equipment, appliances and wiring
Class D: metallic flammable substances such as sodium, potassium and magnesium.
A special mention for Class K like grease of cooking oils used in the kitchen.
This is why it is so important to evaluate and identify the hazards and fuels to better understand how to control them in case of a fire incident via fire extinguishers.
In addition, you should define the best appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to use when handling dangerous and flammable or combustible substances. So, make sure that all the concerned workers are well-equipped and that they comply with the safety measures in place.
Moreover, fire detection and warning systems should be installed in the workplace. They should be periodically checked to ensure that they properly function. This is a legal requirement that an employer should not forget.
All fire equipment should be carefully checked and maintained to make sure that they function in case of fire. Fire equipment can vary from one place to another depending on the work activity and substances used.
Evacuation plan and training
To complete the fire safety procedures, you should elaborate an evacuation plan to lead everyone to safety in case of an incident.
The evacuation plan must specify a clear passageway for escape routes that must be clearly marked, available exits for workers to escape, emergency doors and lighting where necessary, train employees so that they do not panic and have good reflexes if an incident occurs and finally determine a safe meeting point.
A successful evacuation plan necessitates also training and drills to make sure that multiple aspects are well respected by the employees and that the fire alarm systems are working alongside the emergency exits, lighting and all the necessary equipment for fire safety.
Maintenance and testing of all fire safety equipment is an obligation. Any faults or anomalies detected during the maintenance and testing must be reported immediately and the problem should be directly fixed. Moreover, you must train the staff on how to handle fire extinguishers and all the related fire safety measures, especially recruits.
Finally, you should never forget to review the risk assessment to make sure that all the hazards are always detected, and sometimes the procedures can change which can lead to the appearance of new hazards. Hence, the importance of reviewing the fire risk assessment.
Fire safety management with digital technology
Fire safety management is a rigorous and very detailed procedure that can produce a lot of administrative work. Starting from the legal monitoring for safety measures, to performing the risks assessment, the implemented measures and fire safety equipment, the evacuation plan, and all the records of the drills and training of employees are all information and data that should be handled carefully.
Relying on a digital tool can greatly lighten the administrative burden of fire safety management and can be time-saving. A dedicated platform will allow the centralisation of all the information, records and files in the same place. Dynamic dashboards coupled with dedicated sensors will be automatically fed with real-time data from the field. Fire safety systems/equipment are now autonomous, and can be connected to the platforms thanks to connected objects.
The maintenance of safety equipment is essential so that it always remains operational when needed. Here too, digital proves all its interest with computer-aided management solutions (CMMS).
Fire safety management should be rigorously prepared as the stakes are high. It has its own identity in terms of management, and it is directly related to the principles of health and safety at work. Therefore, it is an essential task for the EHS manager to master and monitor as many aspects depend on it. Relying on adequate tools will greatly help achieve fire safety objectives, prevent disasters and involve all parties concerned in fire safety awareness and practices. Finally, I was inspired by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service phrase “Working together for a safer workplace”.
By Youssef Nohra, EHS, Environment & Sustainability Specialist & Content Manager at BlueKanGo.