WHAT IS a tunnel operator? In the UK, the term ‘Tunnel Operator’ is variously used to refer to the organisation responsible for managing the risks arising from traffic using the tunnel (traffic risk) through to the people who work in the control room or manage the maintenance of the tunnel – and everything in between. The difficulty with de_ ning a tunnel operator is that in the UK we have very many different organisational models of tunnel operation. They range from organisations that employ dedicated teams responsible for all (or most) aspects of tunnel operation (traffic, equipment, renewals, emergency response etc) through to organisations that ‘operate’ unmanned tunnels – the role of these ‘operators’ often being to maintain the tunnel and tunnel systems. Within this range, the global risk management provided by the operator ranges from comprehensive to negligible.
When a designer of tunnel life safety systems (within life safety systems the author includes all equipment and systems necessary to create a safe environment for tunnel users, maintainers and emergency responders) is tasked to design a tunnel life safety system, the designer will need to establish how the system is going to be operated and monitored – automatically, manually or (normally) somewhere in between the two. Quite early on within the detailed design process, the designer needs to understand the capabilities of the operator in order to be able to conduct the design.
SPECIFICATION
Before a designer can commence a design he needs a specification to work to. The _ rst part of the specification process usually entails the client authority deciding what they actually want (often including being advised of what they ought to have). Section 1 of Annex I of the Road Tunnel Safety Regulations (RTSR, the UK enactment of the EU Tunnel Directive – and a verbatim copy from the Tunnel Directive Annexes) is titled Basis for Deciding on Safety Measures – the author can think of few better places to start.
Annex I section 1.1 states that "Safety measures to be implemented in a tunnel shall be based on a ‘Systematic Consideration’ of all aspects of the system composed of the infrastructure, operation, users and vehicles". It goes on to say: "Where a tunnel has a special characteristic as regards the aforementioned parameters [sic the regulations include a list of items to consider], a risk analysis shall be carried out in accordance with Article 13 to establish whether additional safety measures and / or supplementary equipment is necessary to ensure a high level of tunnel safety. This risk analysis shall take into consideration possible accidents, which clearly affect the safety of road users in tunnels and which might occur during the operating stage and the nature and magnitude of their possible consequences". It then goes on to require: "The safety measures required by the following paragraphs [sic the regulations include several pages of detail requirements] shall be implemented at a minimum in order to ensure a minimum level of safety in all the tunnels." The ‘Systematic Consideration’ process is designed to lead to an overall specification for tunnel life safety systems that should be included within the client’s procurement specification. The procurement specification tells one what is requested (such as a ventilation system, a lighting system, way finding signs, fire main etc) and its operating requirements but it often doesn’t tell you much about the actual systems themselves. That is the realm of the detailed designs eventually produced by the system designer.
Annex II of the RTSR is titled, "Approval of the Design, Safety Documentation, Commissioning of a Tunnel, Modifications and Periodic Exercises" and is also critically important for the Design process. At paragraph 2.2, Annex II requires that the "Safety Documentation for a tunnel that is at the design stage shall include a description of the planned structure and access to it, together with the plans necessary for understanding its design and anticipated operating arrangements".
FORESIGHT
An obvious question that arises from the above is "how does a designer know what the anticipated operating arrangements for the tunnel are?" Clearly, these anticipated operating arrangements must be either developed and stated as a part of the Systematic Consideration or they’re left to the designer to invent – which sounds very much like an open door to the much loved compensation events of NEC contracts. In reality, there has to be some sort of iterative process between the designer and the operator such that the final system is fit for purpose. To return to the client’s procurement specification; how do we ensure that the client’s specification is implemented in the manner in which the client intended? Well, we could specify the use of Reliability Centred Design – now we’re getting sophisticated – we’re now objectively determining the required level of reliability and availability that our life safety systems must achieve.
We can get really enthusiastic, reach for the calculator (or better still, model it on a computer) and calculate the operational safety parameters for the life safety system to comply with BS EN61508 – and arrive at an appropriate Safety Integrity Level (SIL) that the final system must achieve. Regrettably, there doesn’t appear to be too much sign of this in the UK. Much too often we end up with a client’s functional specification that’s littered with what a lawyer might describe as "innominate terms" – requirement ‘wish lists’ that have little if any measurable meaning.
There still remains a rather large ‘fly in the ointment’ – the operation and monitoring of the system – which takes us back to the role of the tunnel operator. The author firmly gets the impression that most designers of tunnel life safety systems do not have the faintest idea of what tunnel operators do, or what their capabilities are. Similarly, they do not seem to have much of an appreciation of the role of the Police or of the Fire & Rescue Services during a tunnel emergency incident.
The author does not blame them for either, very few designers get the chance to spend time with tunnel operators or with the emergency services) so how should they be expected to know?
By way of some background, both the Police, and the Fire & Rescue Services have to operate within the Health & Safety at Work Act. When attending an emergency incident, Volume 2 of the Fire Service Manual advises that:
¦ Fire fighters will take some risk to save saveable life
¦ Fire fighters will take little risk to save saveable property
¦ Firefighters will not take any risk at all to try to save lives or property that are already lost.
A key issue for designers is that the Fire and Rescue Services are not a panacea; they have to operate within risk assessed limitations (albeit limitations far in excess of those within which most of us have to contend). It is never safe to assume that "the Fire and Rescue Services will sort that out" because the chances are that they won’t.
Tunnel operators have to operate within their own unique set of constraints. Historically, it was quite difficult for a designer to obtain a semblance of understanding of the role, processes and modus operandi of a tunnel operator. With the development of the Diploma in Road Tunnel Operations this situation should (hopefully) have become a lot clearer, and created a mechanism for the designer to integrate the Operator issues within his design process.
In order to place UK Tunnel Operations on a firmer footing, the Diploma in Road Tunnel Operations (DRTO) was formulated by the Road Tunnel Operator Association (RTOA); following extensive dialogue, the RTOA invited Proqual to become the Awarding Body for the qualification.
It is a vocational qualification that comprises the following units:
To obtain a Diploma it is necessary to complete all of the Mandatory units and two Optional Units. More units can be taken if that is considered necessary at a particular tunnel (e.g. Unit M/504/6751 – Active Fire Suppression). It is also possible to register fewer units and obtain a Certificate in Road Tunnel Operations – or indeed register for a single unit and obtain unit accreditation in that area. Whilst primarily intended as a qualification for Control Room Operators, the Diploma can also provide a excellent grounding in tunnel operations for other members of staff (say a newly appointed Tunnel Safety Officer, or Tunnel Manager).
Hopefully, the advantages to Designers of Tunnel Life Safety Systems in having this qualification available start to become readily apparent.
If a designer is designing a tunnel system, a part of their design is likely to require the system to be operated or monitored in a specified manner. Their system design can now require the tunnel operator’s staff to be qualified and certified in the use of that system in the manner specified by the designer within the qualification certification provided by the DRTO. Clearly, the tunnel operator could not tolerate having a cumbersome and complex operating regime foisted upon them, the exact input provided by the tunnel operator does, by necessity, have to be arrived at via a dialogue between the system designer and the tunnel operator. Ultimately, this is a process of risk apportionment between the designer and the tunnel operator; the tunnel operator may well be willing to accept and manage a risk provided that the designer provides him with the tools necessary to manage it. The Operator can then go and design (yes, design) his own operational procedures and processes, test them, subject them to review and offer them to the TAA (Technical Approval Authority) for authorisation, train the operational staff, test their competence and then fully implement them and the associated ongoing revalidation processes throughout the life of the system.
For designers of tunnel life safety systems, the Diploma in Road Tunnel Operations provides an opportunity to underpin those aspects of the monitoring and operation of their system that require human input with an Ofqual nationally approved and certified qualification and move us all a further step away from an encounter with those whose attire includes a curly wig.
