Process Safety Articles
Functional Safety Highlights for Managers - Part 1
Functional Safety Highlights for Managers - Part 1
Functional Safety Highlights for Managers - Part 1
The intent of this paper is to raise awareness to the importance of the Managers role in implementing functional safety, and to discuss managements roles and responsibilities according to the standards.
Functional Safety Highlights for Managers - Part 2
Functional Safety Highlights for Managers - Part 1
Functional Safety Highlights for Managers - Part 1
The intent of this paper is to provide an introduction to SIL / SIS, an overview of the IEC 61511 safety lifecycle, discuss important activities that should be planned and discuss how management can support these activities.
Functional Safety Highlights for Managers - Part 3
Functional Safety Highlights for Managers - Part 1
Functional Safety Highlights for Managers - Part 3
This paper will attempt to break the narrative that increased safety provides a net negative cash flow. Safety enhancements are rarely recognized as providing monetary benefits and it is important to understand how to make risk work to your benefit.
Codes and Standards Articles
In Search of Clarity - Standards & Regulations
CSA 61508/61511 AND CSA Z767 ENFORCEMENT AND APPLICATION IN CANADA
CSA 61508/61511 AND CSA Z767 ENFORCEMENT AND APPLICATION IN CANADA
This paper discusses the RAGAGEP concept relating to Canadian Regulations and Standards
CSA 61508/61511 AND CSA Z767 ENFORCEMENT AND APPLICATION IN CANADA
CSA 61508/61511 AND CSA Z767 ENFORCEMENT AND APPLICATION IN CANADA
CSA 61508/61511 AND CSA Z767 ENFORCEMENT AND APPLICATION IN CANADA
This Paper discusses the adoption of CAN/CSA 22.2 No. 61508, 61511 standards into CEC, Provincial enforcement/variances, adoption of CAN/CSA Z767.
PHA Articles
Ensuring Your Process Safeguards Stand Ready - Part 1
Ensuring Your PHA Pressure Relief Device Safeguards Stand Ready - Part 3
Ensuring Your Process Safeguards Stand Ready - Part 1
This article series will discuss the characteristics and requirements of a safeguard in the context of PHA, and will address detailed considerations for the following common categories of safeguards that are relied upon in PHAs to keep people, the environment and equipment safe.
Ensuring Your Process Safeguards Stand Ready - Part 2
Ensuring Your PHA Pressure Relief Device Safeguards Stand Ready - Part 3
Ensuring Your Process Safeguards Stand Ready - Part 1
This article covers key factors for maintaining effective alarm and interlock safeguards in PHAs, including detection, independence, setpoints, access control, and process safety time. It also highlights challenges like alarm flooding and human error, with strategies to improve alarm management and safety.
Ensuring Your PHA Pressure Relief Device Safeguards Stand Ready - Part 3
Ensuring Your PHA Pressure Relief Device Safeguards Stand Ready - Part 3
Ensuring Your PHA Pressure Relief Device Safeguards Stand Ready - Part 3
Pressure relief devices like PSVs, PVSVs, and Rupture Discs are key safeguards in risk assessments, but their reliability depends on proper sizing, setpoints, maintenance, and failure considerations. If not correctly designed or maintained, their effectiveness as a safeguard may be reduced, impacting overall risk mitigation. This article highlights critical factors in evaluating pressure relief devices.
Put a Bowtie on it!
Process Hazard Assessments - A Cost Savings Measure
Ensuring Your PHA Pressure Relief Device Safeguards Stand Ready - Part 3
Unlock the power of visualization in risk management! Discover how adding a bowtie diagram to your PHA can transform abstract hazards into actionable insights, empowering informed decision-making and proactive risk mitigation.
Process Hazard Assessments - A Cost Savings Measure
Process Hazard Assessments - A Cost Savings Measure
Process Hazard Assessments - A Cost Savings Measure
This paper discusses when a PHA is needed and some tips on how to carry one out effectively to maximize the benefit.
Estimating Relief Valve Reliability in a PHA Study
Process Hazard Assessments - A Cost Savings Measure
Process Hazard Assessments - A Cost Savings Measure
This paper details some intricacies when utilizing a relief valve for process risk reduction. They do not make a process inherently safe and if we don't dig into the details, the results can be deadly.
SIL and SIS Articles
Mission Time is Up! Now What?
BPCS Independence - Part 2 (Best Practices)
BPCS Independence - Part 1 (Requirements)
The article emphasizes the importance of adhering to the mission time of Safety Instrumented Functions (SIFs) as outlined in IEC 61511. It explains that mission time is crucial for maintaining the designed integrity and reliability of SIFs, ensuring compliance with safety regulations and mitigating risk. The relationship between mission time and useful life is highlighted, demonstrating that exceeding useful life can lead to exponentially higher failure rates. The article underscores the necessity of proactive hardware replacement before the end of useful life, drawing parallels with everyday safety equipment like smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, to ensure continuous protection and safety.
BPCS Independence - Part 1 (Requirements)
BPCS Independence - Part 2 (Best Practices)
BPCS Independence - Part 1 (Requirements)
In this paper we discuss the updated and relatively unknown BPCS independence requirements published in the 2016 version of IEC 61511. This includes some discussion on the "thorny" topic of what can be done with existing installations.
BPCS Independence - Part 2 (Best Practices)
BPCS Independence - Part 2 (Best Practices)
BPCS Independence - Part 2 (Best Practices)
Part 2 of this article is intended to build off the BPCS independence requirements described in Part 1 by discussing some best practices and practical design options for compliance with IEC 61511.
Fire and Gas Articles
Fire & Gas Systems – The Last Line of Defense
Fire & Gas Systems - Risk Based Detector Placement
Fire & Gas Systems - Risk Based Detector Placement
Fire and Gas Systems (FGS) are often considered the last line of defense in the safeguarding strategy when other preventative safeguards have failed. This article discusses the importance of the FGS and provides an introduction to the ISA TR84.00.07 Standard.
Fire & Gas Systems - Risk Based Detector Placement
Fire & Gas Systems - Risk Based Detector Placement
Fire & Gas Systems - Risk Based Detector Placement
Ensuring F&G detectors can "see" a fire or gas event is one of the most important factors to ensuring F&G System effectiveness. This article will discuss the performance based approach to detector placement described in the ISA TR84.00.07 standard.
Alarm Management Articles
Preventing Accidents through Effective Alarm Management: Lessons from Buncefield
Preventing Accidents through Effective Alarm Management: Lessons from Buncefield
Preventing Accidents through Effective Alarm Management: Lessons from Buncefield
One of the primary benefits of alarm management is the ability to prevent accidents. Poor alarm management can contribute directly to accidents, as was the case in the Buncefield industrial accident. This article will discuss the lessons that can be taken from this tragic event.
Don’t Let Your Process Alarms Keep You Up At Night – Part 1
Preventing Accidents through Effective Alarm Management: Lessons from Buncefield
Preventing Accidents through Effective Alarm Management: Lessons from Buncefield
The intent of this paper is to provide a high level overview of the concepts of an alarm management program. We discuss why a philosophy is important and touch on some key inputs to a philosophy as described in ISA 18.2 and IEC 62682.
Don’t Let Your Process Alarms Keep You Up At Night – Part 2
Preventing Accidents through Effective Alarm Management: Lessons from Buncefield
Don’t Let Your Process Alarms Keep You Up At Night – Part 2
The intent of this paper is to provide tangible pathways to success with your alarm management program. Managers, practitioners, and operators benefit from a successful execution of an alarm rationalization and prioritization exercise.