Chemical Engineering October 2014 - 55

Feature Report
The Next Step Change
in Process Safety
Leveraging the convergence of operational and information
technologies can aid in minimizing risk
Andrew Soignier
Ventyx
Angela Summers
SIS-Tech
Mike K. Williams
Modern Automation Consulting
Services, LLC
F
rom plastics and synthetics to
fertilizers and fuel, the general
public takes for granted
so much of what the chemical
process industries (CPI) produces,
and the risks associated with CPI
production facilities are not typically
considered. That is, until the
next headline-creating industrial
catastrophe occurs. The human toll
of such disasters plays out across
ruined lives, devastated communities
and obliterated opportunities.
The effects can stretch out for years
in the form of chronic health conditions,
diminished earning capacities
and contaminated environments.
However, those connected to the
CPI do not forget the risks, nor can
they afford to. Catastrophic incidents,
large and small, have increased the
focus on process safety management
in production facilities around the
world. Although enormous progress
has been made in preventing them,
incidents continue to occur. In fact,
while safety incidents have been declining
in number since 2008, those
that do happen have been increasing
in severity, according to the American
Institute of Chemical Engineers
(AIChE; www.aiche.org).
Today, the industry is on a cusp,
seeking the next breakthrough improvement
in process safety management
- one that can empower
Prevention barriers
Hazard
Hazard
Hazard
Major incident
or other
consequence
Figure 1. The " Swiss Cheese " model involves the implementation of various safeguards
and barriers to prevent the propagation of a hazardous situation - however,
gaps exist in this setup and must be addressed
facility operators by notifying them
when risk increases, and enabling
them to respond before abnormal
operation escalates uncontrollably
and causes injuries, monetary loss
or environmental damage. This article
examines how key elements,
such as automation and information-management
systems, as well
as operating discipline, can begin to
converge to make this proactive approach
a reality.
Cascading causes of incidents
Numerous studies and analyses have
concluded that the majority of safety
incidents result from human error.
Operating discipline is typically at
fault, since these errors spring primarily
from defects and deficiencies
in following operating or maintenance
procedures, and in applying
necessary administrative controls
to ensure competency, effective communications,
performance measurement
and change management. For
example, work instructions that are
incomplete, inaccessible or illegible
lead to inconsistent execution of procedures;
poor communication causes
insufficient worker-to-worker handoffs;
stress and excessive fatigue
impair decision-making and contribute
to procedural missteps; and
poor human-machine interfacing
can lead to operator confusion and
delayed responses.
Many companies minimize the
contribution of human error in incident
initiation through the implementation
of safeguards or barriers
based on the so-called " Swiss
Cheese " model of accident causation
used in risk management (Figure
1). The purpose of this model is to
reduce the likelihood of an incident
occurring, or to reduce the impact
if an incident does occur. However,
once these safeguards and barriers
are introduced into operations, rigorous
procedural controls are then
necessary to ensure their integrity.
Otherwise, inevitable human errors
and equipment degradation reduce
the effectiveness of the model.
Shifting tasks from manual to
automated operation reduces the
potential for direct human errors in
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Chemical Engineering October 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering October 2014
