Hydrocarbon Processing - April 2021 - 81

Environment
and Safety
C. G. MORENO, QHSE Institute, Lima, Peru

Alarm management: A pillar of process
safety management
The following describes how an adequate implementation of alarm management is a fundamental part in process
safety management (PSM). Since alarm
management is one of the best strategies
for diagnosing, evaluating, improving
and controlling the performance of the
various processes involved in the hydrocarbon processing industry, this strategy
enables personnel to structure and facilitate the understanding and involvement
of staff with the main elements of PSM.
In addition, this article details how concepts, stages, indicators, etc., of alarm management are compatible with the main
elements of PSM, allowing it to be incorporated into this management system.
One of the main challenges for a sustained and successful implementation of
PSM is that it remains updated over time
and provides timely and correct information about a process' performance, so that
its elements allow it to manage the current
deviations. This challenge is addressed by
the implementation of an adequate and
crucial alarm management.
To implement proper alarm management, the following stages should be considered (FIG. 1): Diagnostics (from the
initial state of the alarm system), analysis
(identification of deviations and their
sources), implementation (application of
improvement actions) and operation (for
control and monitoring of the final state).
Developing alarm management.
During the development of alarm management, the operational discipline that
an organization has developed over time
is assessed. During this development,
fundamental documents are reviewed
that are sometimes not adequately updat-

ed or, at least, with the necessary detail
or frequency, identify whether control
strategies are aligned with current process requirements for safety and productivity, and, above all, identify whether
there are properly documented and supported changes or adaptations under the
organization's policies and standards. In
addition, this is an excellent opportunity
to bring together teams from different
areas of an organization (e.g., operations,
engineering, security and maintenance)
to improve operational and safety standards, strengthening teamwork.
Diagnostics. This is the base stage of any
alarm management implementation process. Before starting the process, it is advisable to evaluate the following symptoms:
* Control screens are covered by
active alarm signals, even under
normal operating conditions
* There are active alarms for long
periods of time without being
attended by the staff in charge

* Massive alarm recognition
without analysis or prior
investigation (i.e., clean alarms)
* Deactivation of alarms, decrease
of the volume of the audible
alarm system or modification
of alarm values in the system.
If these symptoms occur in a system,
it is likely that an alarm management system should be implemented to strengthen the process management system before an unexpected event occurs.
To have an adequate starting point,
it is advisable to begin with the review
of the philosophy or strategy of control,
alarms and automatic interlocks-to
have a good understanding of the processes involved and, above all, the level
of updating and changes made over time.
Typical documents to review at this stage
are the control philosophy, facility and
process design, operating procedures and
cause and effect matrix.
After the process is understood and
reviewed, the metrics for the definition of

FIG. 1. Stages of development of alarm management.
Hydrocarbon Processing | APRIL 2021 81

Hydrocarbon Processing - April 2021

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