Design, management and maintenance of alarms and alarm systems

The course is aimed at providing all the information and guidance required to successfully implement alarm management, thereby providing a basis for the ongoing safe and efficient operation of plant. The course is strongly recommended for anyone responsible for leading improvements to the management of alarms within a process industry plant, particularly Upper and Lower Tier COMAH-regulated or FDA-regulated sites. These include oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, power stations, food processing and water companies.

Making the most of alarm systems

For any site to be safe and operationally effective, there needs to be a robust system of governance, as well as comprehensive procedures and work practices that are rigorously enforced for alarm system(s). With an appropriately designed, managed, operated and maintained alarm system, companies can be confident that when critical events occur, their operators will be able to respond appropriately.

Managing alarms may sound simple, but there are many facets that must be considered and addressed, from the management and detailed design of alarms and alarm systems, through to the potential for cultural change.

Course attendees will need to adopt a holistic approach to their task, which should be carried out as part of a structured process. Therefore, understanding what needs to be done, why and, most importantly, how to do it, is essential to any alarm management improvement initiative. People also need to know what legislative or regulatory obligations exist and understand the requirements of the latest standards and good practice guidelines.

Acquiring the necessary skills

Ian Brown, Alarm Rationalisation and Services Manager at MAC Solutions (UK) comments: "Whether you are starting an alarm management journey due to regulatory pressures, as part of a corporate Process Safety Management initiative, or simply through a commitment to continuous improvement, you need to acquire the skills and knowledge that are necessary to help you with your task."

Topics covered in the course include:

• Fundamentals of alarm management and the alarm improvement process.
• Benefits of alarm management with regard to your legislative and regulatory obligations and OEE improvements.
• Creation of an Alarm Philosophy and associated documentation.
• Alarm design principles.
• Master Alarm Databases.
• Benchmarking, auditing and assessing your system.
• Alarm rationalisation and implementation.
• Nuisance alarm remediation and advanced alarm handling.

On completion of the two-day training course, attendees should have learned everything they need to know about how to successfully implement alarm management on their site.

The course will be taught by a knowledgeable, experienced alarm practitioner, so attendees will also learn many things they did not know they needed to know, and some of the pitfalls to avoid.

Follow the link for more information or to register to attend the alarm management practitioner training course. Alternatively, telephone M.A.C. Solutions on +44 (0)1527 529774 or email [email protected] (please mention MachineBuilding.net).