Don’t get driven to distraction by nuisance alarms

Introduction

Alarm management is experiencing strong growth in the process industries, predominantly driven by the need to conform to standards and best practices such as ISA 18.2, EEMUA 191 and IEC 62682. Organizations are beginning to realise the significant benefits of investing in modern and more comprehensive alarm management solutions – from safety and economic gains plus improvements in environmental protection through more effective and smoother operational processes.

Causes of Nuisance Alarms

The alarm system is often the first line of defence to avoid serious process incidents. However poorly configured alarms, or those that have not received the appropriate attention and resources, often lead to alarm floods and nuisance alarms. Nuisance alarms or spurious alarms compromise safety and can inhibit the effectiveness of process operations for several reasons:

Obscurity of Alarm Information

Nuisance alarms obscure the Operator’s view of what is really going on. This is nearly always the case where alarm systems have not been properly managed and it is especially true during periods of process upset. Rob Turner, Yokogawa UK’s Principal Consultant for alarm management commented “Whenever I ask Operators, they often tell me that during upsets they routinely abandon the alarm list altogether and rely instead on their experience and judgement because of the flood of alarm information they are presented with”. This is a concern for many reasons, not least that the alarm system is of least use when it is needed most.

‘False’ Alarms

The second issue can be considered as a parallel of the story of the little boy who cried ‘Wolf!’. If the smoke detector went off in your kitchen, you would probably take it seriously and check for any signs of a problem. But what if the smoke detector went off repeatedly, because it was too sensitive or because it was in the wrong location, or even faulty? Would you still take it seriously after 3 activations? 5? 10 activations? Or would you remove the battery and ignore it? The equivalent is true for Operators in the control room who are presented with repeating nuisance alarms – they come to regard them as false, even if they are not. This is the process plant crying ‘Wolf!’

Operator Distraction

The third issue is that nuisance alarms distract the Operator from what they are doing. Imagine you are completing a mental task such as adding up a column of figures and someone repeatedly interrupts you. It is very likely you will forget how far you got, or even miss a figure out. It is also likely to become an irritation, and you may regard that someone a nuisance, even if they are trying to tell you something important. It is the same for Operators who are constantly distracted by nuisance alarms. Re-occurring nuisance alarms are given little or zero credibility by the Operators and are often ignored or disconnected.

Impacts of Nuisance Alarms

Operators who are subjected to alarm issues caused by alarm floods and nuisance alarms can become overwhelmed with alarm information and in some cases disregard it and rely on their instinct and experience. As a consequence, a poorly-managed alarm system dramatically increases the chances of safety incidents and unplanned downtime, resulting in financial loss, possibly environmental damage and in extreme cases, injury of personnel.

Time for a re-think of your Alarm System

Despite the drive towards regulatory compliance and the associated benefits, efficient and effective alarm management solutions continue to be a big issue in process plants due to a lack of continuous investment. Fortunately, there are several different approaches which organisations can adopt when it comes to rationalizing their alarm strategy to significantly reduce nuisance alarms. Re-thinking your alarm system can provide huge business benefits and improve the safety culture within a process plant.

So, What Can Be Done?

First of all, organizations need to have a well-planned alarm philosophy to better address alarm issues such as overload situations. This requires a means to collect and store alarm information, produce reports and analysis to help reduce the burden on plant personnel. Rob Turner believes it’s “all about improving the value of an alarm system as a decision support tool for the Operator”.

The ISA 18.2 standard provides companies with the blueprint for a lifecycle to develop an effective alarm management strategy as well as guiding users through the entire process of establishing a lifecycle program in which alarms are set-up, rationalized and analysed for effectiveness. By reviewing alarms regularly they are constantly maintained and if configured correctly, this can dramatically reduce nuisance alarms and alarm floods.

Reduce Nuisance Alarms by 80%

Yokogawa offers flexible and adaptable solutions that collect process values and alarm and events which can be stored and analysed over time. These alarm management applications include a reporting package with KPI reports conforming to alarm industry standards (EEMUA 191 Edition 3, ISA 18.2 2016, IEC 62682). By identifying and pinpointing areas of concern and taking action, KPI reporting such as ‘Top 10 analysis’ can help eliminate the worst performing alarms. This will support improvements in the stability and safety of plant operations and should be seen as part of a continuous improvement approach for improved Operator response, optimized day-to-day operations and as part of a solid foundation for consistent performance and expanded production capabilities.

Control room to Boardroom

Modern and sophisticated alarm management solutions are a significant source of information for alarm initiatives that can help to improve the understanding of process behaviour at an operational level. These typically result in improvements to process stability and fewer plant upsets. Increases in plant uptime benefit organisations financially, therefore information must also be readily available at the business level, easily accessible at the click of a button or a swipe of a tablet screen. Yokogawa’s alarm application has an intuitive and user-friendly web user interface that seamlessly produces enhanced visualization of alarm system KPIs, which can be delivered on iPads and desktop devices via the business network. To streamline data access and communication, the solution automatically generates reports with precise and up-to-date information that can be used by senior management to help make better business decisions.

The Benefits

Alarm Count Reductions

As discussed, one of the main reasons for companies to implement an alarm management strategy is to significantly reduce their alarm count. If you can significantly reduce nuisance alarms, it greatly decreases the load and stress on Operators, allowing them to make better decisions in order to deal with alarms correctly and efficiently thus minimizing safety risks and enhancing plant operation.

Improve the Safety Culture

Safety culture within a plant is greatly improved as important and critical alarms can be prioritized and addressed accordingly. Alarm management related standards are now being accepted as good engineering practice, establishing a lifecycle program in which alarms are set up, rationalized in a consistent way, and reviewed for effectiveness. Additionally, EEMUA 191 is now being used by insurance companies worldwide as a benchmark of good practice when assessing the performance and operating culture of companies in the process industry. Through these standards, organizations can easily provide Regulators with pertinent information and also save money on their insurance premiums.

Centralized Alarm Management Expertise

Data visualization is greatly improved when using a modern and more advanced alarm management solution. Alarm data is accessible from a centralised hub, available in a format that allows key decision makers from operations to senior management to easily understand the current situation regarding plant performance. The right data is provided in the most appropriate format (KPI, dashboards, reports, visual displays) available on demand. By having a centralised resource for alarm information, it allows subject matter experts to share analysis, advice and best practices across multiple sites or facilities regardless of their location, resulting in a more effective use of available resources. By having access to advanced data visualization and data trends for alarms, it can help optimize and re-engineer processes to help drive effectiveness programs.

Summary

Poorly managed alarm systems produce nuisance alarms and alarm floods which can result in incidents and unplanned downtime. This compromises overall safety, impacting multiple facets including plant, personnel and equipment. As regulatory standards are becoming more prominent within the industry, organisations are having to rethink their alarm management strategies.

Rob Turner adds “In a poorly-managed alarm system I find that the top 10 alarms often account for over 40% of the total, and in extreme cases this can be in excess of 60%. That is why Top 10 analysis (and doing something about the worst offenders) can be such a powerful tool in reducing alarm numbers”.

Many organisations are switching to a modern alarm management solution, to establish a lifecycle program that constantly monitors alarms to rationalize and review for smooth operation, in conjunction with the ISA 18.2 standard. By developing a continuous improvement approach to alarm management, it can ease the alarm burden on Operators, give them a clearer view of what is really going on and empower them to take prompt action. This reduces the chances of nuisance alarms arising, which can significantly reduce the risk of incidents, ensuring high quality products and maximising profit to help maintain a competitive advantage. Rob Turner states “Tools like Yokogawa’s reporting and analysis package are a useful part of the kitbag for improving an alarm system’s behaviour. It’s all about improving the value of an alarm system as a decision support tool for the Operator.”

It is now easier than ever to acquire an advanced alarm management solution which closes the gap between Operators and Management. Information is stored centrally, allowing key stakeholders to access important process information anytime, anywhere via desktop or portable devices. This is paving the way for easier standardization and the future of alarm management to constantly develop processes to minimize risks and enhance the safety of plant.