CHAPTER 4 |
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| 4.1.1 |
Defining
the objective based on the expected deliverable |
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The objective of a risk assessment exercise might be expressed like
this example.
‘The objective of the risk assessment is to review the risks related
to ………. (system), specifically focussing on the hazards …….. (such
as one or more energy) or types of problems associated with ………….
(such as a type of hazard), in order to produce………… (an output
such as information for a Plan)’
The objective of the risk assessment may be associated with one of
the following intended deliverables (note that this is not an all inclusive
list). It is important to establish the desired deliverable from the
risk assessment before deciding on the risk assessment method. THIS
IS
A KEY ISSUE.
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Formal Safety Assessment development
Risk
or Hazard Register development
Risk
acceptability determination
Identification
of critical control measures and development of performance indicators
Information
for major or principal hazard plans
Assessment of
Safety Instrumented Systems
Information for operational guidelines
Information
for maintenance plans or guidelines
Hardware
design review
Option
selection/review
Review
of change management plan
Information
for drafting of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Risk
awareness in informal day-to-day tasks |
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Following are brief outlines explaining these example potential deliverables.
After each outline is a selected set of links that provide further
selected information in the area. The outline also includes a list
of possible, though not exclusive, risk assessment methods for each
deliverable. Section
4.1.4 includes a table of deliverables and risk identification
methods, plus links to good sources of information on each risk identification
technique.
For example, to explore more information on various risk assessment
approaches try: |
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http://www.mishc.uq.edu.au/publications/Risk_Analysis_Methods_a_Brief_Review.pdf
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NSW
Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, 1992. Guidelines for
Hazard Analysis, Hazardous Industries Planning Advisory Paper
No. 6. ISBN 0 7305 71254. This useful resource is only available as
a hardcopy. The publication can be purchased online (http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/)
or alternatively contact the Department to order the publication) |
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4.1.1.A.
Formal Safety Assessment development
With both large and small complex
facilities, the process of managing safety issues effectively requires
formal methods for both assessing and managing safety.
The term ‘Safety Case’ is used to describe the argument or case that
the operation of a specific facility is managed within acceptable,
clearly defined risks. The Safety Case is intended to provide a level
of assurance to the senior management/board of a facility/operation
or a regulator that the facility is capable of being run safely and
has the necessary processes, systems and people in place to ensure
that this happens.
A Safety Case is the document that sets out the measures adopted to
prevent major incidents
and how to reduce the effects should one occur. It is therefore a
combination of robust risk assessment methodologies appropriate to
the hazards present and a rigorous, comprehensive, detailed and integrated
safety management system.
The Safety Case is usually designed to demonstrate to a regulator
that measures are appropriate and adequate to ensure that risks from
potential major accidents have been reduced to a level 'as low as
reasonably practicable' (ALARP1) or some defined level of residual risk.
1ALARP
is used in the UK, but terms such as ALAP (as low as practicable)
and ALARA
(as low as reasonably achievable) and SFAP (so far as practicable)
are used by other pieces of
legislation. It should be noted that these phrases have different
meanings and put very different
responsibilities on the operator of the facility. See Section
4.1.5 for further information on risk acceptability.
Typically, a Safety Case contains information on how the facility
will be run safely, including such items as:
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Hazard identification |
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Safety assessment |
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Control measure
identification, selection and performance standards |
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Safety management
system that supports the control measures |
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Emergency plan |
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Management of
change |
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Process for
reviewing and keeping the safety case up-to-date |
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From
the above it is clear that a Safety Case is not a particular
risk assessment method but
rather a management methodology based on a rigorous Formal Safety
Assessment (FSA)
method. The FSA method usually involves a systematic review
of the operation, initially using preliminary or broad brush risk
assessment methods as well as more detailed techniques to examine
major issues in depth.
The FSA methodology can be applied at minerals industry sites for
comprehensive operational review.
For example, to explore more information on Safety Cases and Formal
Safety Assessment approaches try: |
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http://www.mishc.uq.edu.au/publications/Development_of_a_Safety_Case.pdf
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http://www.industry.gov.au/library/content_library/Facility.pdf |
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http://www.workcover.vic.gov.au/vwa/home.nsf/pages/so_majhaz_guidance/$File/GN3.pdf |
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http://www.hse.gov.uk/railway/criteria/
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http://www.hse.gov.uk/railway/rsc.htm
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http://tube.tfl.gov.uk/content/about/report/sqe/default.asp?exp=3
London Underground System Safety Case |
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For information on ALARP and SFAP try: |
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http://www.hse.gov.uk/hid/spc/perm09.htm
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Worksafe
Victoria MHAC Agenda Item 1.2.5, 8th August 2001. Available
from the Major Hazards Unit of Worksafe Victoria |
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Risk identification tools that can assist with Formal Safety Assessment
(FSA) development include: |
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Energy
Barrier Analysis |
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Consequence
Analysis |
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Preliminary
Hazard Analysis (PHA), Hazard Analysis (HAZAN) or Workplace Risk Assessment
and Control (WRAC) |
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Fault
Tree Analysis |
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Event
Tree Analysis |
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Level
of Protection Analysis (LOPA) |
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Hazard
and Operability Studies (HAZOP) |
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Failure
Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) |
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The
nature and detail of an FSA may also warrant the application of other
risk assessment techniques such as HAZOP or FMEA. |
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4.1.1.B.
Risk or Hazard Register development
The Objective of creating a
Risk or Hazard Register is to prepare a document that lists, outlines
and prioritises the risks in an operation or organisation. As
such it is an exposure document intended to communicate and monitor
the current status of priority risks on the site. Normally, communication
is the primary intention of a Risk Register. Obviously, regular review
of the Risk Register is important due to changes in exposure
over time and possibly a better understanding
of the hazards and consequences (hazards change, methods change, etc.).
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The inputs to a Risk or Hazard Register may come from a wide variety
of sources including: |
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Major
hazards from risk analysis |
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Information
from Safety Case |
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Information
developed through Management of Change |
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SHE
Hazards from: |
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- Incident reports
- Hazard reports
- Job Safety Analyses (JSAs)
- Audit reports
- Inspection reports
- Reviews
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Potential
data for the Hazards Register is screened using a Risk Matrix and
only those hazards rated as extreme, high or moderate risks are recorded.
Low or negligible risks are expected to be tracked and resolved by
local management systems.
A key part of the Hazard Register is hazard tracking and close out
mechanisms.
A key deliverable from a risk/hazard report is a SHE Critical Activities
List. This list is a summary of activities required to control each
identified hazard. The activities may include: |
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A
listing of control measures and performance measures |
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Engineering
changes |
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Organisational
and / or procedural control |
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Training
and competence assurances |
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Recovery
measures |
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All
activities will be assigned to individual responsibilities with an
appropriate time frame.
In the Templates Appendix is a sample page from a risk register (no
9). This page is formatted for a Safety Case and hence the description
of control measures includes reference to the SMS, performance standard
and COP (Critical Operating Parameter) as required by the guidelines
for a Safety Case. Regardless of the Safety Case requirement, all
risk registers need these if the control is critical.

Figure 4.1 Hazards register data
flow
This
deliverable is referred to as “Broad Brush Risk Assessment" (BBRA)
in the New South
Wales "MDG 1010 Guideline for Risk Management in the Minerals
Industry". BBRA has been done in the minerals industry to
identify a list of site risk management priorities.
Risk identification tools that can assist with preparation of a Risk
or Hazard Register include: |
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Consequence
Analysis |
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Preliminary
Hazard Analysis (PHA) |
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Hazard
Analysis (HAZAN) |
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Workplace Risk Assessment and Control
(WRAC) |
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Hazard
and Operability Study (HAZOP) |
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For example, to explore more information
on determining Risk or Hazard Register try: |
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http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/plansforaction/mihaps-docs/mihaps-docs.html
(MIHAP paper no 3 Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk
Control) |
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4.1.1.C.
Risk acceptability determination
The Objective of this deliverable
is to decide if risks related to an issue, plan or system are acceptable.
Determining risk acceptability involves initially determining
the risk acceptance
criteria. This is followed by some process of reviewing the issue,
plan or system, establishing the relevant risks with controls in place
and judging whether the relevant risks are or can be reduced
to an acceptable level.
See Section
4.1.5 for further information on risk acceptability criteria.
For example, to explore
more information
on determining Risk Acceptability approaches try: |
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http://www.iee.org/Policy/Areas/Health/hsb36.pdf
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http://www.workcover.vic.gov.au/vwa/home.nsf/pages/so_majhaz_guidance/$File/GN16.pdf
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http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/plansforaction/mihaps-docs/mihaps-docs.html
Paper No 3 Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control
Section 7 |
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DNV Technica. Risk Assessment Guidelines. Prepared for ACC
and the Victorian Government, Project No A1196. Melbourne 1995 (Chapter
6). Available from Health and Safety Organisation, Victoria.
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NSW
Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, 1990. Risk Criteria for
Land Use Safety Planning, Hazardous Industries Planning Advisory
Paper No 4. ISBN 0 7305 71300. This useful resource is only available
as a hardcopy. The publication can be purchased online (http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au)
or
alternatively contact the Department. |
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Risk
identification tools that can assist with determining the acceptability
of a risk include: |
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Consequence
Analysis |
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Preliminary
Hazard Analysis (PHA), Hazard Analysis (HAZAN) or Workplace Risk Assessment
and Control (WRAC)
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Fault
Tree Analysis |
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Event
Tree Analysis |
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Level of Protection
Analysis (LOPA) |
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CHAIR |
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SIS |
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4.1.1.D.
Identification of critical control measures and development of performance
indicators
Control measures may be considered as the barriers between the
inherent hazards of a facility
and the realisation of an unwanted incident as a result of the hazards
and ultimately the harm
that may be caused to people, environment and equipment in the event
of the unwanted incident. See Section 4.1.5.c Quantitative Risk Analysis,
Bow Tie Diagram as a pictorial representation of the overall system.
Control measures may be identified as part of the Hazard Identification
process. For an existing facility a range of these measures would
be readily identified both existing measures and possible alternatives.
The assessment of the effect of the measures on the hazard / outcomes
needs to be determined for each hazard and outcome. The record for
this could be usefully maintained in the Hazard Register and reviewed
at agreed intervals.
It is important to determine which of the control measures are critical
to the management of the facility, particularly if there are multiple
control measures. The criticality of a measure has an important bearing
on the maintenance frequency, test regime and management action if
the measure has to be disabled. Some factors that might be considered
that might indicate a critical control measure are: |
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Control
measure is relied on to control a number of different significant
hazards |
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Control
measure is relied on to prevent the most likely cause of significant
incidents |
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Control
measure is relied on to reduce or mitigate incidents having potentially
very severe consequences |
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Other
control measures that provide backup are known to be of poor reliability
and effectiveness |
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There
are a small number of barriers for a significant hazard |
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All
the control measures identified through the various hazard identification
processes need to be assessed as to: |
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Functionality
i.e. does it control the hazard in the intended manner |
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Survivability
of the measure in an incident |
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Reliability
of the control, both individually and in combination with other controls |
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Position
in the hierarchy of control ie is the control at the least desirable
end of the
hierarchy or at a higher level |
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Independence
and diversity. Can a set of controls be displayed by a single failure
mechanism or does the failure of a control disable another? |
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For
all control measures, a range of performance indicators is required,
particularly for those controls deemed critical. The performance indicators
measure both how well the controls are performing and how well the
management system is monitoring and maintaining the controls.
The performance indicators for control measures will generally relate
to some standards or target levels of performance.. The measures may
be qualitative or quantitative and may include
absolute targets allowing no deviation or targets which may have scope
for limited tolerable deviation.
Some Control Measures
Proactive:
These can also be subdivided into elimination of the hazard and prevention
of realisation of the hazard. |
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- Design standards
- Mine Planning
- Safe operating procedures
- Inspections
- Ignition source control
- Berms
- Ventilation systems
- Isolation Systems
- Physical barriers
- Skills and Training
- Monitoring height of muck heap above
drawpoints
- Monitoring of Air gap
- Roof bolting
- Fall restraint
- Remote bogging
- Change management process
Reactive:
These can also be sub divided into reduction of the consequence
and mitigation of the consequence. |
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- Provision of fresh air base underground
- Emergency planning
- Fall harnesses
- Fire protection
- Oxygen breathing sets
- Relief valves
- Gas detection system
- Permit to work
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For example, to explore more information
on determining control
measures approaches
try: |
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http://www.workcover.vic.gov.au/vwa/home.nsf/pages/so_majhaz_guidance/$File/GN10.pdf |
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http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/plansforaction/mihaps-docs/mihaps-docs.html
MIHAPS Paper No 3 Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk
Control Section 6 |
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4.1.1.E. Information for major or principal
hazard plans
When the Objective or the intended
deliverable is to supply information for Major or Principal Hazard
Management Plans, the intention is to analyse and assess risks
related to potentially
high consequence hazards as well as identify key controls. Major or
Principal Hazard
Management Plans are regulatory requirements in some Australian states
for various mining hazards such as spontaneous combustion and
gas drainage in underground mines.
These Plans are intended to be carefully developed documents that
outline the management system in place to ensure the risks related
to the specific major hazard are acceptable.
Originally these plans were derived for hazards where uncertainty
about the nature of the locations of the hazard was high, such as
for outbursts, ground control, inrush, etc. |
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Risk identification tools that can assist with determining the acceptability
of a risk include: |
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Energy
Barrier Analysis |
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Consequence
Analysis |
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Preliminary
Hazard Analysis (PHA) |
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Fault
Tree Analysis |
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Hazard Analysis (HAZAN) |
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Workplace Risk Assessment and Control
(WRAC) |
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Event
Tree Analysis |
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Level
of Protection Analysis (LOPA) |
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SIS |
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4.1.1.F.
Assessment of Safety Intrumented Systems (SIS) *
This section discusses the integrity
of programmable electronic systems that are now extensively used
in controlling remote operated equipment and processing plant in
the mining industry. The article provides the necessary background
for a basic understanding of a control that has often been seen
as a black box that will always perform as defined. Reality is very
different and the approach that should be used for assessing such
systems and the applicable standards are covered. It is, as with
all such processes that require a real understanding of the underlying
theory, not to be undertaken without specialist assistance.
Functional
Safety
Functional Safety is defined as the
part of the overall safety that depends on a system or equipment
operating correctly in response to its inputs. When the functional
safety is achieved by safety instrumented systems, these systems
will have to relate to the requirements set out in the standards
AS/IEC 61508 (Functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable
electronic safety-related systems) or AS/IEC 61511 (Functional Safety
of Safety instrumented systems for the process industry sector).
Protection
Layers
Modern industrial processes tend to
be technically complex, involve substantial energies, and have the
potential to inflict serious harm to persons or property during
a mishap (see also section 5.8 Identifying new controls or barriers).
The AS/IEC 61508 standard defines
safety as "freedom from unacceptable risk". In other words, absolute
safety can never be achieved; risk can only be reduced to an acceptable
level.
Safety methods to mitigate harm and
reduce risk include:
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Changing
the process or mechanical design, including plant or equipment layout
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Increasing the mechanical integrity of equipment |
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Improving the basic process control system (BPCS) |
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Developing additional or
more detailed training procedures for operations and maintenance |
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Using a safety-instrumented
system (SIS) |
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Installing mitigating equipment
to reduce harmful consequences; for example, explosion walls, foams,
impoundments, and pressure relief systems |
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The above
safety methods are also called layers of protection or independent
protection layers – IPL (see section 4.1.5.1.b Quantitative risk
analysis - Level of Protection Analysis - LOPA).
The effectiveness of a protection layer
is described in terms of the probability that it will fail to perform
its required function when called upon to do so (a demand), and
the scenario continues towards the undesired consequence despite
the presence of the protection layer. This is called the probability
of failure on demand (PFD). In the case of a SIS the PDF is described
and categorised by a Safety Integrity Level (SIL). See also Appendix
B. General format of LOPA Template.
LOPA is a one of the recognized techniques that is used by WSRM
for selecting the appropriate safety integrity level (SIL) of the
safety instrumented functions (SIF) per the requirements of the
functional safety standards.
The following diagram, Figure 4.2,
demonstrates the effect of adding independent layers of protection
to the process to mitigate or reduce consequences of an unwanted
event.
Figure
4.2 LOPA Process Diagram
Management
of Functional Safety
Functional safety
assessment is the critical activity that ensures functional safety
has actually been achieved. Those carrying out the functional safety
assessment shall be competent, shall have adequate independence
and shall consider the activities carried out and the outputs obtained
during each phase of every lifecycle and judge the extent to which
the objectives and requirements of AS/IEC 61508 & 61511 have
been met.
During the past
few decades, systems and instrumentation vendors have developed
sophisticated safety instrumented systems (SIS) to shut down potentially
dangerous out-of-control processes before they do damage and to
help plant personnel identify potential sources of these problems.
Whereas basic process control systems (BPCS) control the making
of on-spec product, SISs are intended to protect people, product
and the environment by enabling a safe shutdown of the process if
control is lost.
Protecting personnel,
plant assets and communities starts with a properly designed safety
instrumented system.
A well-designed
SIS not only reduces risks from out-of control processes; it can
also help users meet regulatory demands. A well-designed system
can also increase plant availability by reducing the number of spurious
“trips” caused by an SIS that fails to properly evaluate a safety
situation and unnecessarily shuts down a process.
Standards and Safety-Related Concepts
Two new performance-based
international standards govern the design and implementation of
safety instrumented systems. The International Electrotechnical
Commission’s (IEC) standard commonly referred to as IEC 61508, is
targeted at suppliers of safety-related equipment and defines a
set of standards for functional safety of electrical/electronic/programmable
electronic safety-related systems.
Safety standard
AS/IEC 61508 is quickly becoming a major deciding factor for purchasing
process instrumentation for safety applications. This standard directs
the processes used through the entire life cycle of a product, from
the earliest stages of concept and design, through the manufacturing
and final decommissioning of the product. AS/IEC 61508 provides
industry with an effective means to quantify process risk and offers
direction for proper design and manufacturing.
Another standard,
AS/IEC 61511, is aimed at safety system users. The standard comprises
formally collected best safety practices and addresses all safety
life-cycle phases from initial concept, design, implementation,
operations and maintenance modification, through to decommissioning.
The AS/IEC standards
include several concepts that are vital to determining the level
of risk in a plant and selecting an SIS that can meet the facility’s
safety needs. The first of those concepts is Safety Instrumented
Function (SIF), which is defined as a single set of actions that
protects against a single specific hazard. Each Safety instrumented
system is comprised of one or more SIFs.
AS/IEC 61508,
Parts 1–7
The AS/IEC 61508 standard, “Functional Safety: Safety Related Systems,”
is an international standard designed to address a complete SIS
for the industries. The standard introduces the concept of a safety
life cycle model to illustrate that the integrity of an SIS is not
limited to device integrity, but is also a function of design, operation,
testing, and maintenance. The standard includes 4 SILs that are
indexed to a specific probability-to-fail-on demand (PFD). A SIL
assignment is based on the required risk reduction as determined
by a PHA.
AS/IEC 61511,
parts 1–3
The AS/IEC 61511 standard, “Functional Safety: Safety Instrumented
Systems for the Process Industry Sector,” is an international standard
designed to be used as a companion to AS/IEC 61508. AS/IEC 61508
is intended primarily for manufacturers and suppliers of devices,
where as, AS/IEC 61511 is intended for SIS designers, integrators,
and users in the process-control industry.
SIS
Safety Lifecycle
Most certifications
primarily address the end product. AS/IEC 61508, however, is process
based and, therefore, encompasses all activities involved in the
implementation of safety-related systems. Such activities begin
with the concept phase of a project and finish when all of the electric,
electronic, programmable electronic safety–related systems, other
technology safety-related systems, and external risk-reduction facilities
are no longer available for use.
WSRM uses the safety lifecycle concept, per AS/IEC 61508 & 61511,
that describe the sequence of activities involved in the implementation
of a SIS from conception through decommissioning.
Once the process
risks are identified and existing protection layers are evaluated,
an SIS is implemented to reduce the process risks to a tolerable
level. Once installed, the SIS must be functionally tested on some
specific frequency per the Safety Requirements Specification (SRS)
and the calculated Safety Integrity Level (SIL) requirements.
The safety life
cycle steps are as follows:
1. Perform
conceptual process design
2. Perform PHA and risk assessment
3. Apply non-SIS protection layers to prevent identified hazards
or reduce risk
4. Determine if an SIS is required
5. Define target SIL
6. Develop safety requirements specification (SRS)
7. Perform SIS conceptual design and verify that it meets the
SRS
8. Perform SIS detail design
9. Perform SIS installation, commissioning, and pre-start up acceptance
test
10. Establish operation and maintenance procedures
11. Perform pre-start up safety review (assessment)
12. Perform SIS start up, operation, maintenance, and periodic
functional testing
13. Modify SIS (if necessary) by following a management of change
procedure
14. Decommission SIS
Process
hazard and risk assessment
AS/IEC 61508
& 61511 dictate that a process hazards analysis (PHA) be used
to identify potential hazards in the operation of a process and
to determine the protective measures necessary to protect workers,
the community, and the environment. The scope of a PHA may range
from a very simple screening analysis to a complex hazard and operability
study (HAZOP).
A HAZOP provides
a prioritized basis for the implementation of risk mitigation strategies,
such as SISs.
If a PHA determines
that the mechanical integrity of a process and the process control
are insufficient to mitigate the potential hazard, an SIS is required.
An SIS consists of the instrumentation or controls that are installed
for the purpose of mitigating a hazard or bringing a process to
a safe state in the event of a process upset.
Allocation
of safety functions to protection layers
Safety Instrumented
Systems (SISs) are subject to requirements based on the international
standards AS/IEC61508 & 61511. Worley Safety and Risk Management
offers assistance in identifying relevant requirements, carrying
out necessary assessments and preparing required documentation.
Safety
instrumented systems
Safety systems
are designed to respond to conditions of the plant, which may be
hazardous in themselves or, if no action were taken, could eventually
give rise to a hazard. They must generate the correct outputs to
prevent the hazard or mitigate the consequences.
SISs are also called:
ESD:
Emergency safety Shutdown
SIS: Safety Instrumented (or interlock) System
BMS: Burner Management System
F&G: Fire and Gas system
The basic elements
of a SIS include all parts from the sensor to the actuator, including
inputs, outputs, power supplies and logic solvers:
1. Sensors, which monitor the state of an ongoing process (temperature,
pressure, level, vibration,..).
2. Logic Solvers, which collect and analyse data from the sensors
to determine whether emergency conditions exist, and how to respond
(e.g., ignore, initiate a "safe" shutdown of the process,
etc.). Typically, these are safety-rated electronic controllers.
3. Final Control Elements. Typically, these are pneumatically actuated
valves, motors, ...
The purpose
of Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) is to take the process to a
safe state when predetermined conditions are violated, such as set
points for pressure, temperature, level, etc.
SIS
Factors
According to
the AS/IEC 61508 standard, the scope of an SIS is restricted to
the instrumentation or controls that are responsible for bringing
a process to a safe state in the event of a failure. The availability
of an SIS is dependent upon: |
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Failure
rates and modes of components |
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Installed instrumentation |
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Redundancy |
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Voting |
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Diagnostic coverage |
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Testing frequency |
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The SIS consists of the instrumentation or controls that are installed
for the purpose of mitigating the hazard or bringing the process
to a safe state in the event of a process upset. A SIS is used for
any process in which the process hazards analysis (PHA) has determined
that the mechanical integrity of the process equipment, the process
control, and other protective equipment are insufficient to mitigate
the potential hazard.
SIS
safety requirement specification (SRS)
An SRS consists
of safety functional requirements and safety integrity requirements;
it is a collection of documents or information.
Safety functional
requirements specify the logic and actions to be performed by an
SIS and the process conditions under which actions are initiated.
These requirements include such items as consideration for manual
shutdown, loss of energy source, etc.
Safety integrity
requirements specify a SIL and the performance required for executing
SIS functions. Safety integrity requirements include: |
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Required
SIL for each safety function |
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Requirements for diagnostics |
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Requirements for maintenance and testing |
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Reliability requirements
if the spurious trips are hazardous |
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Safety
Instrumented Function probability of failure on demand / Safety-Integrity
Levels
The AS/IEC 61508
& 61511 standards require that companies assign a target safety
integrity level (SIL) for all safety instrumented systems (SIS)
applications. The assignment of the target SIL is a decision requiring
the extension of the process hazards analysis (PHA). The assignment
is based on the amount of risk reduction that is necessary to mitigate
the risk associated with the process to an acceptable level. All
of the SIS design, operation, and maintenance choices must then
be verified against the target SIL.
The international
standard AS/IEC 61508 defines four safety integrity levels (SIL1
to 4) to statistically represent the integrity of the safety instrumented
system (SIS). They are defined as the measure for the safety performance
of electrical or electronic control equipment.
An SIL takes
into account device integrity, architecture, voting, diagnostics,
systematic and common-cause failures, testing, operation, and maintenance.
An SIL establishes an order of magnitude target for risk reduction.
This target failure measure is the intended probability of dangerous
mode failures to be achieved with respect to the safety-integrity
requirements. The failure is specified in terms of either the average
probability of failure to perform the design function on demand
(for a low demand of operation) or the probability of a dangerous
failure per hour (for a high-demand or continuous mode of operation).
The higher the SIL, the greater the impact of a failure and, therefore,
the lower the failure rate that is acceptable.
A SIL
can be considered a statistical representation of the availability
of an SIF at the time of a process demand. A SIL is the litmus test
of acceptable SIS design and includes the following factors:
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Device
integrity |
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Diagnostics |
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Systematic and common cause failures |
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Testing |
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Maintenance |
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In modern applications, a programmable electronic system (PES) is
used as the core of a SIS.
Safety
Integration Levels Table
Table
4.3. Safety integrety levels: probability of failure on demand

Table
4.4. Safety integrity levels: frequency of dangerous failures per
hour

The Probability
to Fail on Demand is a statistical measurement of how likely it
is that a process, system, or device will be operating and ready
to serve the function for which it is intended. Among other things,
it is influenced by the reliability of the process, system, or device,
the interval at which it is tested, as well as how often it is required
to function. Below are some representative sample PFD values. They
are order of magnitude values relative to one another.
Selection
of a Safety Integrity Level
A vital first
step in the safety lifecycle is that the necessary safety functions
are derived from an analysis of the hazards and risks. If a PHA
concludes that an SIS is required, AS/IEC 61508 requires that a
target SIL be assigned. Safety Integrity Levels or SILs define the
levels of protection – amount of risk reduction needed for a particular
SIF. The IEC standards describe four possible discrete SILs.
The assignment
of a SIL is a corporate decision based on risk management and risk
tolerance philosophy. Safety regulations require that the assignment
of SILs should be carefully performed and thoroughly documented.
Completion of a HAZOP determines the severity and probability of
the risks associated with a process.
It is not only
the safety integrity of the safety functions that is important,
but also the effective and correct specification of the safety functions
themselves.
Once the SIL
level of a given SIF has been calculated, the standard defines the
acceptable probability of failure on demand (PFD) of the associated
SIS. A SIF with a high SIL rating will require the use of a low
system with a low average PFD. An important factor in determining
the PFD is the frequency of system testing, including the stroking
of its valves. The longer the time between tests, the higher the
PFD.
Several methods
of converting HAZOP data into SILs are used. Functional safety standards
provide information on a number of different methods that enable
the safety integrity levels for the safety instrumented functions
to be determined, among those are: |
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Semi-quantitative
methods - calibrated risk graph |
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The safety layer matrix |
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Qualitative methods - risk graph |
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Layers of protection analysis |
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Company standard
SIL selection method
Any Safety Integrity
Level selection method adopted by a company needs to be easy to
use and yield results quickly. A labour intensive and time-consuming
SIL selection method will surely be abandoned when companies attempt
to apply the method to the hundreds or thousands of SIF evaluations
that they will need to perform. Thus, to make the procedure easier
to utilize, it is recommended that companies develop a database
file that standardizes the procedure to be followed.
WSRM has recently
developed a very user friendly database file with the goals of compliance
with applicable regulations, consideration of the practices of industrial
peers, conformance with the recommendations of applicable standards,
and consistence with each facility risk ranking schemes that can
be used to select SILs.
If such a company
tuned databases were used, then it would allow multiple remote plant
sites to quickly, efficiently and consistently evaluate SIL requirements
for their Safety Instrumented Systems. This would allow facilities
to make sound business decisions regarding the risks associated
with their plant.
Reliability
analysis / Quantitative methods for Verification of safety integrity
levels
One of the activities
that should be performed according to the international functional
safety standards is the SIL verification for a Safety Instrumented
Function. The first step in such a SIL verification or reliability
analysis is the selection of a reliability analysis technique. Secondly
input data should be gathered. These first two steps can be major
hurdles to be taken. This calls for automated quantitative methods
and tools that can easily perform these reliability analyses.
The quantitative
methods can be utilized to select the appropriate Safety Integrity
Level associated with Safety Instrumented Systems. Selection of
an overly conservative Safety Integrity Level can have significant
cost impacts. These costs will either be associated with increased
Safety Instrumented System functional testing or complete removal
/ upgrade of the existing Safety Instrumented System. In today’s
highly competitive business environment, unnecessary costs of any
kind cannot be tolerated.
Furthermore the results of a reliability analysis should not only
express the PFDavg value of a specific Safety Instrumented Function,
but also focus on availability numbers, as end users often also
require these numbers. In addition to the PFDavg value from which
a Safety Integrity Level is derived, there are also requirements
based on the architectural constraints concept that need to be considered.
Along with other issues like variable proof test intervals for different
parts of the Safety Instrumented Function there is a need for automated
tools that can help during a SIL verification assessment.
Worley safety
and risk management has developed a guideline for SIL verification
in line with the functional safety standards and is using state
of the art automated tools to carry out the task.
The appropriate
testing for an SIS is a key to insure safety availability requirements
are satisfied.
The quantitative
method to determine the frequency of testing is the accepted approach
by most companies. Reliability engineers generally use one or more
of the following methods:
1. Markov Models
2. Reliability Block Diagrams
3. Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
Markov modelling
is a very complex, but exact, method for determining the availability
of logic solvers. It is not recommended for the entire SIS or even
a single loop calculation. The complex transition diagrams and matrix
math can elevate the difficulty of a precision calculation of an
entire SIS.
Reliability
block diagrams are the reciprocal in complexity to Markov Models
in that the block diagrams are too simplistic. The block diagrams
can’t handle test intervals or repair times and therefore are almost
useless in calculating test frequencies.
By far the best and most accepted method for the entire SIS or even
a single loop, is the fault tree analysis.
FTA
is useful for a large SIS with many components or just a single
loop.
LESSONS
LEARNED 4.1
Example
for SIL Verification – Sample Calculations
The following
sample calculation shall be performed for a single Safety Instrumented
Function for a Safety Instrumented System to document the ease in
which one can calculate the required Safety Integrity Level.
Consider the
following physical block diagram for a safety instrumented function:

Figure
4.5. Architecture of the Example
The equations
given in AS/IEC 61508 can be used to calculate PFDavg for sensors
(2oo3) and block valves - final elements (1oo2) in series.
Then, the following
equation may be used to calculate PFDavg for the whole system:
System PFDavg
= Sensors PFDavg + Block Valves PFDavg + Controller PFDavg
Using the AS/IEC
61508 equations and the automated tools will result in the following
table:
Table
4.6 SIL verification calculation results
To determine
the SIL, compare the calculated PFDavg to the Table 4.3 figures.
In this example, the system is acceptable as an SIS for use in SIL3
applications.
References
To explore more
information on SIS try following internet addresses: |
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http://www.sts-aiche.org/cast1202/ |
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http://www.hcasia.safan.com/mag/hoct03/it46.pdf |
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http://www.triconex.com/NR/rdonlyres/34D43700-882E-4D36-B01C-97B8D2E0DBF6/0/PCSTechnicalPaperTestingandByPassingSafetyInstrumentedSystems.pdf |
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http://www.itk.ntnu.no/ansatte/Onshus_Tor/IEC61508/Guideline%20IEC%2061508%20rev%2013-10-00.pdf |
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http://www.sensorsmag.com/articles/1004/33/main.shtml |
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http://www.aesolns.com/articles/lss.pdf |
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http://www.miinet.com/approvals/what_is_61508.pdf |
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http://www.bently.com/articles/apnotes/an149409.pdf |
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http://shop.era.co.uk/products.asp?recnumber=193 |
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http://www.isa.org/InTechTemplate.cfm?Section=Article_Index&template=/Content |
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http://www.hse.gov.uk/comah/sragtech/techmeascontsyst.htm |
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http://www.ce-mag.com/archive/04/Armstrong.html |
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http://www.automationtechies.com/sitepages/pid1071.php |
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http://www.us.tuv.com/product_testing/related_articles/semi_safety.html |
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http://www.nswmin.com.au/ohs/smhb2002/burgess.shtml |
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http://www.hotkey.net.au/~mjbauer/ACS-SCS%20Paper.htm |
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http://www.multiplan.co.ae/sil_assessment.htm |
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For information
on functional safety and related issues try:
1. IEC Standard 61508, 1998, IEC publications.
2. IEC Standard 61511, 2003, IEC Publications.
3. Off Shore Reliability Data, 2002, Det Norske Veritas, OREDA Publications.
4. Smith, D. J, “Reliability, Maintainability, and Risk – Practical
Methods for Engineers”, Butterworth-Heinemann, Sixth Ed., pp. 263-
272 (2003)
5. Center for Chemical Process Safety of the American Institute
of Chemical Engineers, “Guidelines for Process Equipment Reliability
Data”, AICHE/CCPS, pp. 211-212 (1989).
6. Center for Chemical Process Safety of the American Institute
of Chemical Engineers, “Layer of Protection Analysis, A Simplified
Process Risk Assessment”.
* Section
4.1.1.F was provided by Dr Kyoumars Bahrami kyoumars.bahrami@worleyparsons.com
Principal Reliability & Risk Consultant – WorleyParsons Safety
& Risk Management WorleyParsons, Melbourne
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back
to top
4.1.1.G.
Information for operational guidelines
The Objective of this deliverable
is to generate information that can be used to help derive guidelines
for operating. Operational Guidelines provide the detail for specific
tasks. Operational Guidelines are information involving a group of
related tasks such as overburden dump operation, drill and blast
operation, longwall operation, processing equipment overhaul, exploration
site operation, etc. As such it is guidance for a team or group
of o |