Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Background
Safety Interlocks and Critical Alarms are installed to indicate and/or prevent potentially hazardous conditions which might endanger equipment, personnel or cause damage to the environment. Overriding safety interlocks may be required for online calibration, maintenance work, or when there is a fault in the interlock system itself. However, overriding a safety interlock or alarm on an on-line process means a reduction in the level of protection, and so the process equipment is more vulnerable to a hazardous event should a process upset occur.
torusinsurance.com
When overriding safety interlocks backup measures should be put in place to protect against the same potential event that the bypassed interlock was designed for. This backup may involve ensuring the availability of a dedicated operator to continuously monitor the critical variables whilst the bypass is in place. It may be operating at a reduced temperature/pressure. There may be a requirement for mitigation procedures, such as removing all non-essential personnel or having standby emergency personnel. Interlock override permits should be kept in the control room and contain the following elements: Equipment Identication Reason for interlock override Description of work to be performed Backup procedures Mitigation Procedures and Safety Concerns Expected duration of the bypass Location of override mechanism Method of shutting down the process if required Appropriate approval by the authorised signatory. Sign-off and dating of when the override is performed. Sign-off and dating of when the system is actually returned to operational status.
Summary
Overriding safety interlocks and alarms must be strictly controlled. Because of the critically important function of safety interlocks and alarms to process safety management, it is imperative that rigorous and detailed procedures are developed for controlling any temporarily installed overrides.
References
Programmable Electronic Systems in Safety Related Applications, Health and Safety Executive, U.K., 1987. ANSI/ISA-SP-84.01, Application of Safety Instrumented Systems for the Process Industries, Instrument Society of America Standards and Practices, 1996. 29 CFR Part 1910, Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals; Explosives and Blasting Agents, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1992. IEC-61508, Functional Safety: Safety Related Systems, International Electrotechnical Commission, Technical Committee No. 65, Draft/June 1995.
In order to ensure that the override procedure is working effectively it must be audited on a periodical basis and, therefore, it is recommended that either paper or a purposely designed electronic override logbook be used. The shift handover log and management information systems should include a list of overrides.
Contact us
For further information please contact our Engineering Practice Leader for Onshore Oil & Gas Peter Wong +1 (832) 314 2810 pwong@torusinsurance.com
torusinsurance.com
This publication is intended as a general overview and discussion of topics that might be relevant to insureds and it is not intended to be, and should not be used as, advice in relation to any specic situation nor a representation of Torus view on any particular risk, circumstance or claim. Torus Insurance Company (either Torus Insurance (UK) Limited, Torus Specialty Insurance Company Torus National Insurance Company, Torus Insurance (Europe) AG or Torus Insurance (Bermuda) Limited, collectively Torus) will accept no responsibility for any actions taken or not taken on the basis of this publication. If you would like further advice, please contact chalm@torusinsurance.com Copyright 2010 Torus Insurance Company. All rights reserved.