Can operators be expected to learn a new control system by simply watching other units running a different processes? The cost of saving money by eliminating training. Prior to the 2008 incident, the methomyl unit at the Institute facility had been shut down for two major equipment upgrades: the DCS had been replaced and the […]
Technical and physical solutions are only part of the larger equation since human operators can have a huge impact on operational safety. Research from the British regulatory body Health and Safety Executive (HSE ) has identified what it considers to be the top-ten factors involving people, primarily the ones working in the control room. Some […]
Under pressure to get production going, the plant had to resume production without adequate preparation. One key omission leads to the explosion. Company procedures called for a PSSR (pre-startup safety review) to be run for the methomyl unit before it was restarted. This was a complex process that was supposed to prove that all the […]
When disasters like the Sayano–Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station collapse in Khakassia, Russia, occur, it is difficult to get past the overpowering tragedy of 75 people losing their lives and 40 other sustaining injuries. The only way to draw positiv… Having a safety plan in place is not enough to guarantee safety of manufacturing automation operations. […]