All it took was three minutes.  The Williams Olefins chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana, which was routinely executing everyday operations, was instantly transformed into a scene of destruction, panic and mayhem.  A catastrophic equipment rupture led to an explosion and fire killing two workers and injuring 167. In retrospect, it was a tragedy that could […]

INCIDENT During the platform fire in 1988, virtually nothing went right, which allows us to draw lessons from a long list of events leading to the hazard. In the aftermath of the huge fire on the Piper Alpha platform, July 6, 1988, it was clear that the fire started and escalated very quickly into a […]

How many hours can operators stay at the plant before their effectiveness begins to deteriorate? Bayer found out.  One element that figured prominently in the 2008 explosion at the Bayer Crop Science facility in Institute, West Virginia, was a lack of operator training for the new DCS that had just been installed at the methomyl […]

INCIDENT The Hydroelectric Power Station Had Troubling Past Had the operators reviewed the history of that particular turbine unit (Turbine 2) prior to authorizing the firing up of the turbine, they certainly would have pursued a different plan of attack. However, in this instance, caution gave way to an impulsive decision under duress to bring […]

Protection for a process plant is built in layers. One layer may fail, but the next one won’t. Maintaining personal safety, mechanical integrity, and process safety is a critical responsibility of anyone working in a process environment, and that responsibility takes many forms. From preventing small personal injuries to major fires or explosions, there are […]

The System 800xA High Integrity safety system allows the safety system designer to choose the level of integration appropriate for the specific application and control philosophy. From fully segregated, to network integration to fully integrated within the same control hardware, 800xA HI enables users to improve operator effectiveness and promote collaboration through the Power of […]

INCIDENT How long can management force a plant to produce without necessary resources before an incident occurs? This unfortunate incident is familiar to many working in process industries and especially in the United States where an extensive investigation and its associated report has been used to illustrate the importance of Process Safety Management. On March […]

An industry practice reflected in the international safety standards (i.e. IEC 61508) is the need for independence among the multiple protection layers on an industrial site “…the EUC control system shall be independent from the E/E/PE safety-related systems and other risk reduction measures…” however even the 1st generation of digital Safety Systems (Electronic/Programmable Electronic Systems) had communication ports […]

All devices (Mechanical and electronic) can fail and need maintenance. This is simply an undeniable fact. However the extent to which this is acknowledged and put into practice varies enormously from facility to facility. Some plants are very proactive and understand their ability to operate with a high degree of availability depends on keeping everything […]

During APW 2013 we hosted real-time discussions with ABB experts on emerging trends in their industries. Participants were able to ask questions and hear feedback from the experts. This discussion occurred Mon., March 25, 2013 at 1:30 p.m.

Download White Paper:  It is often perceived that the continuous and batch process industries are different manufacturing worlds. Certainly there are notable differences, but on many levels they are the same. But one element that is often perceived as being the same is functional safety requirements. Frequently however, in this instance, there are key differences. In continuous processes, typically the general operating […]

Download the eGuide:Throughout the global process and energy industries, the safety instrumented system (SIS) plays an essential role in protecting workers and equipment as well as nearby communities and the environment from harm. Much has changed in the several decades since the first programmable systems for safety protection were developed and deployed, and today the discipline continues to evolve […]

Systems continue to get more complex, and with a larger number of systems in any given plant combined with a knowledge pool continuously depleting through retirement, the risk of safety critical mistakes understandably inch upward. One counter-measure to negate this risk is a reduction in system complexity and the number of systems used. Just take […]