Overview
This demonstrates the proactive approach and innovative solutions implemented to address safety-critical issues stemming from safety controller failures at a client's production facility. Through a detailed technical risk analysis and the development of a new technological approach, significant improvements in safety system reliability were achieved, setting a new standard for operational safety across multiple sites.
Challenge
The client's site experienced critical failures in its safety controllers, posing significant risks to operational safety and compliance with regulatory obligations. The failures necessitated a comprehensive analysis of the hazards and the development of a robust mitigation plan to prevent future incidents and ensure the continuous safe operation of the plant.
Solution Development
Technical Risk Analysis clearly identified potential hazards, raising awareness among all stakeholders of the technical risks, and leading to the development of a well-thought-out mitigation plan.
Mitigation Strategy and Procedure Development:
With a budget of £155k over 10 weeks, our consultants designed a complete procedure to implement auto backup plans for safety controller configurations. This allowed plant engineers to troubleshoot and configure replacement controllers onsite, ensuring the safety of live plant operations.
Functional and Networking Specifications:
We prepared the specifications for the plant's safety system, highlighting the need for redundant safety modules, and detailing the configuration process through specialized software, ensuring the latest backup could be effectively reloaded to new controllers.
Innovative Technological Approach:
Feedback from a team of 14 maintenance and safety engineers led to the consultation with functional and operational safety experts. We implemented a new technological solution using the SCADA package to troubleshoot physical controllers, adding functionalities for rebooting and troubleshooting safety controllers.
Operational Improvements and Expansion:
The successful implementation by our team and operational feedback led to the identification of opportunities to apply the technological solution across 12 client sites in the UK. This initiative was aimed at enhancing safety measures for batch loading and emergency shutdown systems.
Results
The proposal for the widespread adoption of this safety solution was approved by the client with a budget of £330k for 12 sites over 16 weeks. This achievement was recognized with commendation from the company's Director.
A significant design modification was proposed based on continuous improvement feedback, replacing software interlocks with hardwired safety system interlocks, including an earth proving permissive system. This solution, funded by the client with an additional budget of £72k, was implemented over 4 weeks and has been recognized as best practice across the client's sites, ensuring additional safety during tanker loading operations at COMAH tier sites.
Conclusion
This project exemplifies the critical importance of innovative safety system design and the effective management of technological solutions to enhance operational safety across multiple production sites. Through diligent analysis, stakeholder engagement, and the strategic implementation of new technologies, a higher standard of safety and operational efficiency was achieved, showcasing the value of proactive engineering solutions in addressing safety-critical issues.
