Safety-instrumented systems courses free online

By Control Engineering Staff February 9, 2006

Austin, TX —As part of its ongoing effort to provide manufacturing professionals with relevant educational information, Emerson Process Management now offers 11 user-friendly courses on the fundamentals of planning and implementing safety instrumented systems (SIS) at its PlantWeb University online learning-center. “Since its inception in 2002, PlantWeb University has provided practical, real-world information to over 20,000 industry users around the world,” says Jane Lansing, Emerson Process Management’s vice president of marketing.

Courses include concise information on basic SIS concepts, design and installation, operation and maintenance, safety standard compliance, and new “smart” SIS technologies. “Choosing and implementing a safety instrumented system is an important but often intimidating task for users,” says Lansing. “SIS courses are designed to help users understand what goes into creating a reliable, affordable, standards-compliant safety instrumented system, so they have a head start on making the right decisions.” For example, as process industries move to an integrated-loop approach to safety management—spanning the entire loop from sensor to logic-solver to final control element—the courses can help students evaluate smart SIS technology as a way to attain the appropriate safety level at the lowest cost throughout the plant’s life.

As with all course offerings of PlantWeb University, the 11 new SIS courses are free, easy to understand, and available to anyone. Each takes about 15 minutes to complete and participants can learn at their own pace through their own Internet connection. Content is devoid of marketing hype and gives practical insights into new technologies’ applications.

— Richard Phelps , senior editor, Control Engineering