Safety reference resources, standards, CD, white paper

As ISA is offering a CD full of process safety references, Rockwell Automation released a new white paper examining the holistic approach to safety (see photo). Also read...

By Control Engineering Staff July 7, 2008

Research Triangle Park, NC, and Milwaukee, WI – As ISA is offering a CD full of process safety references, Rockwell Automation offers a new white paper examining the holistic approach to safety. Also read:

Safety Sensors Rise to New Heights

with links to additional resources.

Differences between manufacturing’s historical approach of separating safety systems from automation and the modern integrated functional approach to safety are explained in a “Holistic Approach to Safety Automation” white paper from Rockwell Automation. An array of products can help.

The ISA84 Process Safety Standards and User Resources CD offers all ISA Process Safety Standards in one place along with reference books written by industry experts, making a collection of process safety documentation. It features:• Safety Integrity Level Selection– Systematic Methods Including Layer of Protection Analysis describes a method for selecting safety integrity levels for safety instrumented systems (SIS).• Safety Instrumented Systems: Design, Analysis, and Justification 2nd Edition is a how-to text on analysis, design, application, and installation of safety instrumented systems.• Safety Instrumented Systems Verification – Practical Probabilistic Calculations illustrates how SIL verification fits into activities from conceptual design through commissioning, including examples from the chemical, petrochemical, power and oil and gas industries.• Control System Safety Evaluation and Reliability, 2nd Edition discusses component failure modes, on-line diagnostics, common cause, software reliability, and operational safety, plus design rules for building better systems.Also included are chapters on “Process Safety and Safety Instrumented Systems” and “Safe Use and Application of Electrical Apparatus” from A Guide to the Automation Body of Knowledge, 2nd Edition. The resource may be ordered online. Take a holistic approach to safety in manufacturing , says Rockwell Automation : A white paper from Rockwell Automation reveals how manufacturers focus on safety automation solutions to keep people safe, machines working, and bottom lines robust. The paper credits this to the best practice adoption of deploying a “holistic approach to safety,” which emphasizes global standards, innovative technologies, trained personnel, and ongoing risk assessment. A Holistic Approach to Safety Automation compares differences between manufacturing’s historical approach of separating safety solutions from the automation system, and the modern integrated functional approach to safety, and outlines inherent benefits of the contemporary direction toward minimized risk and increased productivity.“ By integrating safety functions into their overall automation strategy platform, manufacturers can create a safer working environment for employees, reduce the risks of an incident that could result in a negative environmental impact, and improve manufacturing processes that optimize productivity and key performance indicators, such as overall equipment effectiveness, which ultimately leads to increased profits,” said Craig Resnick, research director, ARC Advisory Group . “When manufacturers adopt this holistic approach to safety, they are leveraging state-of-the-art technology to help protect their people, as well as improving their company’s global competitive positioning.” A shift in two essential related areas has made the new functional approach to safety possible. The first is major developments in safeguarding and control technologies such as the advent of microprocessor-based technologies in lieu of electromechanical or hard-wired control. The second is evolving global safety standards that allow new electronic technologies to be incorporated into industrial safety systems.Increased popularity of proactive risk analysis propels growth of the holistic approach. The objective of the safety system is to protect people by making processes and machines safer without decreasing productivity. Manufacturers who conduct risk assessments help reduce risk and associated costs.“The holistic approach to safety is a best practice that ARC hopes even more manufacturers adopt,” adds Resnick. “Manufacturers should challenge their automation suppliers to provide innovative safety solutions and services to support their quests to operate safer, while simultaneously increasing productivity and profitability. Rockwell Automation appears to have met this challenge with their integrated safety solution offerings.”Also read: Safety white papers: Encoders, instrumented systems, light curtains, networks –  Control Engineering News Desk Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free .