As the primary tool for identifying plant incidents and helping personnel return processes to operational targets, alarm systems play a key role in plant safety and profitability. But according to an article for ISA by Kevin Brown, global alarm management best practices leader at Honeywell Solutions, some common mistakes result in poorly configured systems that can overwhelm operators when they need specific direction.
While alarming systems may be used on many different scales and in many different manufacturing contexts, the overall functioning of the systems remain the same. According to ISA, this includes benchmark, alarm philosophy, rationalization, implementation, continuous improvement and maintenance.