Rationalizing and Refocusing on Alarms Projects to logically renovate alerts and alarms in large applications can benefit from seeing more clearly into their processes with improved HMI tools

摘要

Knowing what you're looking at is the most important thing, but a sharp focus can help you get there. Defining, organizing, prioritizing and understanding alerts and alarms is one of the most critical jobs in process control. However, perhaps because so many applications are isolated, inadequate and dangerous alarm practices can persist for years. Sometimes it's too few useful alarms, but more often it's floods of duplicate and unnecessary alerts that were thrown in for compliance and convenience's sake rather than ensuring safe operations. The solution begins with an inventory of processes and alerts, but it continues with assessing and prioritizing alarms, incorporating more helpful database software and HMIs, and training staff to follow these improved procedures.