HEALTH & SAFETY THE SILENCE OF THE ALARMS
OMNIFLEX
How plant managers are playing with fire
When flames took hold at the Kader Toy factory in Thailand in May 1993 , it heralded the start of the world ’ s worst industrial fire , killing 188 workers and seriously injuring 500 more . The investigation into the tragedy found the failure of the fire alarm as the principle cause . Despite disasters like this , an alarming number of obsolete systems remain in situ — putting industrial sites and employees at risk . Here Gary Bradshaw , director of industrial remote monitoring specialist Omniflex , warns plant managers against delaying the replacement of redundant alarm systems and playing with fire .
Every industrial or manufacturing plant should have an up-to-date alarm monitoring system because even the slightest changes in temperature , flow or environment can damage the production process and lead to costly downtime . Chemical processing , for example , requires critically controlled temperature and humidity levels , so the slightest variation can result in defective products or outputs , damage to equipment and can crucially halt production all together . Having a fully functional , operational alarm monitoring system is therefore essential , no matter the industry .
Despite the importance of fire prevention , between 80 and 90 per cent of alarm systems fitted in industrial facilities in the UK today are obsolete — a worrying
statistic given that malfunction can cost millions . With the stakes so high it ’ s hard to comprehend why plant owners take the risk and continue production with alarm systems that aren ’ t fit for purpose .
CLEAR AND SIMPLE
The late 1960s and 70s saw a huge increase in the installation of hard-wired , panel based , annunciator systems . The panels featured a series of colour-coded warning lights showing the system ’ s overall
There is often a reluctance to prioritise alarm replacement , with operators ignoring the warning signs .
status , as well as monitoring specific conditions from different points across a site . Any condition changes were relayed back to the central control panel , triggering a warning light to alert the plant operator of any issues requiring immediate action .
At the end of the 80s and early 90s industrial plant managers began moving away from hard-wired alarms in favour of PC based SCADA systems . In contrast to traditional annunciators that were considered old fashioned and took up too much room , computer-based systems offered a contemporary , compact alternative . Manufacturers could now connect multiple communication points without having to install miles of cabling and it essentially didn ’ t require huge capital investment . It was during this time that many alarm manufacturers , including Babcock , Century and Highland Electronics either went out of business or were taken over .
OPERATION OVERLOAD
Digitisation undoubtedly improved the efficiency of alarm systems to monitor , analyse and report across a wider range of communication points . However , the increase in capabilities led many operators to overload the systems . Sites increasingly became reliant on control systems with complex displays , making it difficult for operators to distinguish critical alarms . This approach was widely publicised as the reason for several high-profile incidents , including the fire at the Buncefield oil storage depot in Milford Haven and the Texaco oil refinery plant explosion in Pembroke .
72 PECM Issue 47