Discussion About Criteria for the Management of Alarms and Cognitive Limits for the Chemical Industry

Abstract

The control of industrial operations depends on the human supervision of products or indirectly through the process control facilities and the safety situation. The knowledge and an operator experience for a process control activity, facilitates the identification of the level of normality. In this way, indicators, alarms and controllers that manipulate the processes through systems indicate: correct abnormality, experience and knowledge of the operations team and perseverant culture in processes, to create a suitable environment for a correction of deviations. Unfortunately, in the opposite direction, bad adaptive skills, systems that are not able to accuse abnormality and complacency in solving operational problems lead to an environment conducive to the normalization of deviations. This method is evaluated by specialists, where there are abnormalities such as loss of process control with impacts on product, quality, safety and environment. This article is based on a case study of the chemical industry that already has a criteria development factor for control room control projects in order to avoid human errors in the Alarm Management Systems in companies.