Alarms play a critical role in maintaining safety and ensuring timely responses to critical situations. Poorly designed systems can compromise safety, reduce operational efficiency or cause alarm fatigue.
Alarm System Design
Inefficient alarm systems can result in major disasters through alarm fatigue or alarms flooding.
Some of the most high profile alarm system failures include the 1994 explosion and fires at the Texaco refinery at Milford Haven in the United Kingdom and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.
The Texaco Refinery incident was the direct result of an alarm flood and inappropriate alarms prioritisation. The two plant operators had to respond to 275 alarms in the last 11 minutes before the explosion.
At Human Edge Consulting we take a holistic approach to alarms system design, considering potential system failures alongside the capabilities and limitations of operators. Potential disasters can be avoided with a bit of expert insight during the design phase.
We have experience designing new alarms systems and optimising existing systems within the rail, energy, and power distribution sectors. Our approaches are designed to meet best practice guidance, such as EEMUA 191, IEC 62682, and ISA-18.2.