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AMAZON multi-meters discounts AMAZON oscilloscope discounts Causes and Damage of Arc Flash Arcs can be initiated by a variety of causes, such as when: • Workers incorrectly think the equipment is de-energized and begin to work on it energized. • Workers drop or improperly use tools or components on an energized system. • Dust, water, or other contamination accumulate and cause insulation breakdown. • Connections loosen, overheat, and reach thermal runaway and fail. A hazardous arc flash can occur in any electrical device, regardless of voltage, in which the energy is high enough to sustain an arc. Potential places where this can happen include: • Panel boards and switchboards • Motor control centers • Metal clad switch gear • Transformers • Motor starters and drive cabinets • Fused disconnects • Any place that can have an electrical equipment failure Exposure to an arc flash frequently results in a variety of serious injuries and, in some cases, death. Workers have been injured even though they were ten feet or more away from the arc center. Worker injuries can include damaged hearing, eyesight, and severe burns requiring years of skin grafting and rehabilitation. The pressure waves can also propel loose material like molten metal, pieces of damaged equipment, tools and other objects, through the air. Some of the employees at risk from arc flash hazards include mechanics, electricians, and HVAC personnel. The most dangerous tasks include: 1. Removing or installing circuit breakers or fuses 2. Working on control circuits with energized parts exposed 3. Opening or closing circuit breakers or disconnects 4. Applying safety grounds 5. Removing panel covers Because of the dangers of electrical explosions, OSHA now legally requires employers to follow the NFPA recommended practices to protect workers from arc flash exposure. OSHA's 1910.132(d) and 1926.28(a) state that the employer is responsible to assess the hazards in the work place; select, have, and use the correct PPE; and document the assessment. Although OSHA does not, per se, enforce the NFPA 70E standard, OSHA considers the NFPA standard a recognized industry practice. Electrical inspectors also are now enforcing the new labeling requirements set forth in the 2008 National Electric Code (NEC). Compliance with OSHA involves adherence to a six-point plan: 1. A facility must provide, and be able to demonstrate, a safety pro gram with defined responsibilities. 2. Establish shock and flash protection boundaries. 3. Provide protective clothing (PC) and personal protective equipment (PPE) that meet ANSI standards. 4. Training for workers on the hazards of arc flash. 5. Appropriate tools for safe working. 6. Warning labels on equipment. Note that the labels are provided by the equipment owners, not the manufacturers. 110.16 NFPA 70E 2009 requires labels with the available incident energy or required level of PPE. Arc Flash Prevention Preventive maintenance, worker training, and an effective safety pro gram can significantly reduce arc flash exposure. Preventive maintenance should be conducted on a routine basis to ensure safe operation. As part of a preventive maintenance program, equipment should be thoroughly cleaned and routine inspections should be conducted by qualified personnel who understand how to uncover loose connections, overheated terminals, discoloration of nearby insulation, and pitted contacts. A comprehensive preventive maintenance plan should also include: 1. Using corrosion-resistant terminals and insulating exposed metal parts, if possible 2. Sealing all open areas of equipment to ensure rodents and birds cannot enter 3. Verifying that all relays and breakers are set and operate properly 4. Use of CBM technologies such as infrared and ultrasound where possible In order to select the proper PPE, incident energy must be known at every point where workers may be required to perform work on energized equipment. These calculations need to be performed by a qualified person such as an electrical engineer. All parts of the body that may be exposed to the arc flash need to be covered by the appropriate type and quality of PPE. The best prevention method is to reduce arc flash hazards by designing them out. Three key factors determine the intensity of an Arc Flash event on personnel. These factors are the quantity of fault current avail able in a system, the fault until an arc flash is cleared, and the distance an individual is from an arc. Various design and equipment configuration choices can be made to affect these factors and, in turn, reduce the Arc Flash hazard. 1. Fault current can be limited by using current limiting devices such as grounding resistors or fuses. If the fault current is limited to 5 amps or less, then many ground faults self-extinguish and don’t propagate into phase-to-phase faults. 2. Arcing time can be reduced by temporarily setting upstream protective devices to lower set points during maintenance periods or by employing zone interlocking (ZSIP). 3. Distance can be mitigated through the use of remote operators or robots to perform activities that are high risk for Arc Flash incidents like racking breakers on a live electrical bus. The distance from an arc flash source within which an unprotected person has a 0% chance of receiving a second degree burn is referred to as the "flash protection boundary." Those conducting flash hazard analyses must determine this boundary, and then must determine what PPE should be worn within the flash protection boundary. 5. Risk Management What Is Risk Management? Risk is the potential that a chosen action or activity will lead to a loss, an undesirable event or outcome. We all take risks in our everyday life. When we do any work or activity at work, home or in our personal life, such as driving to work, repairing a machine, engaging in a new venture or assignment or project, we accept a certain level of risk. Unconsciously in our mind, we evaluate the risk and its benefits and based on that information, we do things because we believe the level of benefits outweigh the risks. For example, we know that although driving can be dangerous, it gets us to work or places we want to go in less time. Also, we know from historical data that the probability of having an automobile accident is reasonably low if we follow the road rules/regulations, such as wearing safety belts and staying within speed limits. However, sometimes we don't follow the rules, underestimate or misunderstand the risk involved, or simply ignore it for many reasons, therefore resulting in undesirable out comes. Risks can also come from uncertainty in project failures (at any phase in asset/system development, production or sustainment life cycles), legal liabilities, operational accidents, natural causes and disasters as well as deliberate attack from an adversary or events of uncertain root cause. Risk is officially defined as the combination of the probability of an event and its consequences (ISO/IEC Guide 73). In all types of tasks we undertake, there is the potential for events and consequences that constitute opportunities for benefits or threats to success. Questions arise about how we manage these uncertainties (risks). Several risk management guidelines and standards have been developed including those from the Project Management Institute (PMI), actuarial societies, and ISO standards. Methods, definitions, and goals vary widely according to whether the risk management method is in the context of project management, security, engineering, industrial processes, financial portfolios, actuarial assessments, or public health and safety. Risk Management is increasingly recognized as a technique that considers both positive and negative aspects of risk. In the safety field, risk is known as a hazard and is generally recognized that consequences are only negative and therefore the management of safety risk is focused on prevention and mitigation of these hazards ISO 31000 Standards An organization may use strategies such as risk acceptance, risk avoidance, risk retention, risk transfer, or any other strategy (or combination of strategies) in proper management of future events. ISO 31000 is intended to be a family of standards relating to risk management issued by the International Organization for Standardization. The ISO 31000 family includes the following: • ISO 31000:2009 Principles and Guidelines on Implementation • ISO 31010:2009 Risk Management - Risk Assessment Techniques • ISO / IEC Guide 73:2009 Risk Management - Vocabulary ISO 31000:2009 is a new international standard which defines risk as the effect of uncertainty on objectives, whether positive or negative. This standard provides a generic framework for establishing the context of identifying, analyzing, evaluating, treating, monitoring and communicating risk. ISO 31000:2009 offers guidelines for the design, implementation and maintenance of risk management processes throughout an organization. This approach to formalizing risk management practices will facilitate broader adoption by organizations who require an enterprise risk management standard that accommodates multiple 'silo-centric' management systems. Purpose The purpose of risk management is to prevent, reduce, or control future impacts of unfavorable events as opposed to reacting to unwanted events after they have already occurred. The mitigation of every plausible risk may not be possible and is rather impractical due to resource limitations. Hence, effective risk management requires a process to determine which risks are actionable and can be mitigated, and which risks are non actionable or residual and cannot be mitigated. These risks must be con trolled instead (if identified early enough), watched, or transferred while being accepted by the appropriate authority. The Risk Management Process Risk management is (should be) a central part of any organization's strategic management. It’s the process whereby organizations methodically address the risks associated with their activities to enable the goal of achieving sustained benefit within each activity and across all activities of the organization. The focus of good risk management is the identification and treatment of these risks. Its objective is to add maximum sustainable value to all the activities of the organization. It creates the understanding of the potential upside and downside of all those factors which can affect the organization. It increases the probability of success, and reduces both the probability of failure and the uncertainty of achieving the organization's overall objectives. An effective risk management process should start from the ground up with participation being encouraged at all levels. It’s especially important to encourage proactive participation by the subject matter experts and stakeholders. Proper risk identification and mitigation should also have the full support of the management chain for success. To ensure this, the asset owner, manager or project manager should be held accountable for proper risk handling and be held responsible for residual risks deemed acceptable. Strong leadership across all relevant stakeholders is needed to establish an environment for the free and open disclosure and discussion of risk. Risk management should be a continuously developing process which runs throughout the organization's strategy and the implementation of that strategy. It should address methodically all the risks surrounding the organization's activities past, present and in particular, future that could endanger achievement of critical objectives. It must be integrated into the culture of the organization with an effective policy. Each risk can be classified as Low, Moderate, Serious, or High. The risk classification is based on the likelihood of occurring and the consequence it may have. Each risk should be assigned to an appropriate per son for adjudication. The designated risk owner is responsible for coordinating the initial risk assessment to determine if the risk is actionable and can be mitigated. A practical mitigation plan should be developed for each actionable risk. Non-actionable risks cannot be mitigated and are classified as residual risks that must be accepted by the appropriate authority. The goal is to identify all significant residual risks early enough to control their likelihood of occurrence, if practical. A practical control plan should be developed for each significant residual risk, with the appropriate risk acceptance authority. FIG. 1 Example of a Risk Matrix Risk Assessment The fundamental difficulty in risk assessment is determining the rate of occurrence because statistical information may not be available on all categories of past incidents. Furthermore, evaluating the severity of the consequences (impact) is often quite difficult for intangible assets. Asset valuation is another question that needs to be addressed. Thus, best educated opinions and available statistics are the primary sources of information. Nevertheless, risk assessment should produce such information for the management of the organization that the primary risks are easy to understand and that the risk management decisions may be prioritized. Thus, there have been several theories and attempts to quantify risks. Numerous different risk formulae exist, but perhaps the most widely accepted formula for risk quantification is: Risk Index (Magnitude) = Consequence (Impact) of Risk event x Likelihood (Probability) of Occurrence FIG. 1 is an example of a risk matrix that allows us to rate potential risks on two dimensions - likelihood (probability) and consequence (impact). The impact of the risk event is commonly assessed on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 and 5 represent the minimum and maximum possible impact of an occurrence of a risk (usually in terms of financial losses). However, the 1 to 5 scale can be arbitrary and need not be on a linear scale. The probability of occurrence is likewise commonly assessed on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 represents a very low probability of the risk event actually occurring whereas 5 represents a very high probability of occurrence. This axis may be expressed in either mathematical terms (event occurs once a year, once in ten years, once in 100 years etc.) or may be expressed in "plain English" (event occurs here very often, event has been known to occur here, event has been known to occur in the industry, etc.). Again, the 1-to-5 scale can be arbitrary or non-linear depending on decisions by subject-matter experts There are many different types of risk matrixes in use across industry, ranging from 3x3 to 6x6 and larger. The 5x5 matrix is generally considered the standard risk matrix, but other risk matrixes are widely used, such as, the MIL-STD-882 compliant 4x5 system safety risk matrix. The risk index can thus take values ranging (typically) from 1 through 25, and this range is usually arbitrarily divided into three sub-ranges. The overall risk assessment is then Low, Medium or High, depending on the sub-range containing the calculated value of the risk index. For instance, the three sub-ranges could be defined as 1 to 8, 9 to 16 and 17 to 25. Follow these steps to develop a risk impact and probability table/chart: 1. List all of the likely risks that the asset/system or project faces. Make the list as comprehensive as possible. 2. Assess the probability of each risk occurring, and assign it a rating. For example, use a scale of 1 to 5. Assign a score of 1 when a risk is extremely unlikely to occur, and use a score of 5 when the risk is extremely likely to occur. 3. Estimate the impact on the asset/system or project if the risk occurs. Again, do this for each and every risk on the list. Using a 1-5 scale, assign it a 1 for little impact and a 5 for a huge, catastrophic impact. 4. Map out the ratings on the Risk Impact/Probability Chart. 5. Develop a response to each risk, according to its position in the chart. Remember, risks in the bottom left corner can often be ignored whereas those in the top right corner need a great deal of time and attention. Risk Mitigation Once risks have been identified and assessed, all techniques to man age the risk fall into one or more of these four major categories known as ACAT • Avoidance (eliminate, or not do that activity) • Control (optimize, mitigate, or reduce risk) • Accept (accept and budget-plan) • Transfer (risk share or outsource) Risk avoidance includes not performing an activity that could carry risk. An example is not to drive the car in order not to take the risk that the car may be involved in accident. Avoidance may seem the answer to all risks, but avoiding risks also means losing out on the potential gain that accepting the risk may have allowed. Risk control, reduction, or optimization involves reducing the severity of the loss or the likelihood of the loss occurring. For example, sprinklers are designed to put out a fire to reduce the risk of loss by fire. This method may cause a greater loss by water damage and, therefore, may not be suitable. Halon fire suppression systems may mitigate that risk, but the cost may be prohibitive. Risk acceptance means accepting the risk and developing a plan or procedure for what to do if it happens. An example of this may be a plant, organization, or city's emergency response plan for an earthquake. Risk transfer is often used in place of risk sharing in the mistaken belief that we can transfer risk to a third party through insurance or out sourcing. In practice if the insurance company or contractor goes bankrupt or ends up in court, the original risk is likely to still revert to the first party. As such in the terminology of practitioners and scholars alike, the purchase of an insurance contract is often described as a "transfer of risk." Acknowledging that risks can be positive or negative, optimizing risks means finding a balance between negative risk and the benefit of the operation or activity and between risk reduction and effort applied. Operational Risk, another frequently used term, is defined as the probability of loss occurring from the internal inadequacies of an organization's breakdown in its controls, operations, or procedures. The four principles of Operational Risk Management (ORM) are: • Accept risk when benefits outweigh the cost. • Accept no unnecessary risk. • Anticipate and manage risk by planning. • Make risk decisions at the right level. Creating a Risk Management Plan Select appropriate controls or countermeasures to measure each risk. Risk mitigation needs to be approved by the appropriate level of management. For instance, a risk concerning the image of the organization should have top management decision behind it whereas IT management would have the authority to decide on computer virus risks. The risk management plan should propose applicable and effective security controls for managing the risks. For example, an observed high risk of computer viruses could be mitigated by acquiring and implementing antivirus software. A good risk management plan should contain a schedule for control implementation and responsible persons for those actions. A risk management plan should answer the following to ensure there is an established process to: • Determine risk sources and categories. • Define the parameters used to analyze and categorize risks. • Establish and maintain the strategy to be used for risk management. • Identify and document the risks. • Determine its relative priority of each identified risk. • Develop a risk mitigation plan for the most important risks. • Monitor the status of each risk periodically and update the risk mitigation plan as appropriate. • Ensure adequate resources and training plan are in place for risk management. Risks associated with projects can be classified into six spheres or attributes of the processes and end products of a project. 1. Safety risk An expression of the possibility/impact of a mishap that can cause death, injury, occupational illness, or damage to or loss of equipment or property, or damage to the environment, in terms of hazard severity categories and hazard probability levels 2. Performance risk The degree to which the proposed system or process design is capable of meeting the operational requirements, which include reliability, maintainability, dependability, availability, and testability requirements 3. Cost risk The ability of the system to achieve the program's life-cycle cost objectives, including the effects of budget and affordability decisions and the effects of inherent errors in the cost estimating technique(s) used, given that the system requirements were properly defined 4. Schedule risk The adequacy of the time allocated for performing the defined tasks, including development, production, and testing as well as the effects of programmatic schedule decisions, the inherent errors in the schedule estimating technique used, and external physical constraints 5. Technology risk Degree to which the technology proposed for the system has been demonstrated as capable of meeting all of the project's objectives 6. Product data access and protection risk A new area of risk, especially with the industrial espionage and reverse engineering practices of some companies and even governments, that provides for protection of proprietary data regarding processes and products All of these risks need to be addressed when dealing with specific projects. 6 Corrosion Control What Is Corrosion? One specific risk that has become better known is in the area of Corrosion Control. Corrosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon commonly defined as the deterioration of a substance, usually a metal, or its properties because of a reaction with its environment. In other words, corrosion is the wearing-away of metals due to a chemical reaction. A better scientific definition of Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. It means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen. Formation of an oxide of iron due to oxidation of the iron atoms in solid solution is a well-known example of electrochemical corrosion, commonly known as rusting. This type of damage typically produces oxide(s) and/or salt(s) of the original metal. Corrosion can also refer to other materials than metals, such as ceramics or polymers, although in this context, the term degradation is more common. Corrosion can cause dangerous and expensive damage to everything from automobiles, home appliances, water supply system pipelines, bridges, buildings, and industrial plant infrastructure. A two-year long study, entitled "Corrosion Costs and Prevention Strategies in the United States" released by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 2002 showed that the total annual estimated direct cost of corrosion in the United States is about $276 billion (approximately 3.1 % of the nation's Gross Domestic Product or GDP). It revealed that, although corrosion management has improved over the past several decades, the United States and other countries must find more and better ways to implement optimal corrosion control practices. Other studies performed recently in China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela showed similar to even more costly results, leading to an estimated worldwide direct cost exceeding $1.8 trillion, which translates to 3 to 4% of the GDP of industrialized countries. Corrosion is so prevalent and takes so many forms that its occurrence and associated costs never will be completely eliminated. However, all studies estimate that 25 to 30% of annual corrosion costs could be saved if optimum corrosion management practices were employed. Corrosion prevention and control can be achieved by incorporation of the latest state-of-the-art corrosion control technology in the original equipment design, in the manufacturing, in all levels of maintenance, sup ply, and storage processes. The objective is to minimize corrosion by using design and manufacturing practices that address selection of materials; coatings and surface treatments; production processes; process specifications; system geometry; material limitations; environmental extremes; storage and ready conditions; preservation and packaging requirements; and repair, overhaul, and spare parts requirements. Corrosion Control and Protection The following are four basic methods for Corrosion Control and Protection: 1. Materials resistant to Corrosion 2. Protective coatings 3. Cathodic protection 4. Corrosion Inhibitors: modify the operating environment In most cases, effective corrosion control is obtained by combining two or more of these methods. Corrosion control should be considered at the design stage of a given facility or system. The methods selected must be appropriate for the materials used, for the configurations, and for the types and forms of corrosion which must be controlled. There are no materials that are immune to corrosion in all environments. Materials must be matched to the environment that they will encounter in service. Corrosion Resistance Data are used to assess the suitability of a material in an environment. Protective coatings are the most widely used corrosion control technique. Essentially, protective coatings are a means for separating the surfaces that are susceptible to corrosion from the factors in the environment which cause corrosion to occur. Remember, however, that protective coatings can never provide 100 percent protection of 100 percent of the surface. If localized corrosion at a coating defect is likely to cause rapid catastrophic failure, additional corrosion control measures must be taken. Coatings are particularly useful when used in combination with other methods of corrosion control such as cathodic protection or galvanic corrosion Cathodic protection interferes with the natural action of the electro chemical cells that are responsible for corrosion. Cathodic protection can be effectively applied to control corrosion of surfaces that are immersed in water or exposed to soil. Cathodic protection in its classical form can not be used to protect surfaces exposed to the atmosphere. The use of anodic metallic coatings such as zinc on steel (galvanizing) is, however, a form of cathodic protection, which is effective in the atmosphere. There are two basic methods of supplying the electrical currents required to interfere with the electrochemical cell action. The first method, cathodic protection with galvanic anodes, uses the corrosion of an active metal, such as magnesium or zinc, to provide the required electrical current. In this method, called sacrificial or galvanic anode cathodic protection, the active metal is consumed in the process of protecting the surfaces where corrosion is controlled and the anodes must be periodically replaced. In the second method, impressed current cathodic protection, an alternative source of direct electrical current, usually a rectifier that converts alternating current to direct current is used to pro vide the required electrical current. In this system, the electrical circuit is completed through an inert anode material that is not consumed in the process. The best application of Cathodic Protection is usually to protect storage tanks, particularly underground and piping systems. Based on the type of fluid contained in the tanks to be protected, it’s possible to use galvanic anodes or impressed current. Usually the surfaces to be protected with cathodic protection are also coated to reduce the current requirement and increase the life of the galvanic anodes. The anodes used in cathodic protection for tanks must be periodically inspected and replaced when consumed. Another method of corrosion control often neglected is modifying the operating environment. Using a selective backfill around a buried structure, using corrosion inhibitors in power plant or in engine cooling systems, and modifying structures to provide adequate drainage are all examples of the use of this method of corrosion control. Although best employed during the design stage, in some cases, actions taken to correct corrosion problems through modifying the environment can be taken after a system is built. Careful identification and characterization of corrosion problems will often reveal opportunities for changing the environment to control corrosion. 7 Systems Engineering and Configuration Management Imagine that a craft person we have sent to repair an asset finds out that the new spare won't fit or the new motor has a different footprint (frame size) from what's documented in the CMMS system. Suppose we have ordered a special purpose machine and, upon installation, it does not do what it’s supposed to do. In both cases, the system requirements or configurations were not documented properly or they were misinterpret ed. Has this happened in your plant? If we had followed systems engineering and configuration management practices appropriately, we would have minimized such issues. Systems Engineering (SE) is an interdisciplinary engineering management process that evolves and verifies an integrated, life-cycle balanced set of system solutions that satisfy customer needs. Systems engineering management is accomplished by integrating three major categories: • A product development phase that controls the design process and provides baselines that coordinate design effort • A systems engineering process that provides a structure for solving design problems and tracking requirements flow through design process • Life cycle integration that involves customers in the design, building, and installation (including commissioning) process, and ensures that the product developed is viable throughout its life. Configuration management (CM), a component of SE, is a critical discipline in delivering products that meet customer requirements and that are built according to approved design documentation. In addition, it tracks and keeps updated system documentation which includes drawings, manuals, operations/maintenance procedures, training, etc. CM is the methodology of effectively managing the life cycle of assets and products in the plant. It prohibits any change of the asset's form, fit, and function without a thorough, logical process that considers the impact proposed changes have on life cycle cost. Systems Engineering (SE) The term systems engineering can be traced back to Bell Telephone Laboratories in the 1940s. The need to identify and manipulate the properties of a system as a whole - which in complex engineering projects may greatly differ from the sum of the parts' properties - motivated the Department of Defense, NASA, and other industries to apply this discipline. The purpose of SE is to provide a structured but flexible process that transforms requirements into specifications, architecture, and configuration baselines. The discipline of this process provides the control and traceability to develop solutions that meet customer needs. Life cycle integration, a key component of SE process, is achieved through integrated development - that is, concurrent consideration of all life cycle needs during the development process. The key primary functions of systems engineering support the system (product): 1. Design/Development. This function includes the activities required to evolve the system from customer needs to product/process solutions. 2. Build/Construction/Manufacture. This function includes the fabrication and construction of unique systems and subsystems. 3. Deployment/Fielding/Commissioning. These activities are necessary to deliver, install, check out, train, operate, and field the system to achieve full operational capabilities. 4. Operations. The user (system owner) operates systems safely as designed (not to be abused). 5. Support/Maintenance. This area includes activities necessary to provide operational support including maintenance, logistics, and materials management. 6. Disposal. It considers the activities necessary to ensure that once the asset or system has completed its useful life, it’s removed in a way that meets all applicable regulations. 7. Training. These are the activities necessary to achieve and maintain the knowledge and skill levels for efficiently and effectively performing operations, maintenance, and other support functions. 8. Verifications. These activities are necessary for evaluating the progress and effectiveness of the system's processes, and to measure specification (requirements) compliance. Systems engineering is a standardized, disciplined management process for developing system solutions. It provides a methodical approach to system development in an environment of change and uncertainty. It ensures that the correct technical tasks get done during the development through planning, tracking, and coordinating. Systems engineering covers the "cradle to grave" life cycle process. Configuration Management (CM) Configuration management is a field of management that focuses on establishing and maintaining the consistency of product performance, and its functional and physical attributes with its requirements, design, and operational information throughout its life. Configuration management was first developed by the U.S. Department of Defense in the 1950s as a technical management discipline. The concepts have been widely adopted by numerous technical management models, including systems engineering, integrated logistics support, Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), ISO 9000, project management methodology, and product lifecycle management. Configuration management is used to maintain an understanding of the status of complex assets with a view to maintaining the highest level of serviceability for the lowest cost. Complex assets such as automobiles, aircraft, and major capital equipment sometimes consist of hundreds to thousands of parts. In addition, there are related tooling, fixtures, gauges, templates, test equipment, and control software. It’s estimated that a part may undergo ten engineering changes or more over its life. This suggests that an organization may evaluate and process many hundreds to thou sands of engineering changes for a complex system. It takes a significant amount of effort to keep baseline and documentation current. Over the life cycle of systems, the manufacturer, supplier, and owner must assure that the as-designed configuration at any point in time will satisfy functional requirements and that the hardware and software actually delivered (as-built configuration) corresponds to the approved as designed configuration. The configuration management emphasis should be continued during O&M phase to ensure all documentation is current. As a result, the configuration management effort required for a complex system is significant. Usually, computerized systems such as CMMS/EAM/ERP may be required to support configuration management if an organization is to avoid being drowned in a sea of paper and non value-added administration. An organization's configuration management program includes an evaluation process which identities, examines, and selects assets/systems, computer software, and documents that will be part of the CM program. The evaluation process also provides for periodic assessment of the pro gram elements throughout the lifetime of the program. Typical examples of documents included in a configuration management program include: 1. System descriptions 2. Drawings 3. Special studies and reports including safety inspections or investigations 4. Operations and maintenance procedures, guidelines, and acceptance criteria 5. Instrument and control set points 6. Quality assurance and quality control documents 7. Vendor/suppliers manuals 8. Regulatory requirements, codes, and standards 9. Modification including capital project packages 10. Component and part lists 11. Specifications and purchase orders information for major and critical assets 12. Asset/system performance and maintenance records 13. Welding qualification records 14. Pressure vessels/systems integrity and inspection records 15. Design criteria/requirements 16. Operations/maintenance training records Documents and records should be continuously updated to include all approved changes and should be accurately reflected in output documents such as drawings, system descriptions, specifications, and procedures. A cautionary note: The CM program will cost significant resources to implement. Therefore, organizations must evaluate what documents and records should be part of the CM program based on the asset's complexity, criticality, and a value-added assessment of CM. The CM program also helps to be in compliance with ISO 9000, ISO 31000, and 55000, etc., requirements. This will ensure that the organization remains in the appropriate configuration with the right and current documentation during its operating life cycle. Configuration management affects the entire organization. Every plant and facility must have an effective configuration management program to eliminate or mitigate the negative impact of uncontrolled, undocumented changes in the configuration of its assets. Enforcing a logical, disciplined process to evaluate, design, procure, implement, operate, and maintain modifications to major and critical assets eliminates most of the excessive maintenance cost caused by poor records. 8 Standards and Standardization • The inch or millimeter is a standard of measurement. • Words are standards of communication. • Traffic lights are safety standards. • Octane numbers of gasoline are quality standards. • "No more than 1% shrinkage" is a performance standard. These are just few examples of standardization - application of standards. Standardization has a major impact on our lives, yet most of us know little about the process or about the standards themselves. Do you remember using camera film marked ISO 100, 200 etc.? We know that camera film marked as ISO 200 is likely to give good results in a camera with the film speed set at 200. But few understand that the ISO 200 marking on the package means that the film conforms to a standard established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an international organization that writes standards. What Is a Standard? A standard is defined by the National Standards Policy Advisory Committee as: "A prescribed set of rules, conditions, or requirements concerning definitions of terms; classification of components; specification of materials, performance, or operations; delineation of procedures; or measurement of quantity and quality in describing materials, products, systems, services, or practices." In layman's terms, a standard is a rule or requirement that is deter mined by a consensus opinion of users and that prescribes the accepted and (theoretically) the best criteria for a product, process, test, or procedure. The general benefits of a standard are safety, quality, and reliability, interchangeability of parts or systems, and consistency across international borders. History of Standards Standards are known to have existed as early as 7000 B.C. when cylindrical stones were used as units of weight in Egypt. One of the first known attempts at standardization in the Western world occurred in 1120. King Henry I of England ordered that the ell, the ancient yard, should be the exact length of his forearm, and that it should be used as the standard unit of length in his kingdom. History also notes that, in 1689, the Boston city fathers recognized the need for standardization when they passed a law making it a civic crime to manufacture bricks in any size other than 9x4x4. The city had just been destroyed by fire, and the city fathers decided that standards would assure rebuilding in the most economic and fastest way possible. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, the increased demand to transport goods from place to place led to advanced modes of transportation. The invention of the Railroad was a fast, economical and effective means of sending products cross-country. This feat was made possible by the standardization of the railroad gauge, which established the uniform distance between two rails on a track. Imagine the chaos and wasted time if a train starting out in New York had to be unloaded in St. Louis because the railroad tracks did not line up with the train's wheels. Early train travel in America was hampered by this phenomenon. The government worked with the railroads to promote use of the most common railroad gauge in the United States at the time, which measured 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches, a track size that originated in England. This gauge was mandated for use in the Transcontinental Railroad in 1864 and by 1886 had become the U.S. standard. In 1904, a fire broke out in the basement of the John E. Hurst & Company Building in Baltimore. After taking hold of the entire structure, it leaped from building to building until it engulfed an 80-block area of the city. To help combat the flames, reinforcements from New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. immediately responded-but to no avail. Their fire hoses could not connect to the fire hydrants in Baltimore because they did not fit the hydrants in Baltimore. Forced to watch helplessly as the flames spread, the fire destroyed approximately 2,500 buildings and burned for more than 30 hours. It was evident that a new national standard had to be developed to pre vent a similar occurrence in the future. Up until that time, each municipality had its own unique set of standards for firefighting equipment. As a result, research was conducted regarding over 600 fire hose couplings from around the country and one year later a national standard was created to ensure uniform fire safety equipment and the safety of Americans nationwide. This was the beginning of standardization and standards development in the 20th century to support interchangeability of parts, components, and safety. In 1918, the American National Institute of Standards (ANSI), a not-for-profit organization, was founded by support of several profession al societies, such as ASME, IEEE, ASCE, ASTM, etc., to support development of standards. How are standards developed today? Most standards are developed by committees of volunteers, which can include members of industry, government, and the public. In the United States, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) acts as a "parent" organization, helping to coordinate volunteers and ensure that the development process emphasizes four main issues: requirements for due process, appeals procedures, the mandatory consideration of negative votes or comments, and support for "committee balance." Balance is achieved when all parties having an interest in the outcome of a standard have an opportunity to participate and where no single interest can dominate the outcome. In the United States alone, approximately 30,000 current voluntary standards have been developed by more than 400 organizations. Many of these organizations, known as Standards Development Organizations (SDO), are professional societies or not-for-profit organizations such as ANSI, ASME, ASTM, IEEE, UL, etc. These don’t include a much greater number of procurement specifications (developed and used by federal, state, and local procurement authorities), as well as mandatory codes, rules, and regulations containing standards developed and adopted at federal, state, and local levels. In addition, numerous foreign national, regional, and international organizations produce standards of interest and importance to U.S. manufacturers and exporters. Benefits and Types of Standards We use standards to achieve a level of safety, quality, and consistency in the products and processes that affect our lives. In short, standards make our lives safer, easier, and better. Standards are also vital tools of industry and commerce. They often provide the basis for buyer-seller transactions; hence, they have tremendous impact on organizations and nations, and even on the economic fabric of the world market. Standards are a powerful tool for organizations of all sizes, supporting innovation and increasing productivity. Effective standardization pro motes forceful competition and enhances profitability, enabling a business to take a leading role in shaping the industry itself. Standards allow organizations to: • Implement and maintain best practices • Support safety of people and environment • Improve productivity - reduce cost • Attract and assure customers • Demonstrate market leadership • Create competitive advantage Standards can be classified in two categories: • Specifications - codes • Process improvement - management Specifications/codes help to standardize parts - components for interchangeability and safety of products. Process improvement is related to management of processes. We all are familiar with ISO 9000, which is a quality management standard. It could be used for managing any process. It was developed back in the 1970s; since then, it has gone through many iterations and has been widely accepted as the management standard world wide. Currently, the 9000 series of management standards consist of: • ISO 9000:2005 Quality management systems - Fundamentals and vocabulary • ISO 9001:2008 Quality management systems - Requirements • ISO 9004:2009 Managing for the sustained success of an organization - A quality management approach, The 9001:2008 is the key standard which contains the requirements. This standard contains the following key sections: • Section 1: Scope • Section 2: Normative Reference • Section 3: Terms and definitions (specific to ISO 9001, not specified in ISO 9000) • Section 4: Quality Management System • Section 5: Management Responsibility • Section 6: Resource Management • Section 7: Product Realization • Section 8: Measurement, analysis and improvement In effect, users need to address all Sections 1 through 8, but only Sections 4 through 8 need implementing within a quality management system. Although ISO 9001 is known as the Quality Management System standard, but it could be applied, with some tailoring, to any process such as logistics-supply chain, design, and asset management. Some organizations such as Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) at Arnold Engineering Development (Test) Center (AEDC) and Jacobs have implemented ISO 9001 to all of their work processes successfully including asset management. However, many experts in maintenance and asset management area globally believe there is a gap in the area of asset management standards. An international effort is underway to support and develop an international standard for asset management known as ISO 55000. This family of standards has the following three standards: ISO 55000: Asset management - Overview, principles and terminology ISO 55001: Asset management - Management systems - Requirements ISO 55002: Asset management - Management systems - Guidelines for the application of ISO 55001 The overall purpose of these three International Standards is to provide a cohesive set of information in the field of Asset Management Systems that will: 1. Enable users of the standards to understand the benefits, key concepts, and principles of asset, asset management, and asset management systems. 2. Harmonize the terminology being used in this field. 3. Enable users to know and understand the minimum requirements of an effective management system to manage their assets. 4. Provide a means for such management systems to be assessed (either by the users themselves, or by external parties). 5. Provide guidance on how to implement the minimum requirements. The specific scopes for each standard are: • ISO 55000 is to provide an overview of the field of asset management, including a description and explanation of the importance of key concepts and principles relating to asset management and asset management systems, as well as defining the terminology needed in this discipline. • ISO 55001 is to define "requirements" for the development, maintenance, and improvement of a management system for the management of an organization's assets to achieve its stated strategic objectives • ISO 55002 is to provide guidelines for the application of the requirements specified in ISO 55001. It will discuss and describe contextual situations and differences that can affect the use of asset management principles and requirements in general, and provide guidance on the establishment, implementation, maintenance, and improvement of a management system for asset management, and its coordination with other management systems. Currently, the following standards related to asset management and plant/facilities are available; they can be implemented to improve the overall performance: • ISO 9000:2008 Quality Management • PAS 55 Asset Management (Guidelines / specifications) • ISO 55000x Asset Management (Standards Under Development) • ISO 50001:2011 Energy Management • ISO 31000:2009 Environment Management • ISO 18000:2009 Risk Management An asset management specific standard will aid maintenance and reliability organizations in establishing standards for their processes and become a leader in the maintenance and reliability industry as well. 9 Summary Being aware of current trends and innovative best practices allow businesses to continually improve processes to remain competitive. A few of these trends and innovative practices have been discussed: energy and sustainability, safety (including arc flash safety), risk management, corrosion control, systems engineering/configuration management, and standards. Sustainable development is defined as "forms of progress that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs" and refers to three broad themes, also called "pillars": economic, social, and environmental. Sustainability also carries with it a reduction in energy usage by a company. Because energy costs can have a significant impact on the financial performance of businesses, energy reduction measures should be taken by companies as the prices of energy continue to rise; you should also investigate green initiatives and their applications to your company or industry. Several reliability and safety experts have observed that reliable plants are safe plants and safe plants are reliable plants, and that the combination makes for profitable plants. Therefore, any company trying to achieve maintenance and reliability excellence should consider the importance of creating a safety-minded culture throughout their organization, beginning with a fostering of a safety attitude amongst its entire leader-ship team. One specific area of safety worth mentioning is that of arc flash, which has the ability to negatively impact a facility and endanger its personnel, to which prevention measures should be evaluated and implemented as necessary. Risk is defined as the potential that a chosen action or activity will lead to a loss, an undesirable event or outcome, of which we all take risks in our everyday life, whether at work or in our personal lives. Risk Management is increasingly recognized as a technique that considers both positive and negative aspects of risk and should be a continuously developing process which runs throughout the organization's strategy and the implementation of that strategy, integrated into the culture of the organization with an effective policy. Risk management approaches can be divided into four major categories: Avoidance (eliminate, or not do that activity), Control (optimize, mitigate, or reduce risk), Accept (accept and budget/plan), and Transfer (risk share or outsource). A risk management plan should be developed to propose applicable and effective security controls for managing the risks. Corrosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon commonly defined as the deterioration of a substance, usually a metal, or its properties because of a reaction with its environment. Corrosion can cause dangerous and expensive damage to everything and is so prevalent that it takes many forms will never be completely eliminated. However, studies estimate that 25 to 30% of annual corrosion costs could be saved if optimum corrosion management practices were employed. There are four basic methods for corrosion control and protection: materials resistant to corrosion, protective coatings, cathodic protection, and corrosion inhibitors to modify the operating environment. In most cases, effective corrosion control is obtained by combining two or more of these methods and should also be considered at the design stage of a given facility or system. The methods selected must be appropriate for the materials used, for the configurations, and for the types and forms of corrosion which must be controlled. Systems Engineering and Configuration Management are techniques that should be considered not only for the products that are manufactured but also for the assets/systems maintained by an organization. Systems Engineering (SE) is an interdisciplinary engineering management process that evolves and verifies an integrated, life-cycle balanced set of system solutions that satisfy customer needs. Configuration management (CM), a component of SE, is a critical discipline in delivering products that meet customer requirements and that are built according to approved design documentation. It addition, it tracks and keeps updated all appropriate sys- tem documentation. Standards are rules or requirements that are determined by a consensus opinion of users and that prescribe the accepted and (theoretically) the best criteria for a product, process, test, or procedure. The general benefits of a standard are safety, quality, reliability, interchangeability of parts or systems, and consistency across international borders. Most standards are developed by committees of volunteers, which can include members of industry, government, and the public. Effective standardization pro motes forceful competition and enhances profitability, enabling a business to take a leading role in shaping the industry itself. An asset management specific standard will aid maintenance and reliability organizations in establishing standards for their processes and become a leader in this industry as well. Further analysis of how each of these applies to your specific business or industry is necessary to understand how to apply these trends and practices, if your company is engaged in activities to which each specifically applies. 10 QUIZ __1 Define sustainability. Why is it important to organizations? __2 What process improvement strategies can be used to reduce plant energy consumption? __3 What four major categories of equipment/systems use the majority of energy in the industry, as defined by DOE? __4 Generally, the electricity bill is broken down by what types of charges? What can be done to minimize the total electric energy cost? __5 Define the major categories of risk to which a product (asset) or project may be exposed. __6 Why is configuration management important? Discuss its application in the maintenance - asset management area. __7 What strategies are used to reduce the impact of arc flash hazards? __8 Why do we use standards? How they can be classified? __9 What is the intent of the ISO 55000 family of standards? 11 References and Suggested Reading U.S. Department of Energy. 20 Ways to Save Energy Now. www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/industry/20ways.html www.energy.gov Seminar / Paper by Ron Moore at MARCON 2011 and Reliability Maintenance Center /UTK meetings 2011 Blanchard, Benjamin S. Systems Engineering Management. Prentice Hall, 1997. Bureau of Labor Statistics data at www.bls.gov NFPA website www.nfpa.org OSHA website www.osha.gov MIL-STD-882 ANSI website www.ansi.org ISO website www.iso.org ISO/US TAG -PC 251 committee website: www.uspc251tag.org www.iso55000.info www.wikipedia.org +++++ Prev. | Next |