Process Safebook 1 - Functional Safety in the Process Industry

IEC 61508 and its European equivalent EN 61508 have already been hugely influential and will continue as the basis for modern safety standards and legal frameworks, so it is essential that personnel with responsibilities at any stage of the life of a safety-related system should understand it. IEC 61508 covers the safety management of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic systems throughout their lives, from concept to decommissioning, and brings safety principles to the management of systems, and safety engineering to their development. IEC 61511 has been developed from IEC 61508 as the sector-specific functional safety standard for the process industries; EN 61511 is the European equivalent.

At the heart of IEC 61508 and the sector-specific standards is the principle that, in safety planning, safety goals should be set on the basis of a risk assessment, then the rigour of management and processes should be appropriate to meet those goals. This makes the standards goal-based rather than prescriptive, and means that compliance with the standards does not exonerate users of any blame in the event of a safety problem.

Keith J Kirkcaldy, the author of Process Safebook 1, states: "The book was originally aimed at sales engineers and designers within Rockwell Automation, to help them understand some of the basic concepts that customers typically ask for; the objective being the provision of cost-effective solutions to their requirements."

The publication evolved from a local, internal publication to one that spread throughout the global organisation. It has now become available as a published book for customers and system integrators. Kirkcaldy explains: "It has been written in such a way that it clarifies the terminology and jargon and uses simple language illustrated with examples taken from our own experience. It shows that compliance with the standards is not just about calculation and analysis and meeting quantitative targets, but also stresses and shows the importance of competent management and implementation. It shows compliance is not a paperwork exercise with the objective of producing documents but, instead, it is about making sure that adequate information is available."

The book gives an overview of many facets of process safety including:

• Safety Lifecycle
• Hazards and Hazard Identification
• Risk and Risk Reduction
• Allocation of Safety Functions
• SIL Verification
• Functional Safety, Assessment and Auditing

Within the book there are detailed discussions of HAZOP (Hazard and Operability study), HAZAN (Hazard Analysis), the principle of ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable), Determination of SIL (Safety Integrity Level) Targets, LOPA (Layer of Protection Analysis), the Allocation of Safety Functions, and Reliability Techniques. At the back of the book are lists of definitions and abbreviations.

Rockwell Automation's Process Safebook 1 is just part of the company's total safety offering, which also includes a comprehensive portfolio of process safety products, systems and services. Rockwell Automation offers similar guidance, products, systems and services for machine safety. For example, Safebook 4 - Principles of Machine Safety: Legislation, Theory and Practice is available to order or download; this book covers the principles, legislation, standards and application of machine safety.

Recognising the impact that safety has across many industries, as well as the challenges and opportunities its customers face, Rockwell Automation has invested heavily in a strategy aimed at assisting companies to address safety legislation. From white papers and videos, through technical publications, to machine-level software and library files, Rockwell Automation aims to be a one-stop choice for everything relating to safety.

Contact Rockwell Automation to order a printed copy of Process Safebook 1 or download a PDF copy from www.plantpax.eu/psb1.

Alternatively, follow this link to order a printed copy or download Machine Safebook 4.