Consider the importance of flood alarms before disabling them.
We received a call for support recently from a client whose wet well level transmitter failed. The level transmitter has been unreliable in the past, causing nuisance alarms. When the transmitter failed, the alarm was not recognized immediately because it had been disabled. Fortunately, a backup float switch alarm caught the overflow condition and a major spill incident was avoided.
Many clients have told us that they disable a flood alarm at some point, either because the transmitter is malfunctioning or the alarm setpoint is too conservative for normal operational conditions. It seems like a reasonable, temporary solution, but it can lead to serious consequences if forgotten or if the one remaining backup is not in reliable working condition.
Industrial Systems can assist with developing alarm management policies based on ISA 18.2 that provide solutions for dealing with problem alarms, implementing additional alarm safeguards, and routine testing as well as alarm analysis.
Learn more about our database & alarm management services, or give us a call at (360) 718-7267.
What safeguards are in your alarm management plans?