Meeting PHMSA Alarm Management Requirements: How TiPS Can Help TiPS Incorporated provides a comprehensive program including services and software tools to help you design and implement a successful alarm management program in compliance with PHMSA* requirements. *Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 49 CFR Parts 192.631 and 195.446 PHMSA Requirement Service Software (PHMSA), 49 CFR Parts 192.631 (e) Each operator using a SCADA system must have a written alarm management plan to provide for effective controller response to alarms. An operator s plan must include provisions to: (additional requirements listed below) (1) Review SCADA safety-related alarm operations using a process that ensures alarms are accurate and support safe pipeline operations; 2) Identify at least once each calendar month points affecting safety that have been taken off scan in the SCADA host, have had alarms inhibited, generated false alarms, or that have had forced or manual values for periods of time exceeding that required for associated maintenance or operating activities; (3) Verify the correct safety-related alarm set-point values and alarm descriptions at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not to exceed 15 months; (4) Review the alarm management plan required by this paragraph at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not exceeding 15 months, to determine the effectiveness of the plan; (5) Monitor the content and volume of general activity being directed to and required of each controller at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not to exceed 15 months, that will assure controllers have sufficient time to analyze and react to incoming alarms; (6) Address deficiencies identified through the implementation of paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(5) of this section. How can TiPS help you? Contact: On the Web Phone Address www.tipsweb.com General: tips@tipsweb.com Sales: sales@tipsweb.com Support: support@tipsweb.com toll-free: (800) 242-8477 (48 states) phone: (512) 863-3653 extension: x111 (Sales) extension: x112 (Support) fax: (512) 863-5392 TiPS Incorporated 2402 Williams Drive Georgetown, TX 78628 1
The table below itemizes the alarm management requirements of PHMSA regulation 49 CFR Part 192.631 (Column 1), explains the tasks required to fulfill each requirement (Column 2), briefly describes how TiPS Incorporated can contribute to compliance (Column 3), and references applicable industry standards and best practices (Column 4). PHMSA Requirement Tasks TiPS Contribution (PHMSA), 49 CFR Parts 192.631 (e) Each operator using a SCADA system must have a written alarm management plan to provide for effective controller response to alarms. An operator s plan must include provisions to: (additional requirements listed below) Select and educate an alarm management team, define core values, assign roles and responsibilities, gather and organize relevant information, and write the alarm management plan. Typical Alarm Management Plan Overview: 1. General 1.1. Purpose of alarm management plan 1.2. Purpose of alarm system 1.3. Definitions 1.4. Related site procedures 1.5. References 1.6. Responsibilities and roles 2. Identification 3. Rationalization 3.1. Rationalization Team 3.2. Alarm selection 3.3. Prioritization 3.4. Alarm set point determination 3.5. Alarm documentation 3.6. Rationalization wrap-up and final approval 4. Detailed Design 4.1. Alarm attributes 4.2. Special alarm design considerations 4.3. Approved advanced alarm management techniques 4.4. HMI design guidance 5. Implementation, Operation & Maintenance 5.1. Implementation guidance 5.2. Operation 5.3. Alarm system maintenance 5.4. Training 5.5. Testing of alarms and alarm systems 6. Monitoring & Reporting 6.1. Alarm system metrics 6.2. Alarm system review 6.3. Alarm history preservation 7. Management of Change 8. Audit TiPS offers an onsite alarm management plan development seminar and workshop that includes a two-day training seminar designed to increase understanding of alarm systems, especially for those who are engaged in designing or improving alarm systems for industrial facilities and a threeday guided workshop designed to draw out from the participants experience the necessary specifics about the facility or organization to produce detailed guidelines for their alarm management plan. Afterward, TiPS uses the next week offsite to write the alarm management plan. Once the final document is accepted, TiPS delivers the final document overview via webcast to the entire group. Many organizations with more than one control center will elect to hold an Enterprise Alarm Management Plan Framework Workshop developing a corporate plan for all control centers. The TiPS seminar/workshop can be tailored to accommodate this. Alarm Philosophy (Section III) Alarm Philosophy (Clause 6) 2
(1) Review SCADA safetyrelated alarm operations using a process that ensures alarms are accurate and support safe pipeline operations; Develop and implement a review process (rationalization) to ensure that undesirable events are correctly identified and properly alarmed (i.e., alarms must be prioritized and presented to the controller in a clear and timely fashion). Identify potential alarms Accept or reject potential alarms Document consequence/severity of accepted alarms Document time to respond Prioritize alarms Determine set point Classify alarms Document: cause, consequence, corrective action, verification LogMate is comprehensive software that provides the tools to successfully implement much of the alarm management plan. It provides a rationalization and documentation platform using a master alarm database to support completion of all tasks identified in Column 2. TiPS offers an alarm rationalization service. Our experts guide alarm management team members through the rationalization process per the alarm management plan. Alarm Determination (Section IV) Roles & Responsibilities (Section VII) Identification (Clause 8) Rationalization (Clause 9) Alarm Design (Clauses 10, 11, and 12) (2) Identify at least once each calendar month points affecting safety that have been taken off scan in the SCADA host, have had alarms inhibited, generated false alarms, or that have had forced or manual values for periods of time exceeding that required for associated maintenance or operating activities; Develop a monitoring program to identify alarms that are generating false alarms and alarms that have been set to not annunciate (e.g., disabled, inhibited, suppressed, shelved, out-of-service, off scan, forced, manual). LogMate provides a library of tools to analyze the alarm and event log. It generates custom reports that identify the alarms listed in Column 2. Alarm Resolution (Section VI) Monitoring and Assessment (Clause 16) 3
(3) Verify the correct safetyrelated alarm set-point values and alarm descriptions at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not to exceed 15 months; Develop a master list or database of all relevant alarms and their key parameters, and compare that master list to the set of installed alarms to identify and resolve any unauthorized changes. LogMate creates and maintains a master database of configured alarms and their key parameters. A LogMate tool automatically imports configuration data from the SCADA system and compares it to the master database, identifies any discrepancies, and generates custom reports as specified in the alarm management plan. LogMate also maintains an audit log of the resolution of any discrepancies. Management of Change (Section IX) Maintenance (Clause 15) Management of Change (Clause 17) (4) Review the alarm management plan required by this paragraph at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not exceeding 15 months, to determine the effectiveness of the plan; Conduct an annual audit of the alarm management program. Conduct interviews Compare managerial and work practices to procedures Compare procedures to policy Compare policy to regulations and industry guidelines LogMate provides the performance assessments necessary to conduct an audit. It has a management of change and audit utility. TiPS Incorporated also provides expert consulting to perform the audit and train your staff to conduct it. Audit (Clause 18) 4
(5) Monitor the content and volume of general activity being directed to and required of each controller at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not to exceed 15 months, that will assure controllers have sufficient time to analyze and react to incoming alarms; Measure the alarm system performance and compare it to established targets. LogMate provides a library of tools to analyze the alarm and event log. It generates custom reports on: Alarm rate Alarm flood Chattering/fleeting alarms Consequential/duplicate alarms False alarms Frequent alarms Inhibited/Forced/Manual alarms Off-scan alarms Standing/Stale alarms Unauthorized changes. Monitoring and Assessment (Clause 16) These enable you to compare alarm system performance to the targets established in youtr alarm management plan. TiPS Incorporated also provides expert consulting to interpret these reports and make recommendations for improvement. (6) Address deficiencies identified through the implementation of paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(5) of this section. Develop and implement any action plans or recommendations identified as a result of programs developed in steps 1-5. TiPS Incorporated provides a comprehensive program including services and software tools to help you with alarm management needs. Basic Alarm Design (Clause 10) Implementation (Clause 13) Maintenance (Clause 15) Management of Change (Clause 7) Audit (Clause 18) TBD pending the soon to be released recommended practice ** Alarm Management for Control Room Operations in the Natural Gas Industry, ANSI/ISA 18.2 2009 Management of Alarm Systems for the Process Industries, and the soon to be released API Recommended Practice 1167 Pipeline Alarm Management 5