Alarm Management Services
With the release of PHMSA’s new regulation on Control Room Management (CRM) and Human Factors in February 2010, the clock has started ticking on pipeline Operators to develop and implement their CRM plans. Upgrading alarm management practices and procedures is a major component of the new regulation.
(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:
- Review SCADA safety-related alarm operations using a process that ensures alarms are accurate and support safe pipeline operations;
- 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;
- 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;
- Review the alarm management plan at least once each calendar year, but at intervals not exceeding 15 months, to determine the effectiveness of the plan;
- 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;
- Address deficiencies identified through the implementation of paragraphs (e)(1) through (e)(5).
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