Overview: In process safety, many engineers default to the "worst-case" event as their sole design basis for a SIF during Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA). While this feels conservative, analyzing initiating events in isolation often ignores significant residual risk. If your LOPA doesn't account for the summation of all initiating events, you are likely underestimating your demand frequency—and potentially your required Safety Integrity Level (SIL).
In this webinar, Alejandro Esparza dives into how to handle multiple initiating events in LOPA. We will demonstrate how a "worst-case" analysis can miss up to 20% of the actual risk profile, leading to under-designed safety systems and inadequate testing intervals.
Key Takeaways:
- The Summation Secret: Why analyzing initiating events in isolation leads to inadequate SIL targets.
- Demand Mode Drift: How cumulative risk can push a SIF from "Low Demand" to "High Demand," fundamentally changing your maintenance requirements.
- Real-World Impact: A fired heater case study showcasing the 20% risk gap.
- Tooling for Accuracy: How to leverage safety lifecycle tools like exSILentia® to automate summation and ensure no risk is left uncounted.
Who Will Benefit? Process Safety Engineers, Control Systems Engineers, SIS Specialists, and Operations Managers responsible for IEC 61511 compliance and risk reduction.
Alejandro Esparza has over 18 years of experience in process instrumentation, control and automation, safety instrumented systems design and project execution. In his current role, he supports exida’s end-user services for the process industry, like hazard & risk analysis, SIL selection, SIL verification and SIS validation; he also gives training for exida. He previously worked for Foxboro & Moore Products. He is a graduate of La Salle University in Electro-Mechanical Engineering. He is a Certified Functional Safety Expert.