‘There is no mandatory standard like OSHA-PSM in India’
Published on : Monday 30-11--0001
PN Parikh, ISA/IEC 61511 – SIS Specialist.
What exactly is Safety Instrumented System and how is it integrated into a typical plant environment?
Safety Instrumented System is an independent protection layer with specificity, effectiveness and audibility to reduce the risk of hazard in addition to conventional control system.
What is the relevance of Safety Integrity?
It is a performance based measure to reveal "How Safe is safe-enough" in terms of Process Safety of Safety Instrumented Function.
What is the role of IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 in plant safety?
IEC 61508 is an umbrella standard, common to all industry with focus on products/devices manufactured. IEC 61511 is a standard specifically developed by end-users for the Process- Industry for Plant safety.
Has the proliferation of digital devices with greater connectivity changed the plant security landscape for the better?
Not really. Digital devices’ connectivity through bus requires special care to monitor the integrity of data transmission. Some have developed SIL-3 level of Integrity in digital data transmission from digital devices (Profisafe).
Speaking of plant safety in the Indian context, is the regulatory framework and compliance awareness on par with the global standards?
No, there is no mandatory standard like OSHA-PSM what they have in USA in India, which considers IEC 61511 (ISA-84 in USA) as accepted standard to be followed for safety of people, property and environment.
PN Parikh is ISA-SIS Course Instructor, Sector Expert-PAT Scheme (Chlor-Alkali), BEE, Ministry of Power, GoI.