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Alarm handling balances safety and efficiency

An ICS (Industrial Control Software) product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 23, 2004

IMAC software offers a combination of easy to use, yet functionally enhanced, alarm monitoring and analysis tools that can connect to all major control systems vendors' products.

Since the publication of the EEMUA 191 "Alarm management guidelines" and increasing pressure from the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) for better alarm handling, companies are focusing more on monitoring and analysis of alarms and events.

Historically this has been done through the DCS or Scada system which often have limited capabilities and tie companies to hardware and software from one supplier, dramatically reducing flexibility and choice when deciding how to manage and reduce alarms.

ICS recognises this dilemma and with more than 15 years experience in alarm management has ensured that its IMAC range of software products continue to offer a combination of easy to use, yet functionally enhanced, alarm monitoring and analysis tools that can connect to all major control systems vendors' products, offering a truly "open" solution for alarm handling requirements.

IMAC acts as a "central collection point" for alarm and event data coming from different systems used onsite, accepting up to 16 data inputs and displaying them in separate windows enabling clear identification of the original data source.

Frequency analysis and alarm rate calculations can then be performed to identify nuisance alarms and operator workload during steady state and plant upset conditions.

IMAC's Xpert system goes a step further by providing the detailed analysis tools required to create a company-wide alarm philosophy, improving safety, reducing operator work load, improving performance and reducing operational costs.

The ICS on site alarm rationalisation service will be of particular interest to companies wishing to analyse and reduce their number of alarms but who have neither the time nor the manpower to do it themselves.

Working closely with you in a service provider or mentoring role ICS can assist with: reduction of standing alarms; definition of rules for alarm prioritisation; provision of onsite training for operators for alarm management; and development of a more efficient alarm management procedure.

Combining ICS products and services mean that effective alarm management can now be achieved with minimal effort for maximum effect.

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