FUNCTIONAL SAFETY WITH IEC 61511 EDITION 2
IS YOUR PLANT READY?
Shalveen Sharma and Andy Yam*
With the release of IEC 61511 Edition 2, Australian companies in the process industries will be required to achieve compliance, not only on greenfield sites, but existing sites as well.
T
he Australian release of IEC 61511 Edition 2 is almost upon us and one of the many updates includes the addition of a ‘grandfather’ clause that has been adopted from the ANSI/ISA 84.00.01-2004 standard. What this essentially means is existing plants now have a responsibility to ensure compliance. The clause states: “For existing Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) designed and constructed prior to the issuance of this standard, the user shall determine that the equipment is designed, maintained, inspected, tested, and operated in a safe manner.” It is no longer enough to implement current safety standards on greenfield sites and during plant upgrades — now brownfield installations must also comply. The question then is, does you organisation have the resources and skills to meet this extended compliance requirement? Engaging a functional safety consultant is therefore recommended to assist with adherence to these new requirements for existing plants built prior to 2003, which are now subject to the grandfather clause. Additionally, if you are working on a new project, certified safety consultants can assist you to deploy proper safety solutions from initial concept, design and implementation, through to operation and maintenance.
16 WHAT'S NEW IN PROCESS TECHNOLOGY - SEPTEMBER 2016
Consultants can provide services that align with the AS IEC 61511 Safety Lifecycle (Figure 1). These services can assist plant owners to meet their obligations to comply with the standard, regardless of the lifecycle stage being examined. Whether it be from the preparation stage through to report finalisation, functional safety consultants work closely with clients to ensure that all gaps are bridged and the activity is carried out as efficiently and smoothly as possible. The AS IEC 61511 Safety Lifecycle steps outlined below provide an insight into the value that can be provided by partnering with an experienced, certified process safety organisation. Each of the phases outlined in the IEC 61511-1 Safety Lifecycle (Figure 1) has a specific assessment process to ensure certified outcomes are met. The assessment process and implementation timing is described below.
Safety conceptual phase Hazard and Risk Assessment (HAZOPs) The very first step in the process safety lifecycle is to ensure all potential hazards in the process and the associated equipment are identified. This step is crucial, as all subsequent functional safety activities are designed around preventing these hazards or mitigating their impact.
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