Process and machine safety – Integrated risk assessment after an incident
Machine safety
Process safety and machine safety are two disciplines governed by different standards. In some installations, however, process hazards and machine risks are hard to separate. Prohead Engineering is unique in having both areas of expertise in-house, which allows us to bring such complex projects to a successful conclusion.
About the case
Context:
A major player in the steel industry used a grinder installation for grinding and polishing steel coils. After a dust explosion in the installation, the company decided to launch a thorough safety study. The aim was to evaluate all risks systematically and to ensure that both process safety and machine safety were in line with legislation and applicable standards.
Approach:
Prohead Engineering carried out an integrated analysis consisting of three steps:
- Process Hazard Analysis (PHA): potential hazards and scenarios were identified by means of a SWIFT study.
- Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA): for the most critical scenarios, the effectiveness of the protection layers was evaluated quantitatively (IEC 61511).
- Machine safety: the grinder was assessed according to EN ISO 12100 (risk assessment) and EN ISO 13849 (safety-related control systems).
- A cause & effect matrix was drawn up bringing together all measures.
Result:
The company obtained a complete overview of the risks and clear recommendations for additional measures. Thanks to this combined approach, the company had a conclusive file allowing the grinder installation to be put back into service safely, reliably and in compliance with regulations.