Audit of industrial automation systems to assess their efficiency and process safety

Relevance

Conducting audits of process control systems to assess their efficiency, safety, compliance with regulatory requirements and identify possible vulnerabilities, as well as to optimize system performance and increase failure resistance, which is especially important for hazardous production facilities.

Conducting audits is especially important due to changing requirements of government regulatory bodies for organizing safe operation of hazardous production facilities, as well as after modernization or technical re-equipment of process control systems, or parts thereof, at hazardous production facilities.

Operators and owners of hazardous production facilities should have direct interest in regular audits of process control systems, where the most critical aspects are safe operation of the facility, as well as identifying vulnerabilities that may lead to serious consequences, including failures in production processes, data leaks, financial losses, and claims from government regulatory bodies due to non-compliance with updated requirements. Also, process control system audit results can be used as an argument for reducing insurance premiums for hazardous production facilities.

Process

Process control system audits are performed by highly qualified employees of our company who have experience in designing, constructing, operating and conducting audits of various manufacturers, such as Siemens SIMATIC, Schneider Electric EcoStruxure, Honeywell Process Solutions, Emerson DeltaV, Rockwell Automation (FactoryTalk), ABB Ability and others.

Stages

Conducting process control system audits includes several stages that are preliminarily agreed upon with the Customer:

1. Preparatory stage: forming a working group, agreeing on the plan and schedule of audit activities.
2. Data collection and analysis of design and working documentation, its compliance with the current project and regulatory documentation requirements, checking operating procedures, instrumentation calibration schedules, instructions and functional testing schedules for safety systems.
3. Assessment of the current state of process control systems directly at the hazardous production facility (usually 3 to 5 days).
4. Interviewing hazardous production facility personnel from operation, repair and equipment commissioning services, with occupational health and safety engineers;
5. Formation of identified deficiencies and problems.
6. Preparation of recommendations and proposals for eliminating deficiencies.
7. Preparation of audit report.
8. Presentation of results and recommendations to the Customer.
9. Report approval.

Additional Services

When necessary, our company employees will help the Customer's specialists form an action plan for eliminating deficiencies identified during the process control system audit.

For new designed hazardous production facilities, or facilities undergoing modernization or technical re-equipment of process control systems, specialists from RBI Concept LLC can provide the following services:

1. Technical and economic justifications: Development of justifications for all process control system areas.
2. Creation of technical specifications for process control system design, including control systems, safety systems, fire/gas detection, communication and notification networks.
3. Full cycle design services complex for Russian and foreign process control system manufacturers.
4. Preparation of questionnaires for instrumentation and process control systems, including control systems, safety systems, fire-gas detection, communication and notification networks.
5. Conducting technical and economic expertise of design and estimate documentation for automation.
6. Supervision of chief installation, construction-installation and commissioning works.
7. Development of methods and programs for testing technological equipment.
8. Procurement of equipment and services for implementing various projects.
9. Acceptance of process control systems for pilot and industrial operation after testing.
10. Control, support and updating of program codes, system software and operational documentation in accordance with RTN orders and federal laws of the Russian Federation.