Shift Handover The importance of continuity

Transcription

1 Shift Handover The importance of continuity An AVEVA Business Paper AVEVA Solutions Limited Published August 2012

2 Contents Summary 1. Introduction 2. What is shift handover? 3. The nature of the problem 4. The extent of the problem 5. The regulatory environment 6. Limitations of current shift handover systems 7. The wish list 8. Fulfilling the wish 9. Conclusion 10. References and recommended reading Page Page 2

3 Summary Shift handover has been shown to be a common source of revenue loss and safety incidents in plant operation. Both economic and regulatory pressures demand substantial improvement in the shift handover process. This paper examines the nature of the existing problems, and the limitations of commonly-used manual and electronic handover logs. It goes on to identify necessary and desirable features of an effective solution, and outlines how AVEVA NET information management technology may be deployed and used to provide these. It also explains how AVEVA NET, far from simply offering a stand-alone solution to this specific problem, actually provides an enterprise-wide platform for exploiting the business value in all of a plant s information assets. 1. Introduction Every engineer knows that discontinuities are invariably a source of weakness, whether in physical structures or in continuous processes. This is particularly true in the case of shift handover but, whereas physical discontinuities may be easy to identify and remove, discontinuities in working procedures can be far more difficult. It has long been recognised in the plant industries that the discontinuities of shift handover are among the most common and potentially serious sources of problems. These can range from minor impacts on operational efficiency to the most serious safety incidents; all incur corresponding levels of economic cost. The root of the issue is the transfer of information from outgoing to incoming shift teams. This paper looks into the problems arising and describes how the latest information management technology can be used to overcome them. Reference will be made to AVEVA NET as the leading exemplar of such technology. It has long been recognised in the plant industries that the discontinuities of shift handover are among the most common and potentially serious sources of problems... Page 3

4 2. What is shift handover? Shift handover occurs when one team of operators goes off duty and an incoming team takes ownership of the plant for the following shift. Before taking over ownership, the incoming shift must be made fully aware of the plant s status, including any incidents. The necessary transfer of information is performed both by a review of the shift handover log and by face-to-face meetings between the Operations Supervisor(s) and Operator(s) of the respective shifts. Typical topics discussed include: z safety, maintenance and technical problems z work outstanding (i.e. a review of permits) z environmental matters z plant conditions z production and quality z personnel issues z external events z actions taken and routine duties performed during the shift. Plant information most relevant to the shift handover process includes: z Permit to Work status (this is one of the most important items) z alarm defeat logs z Emergency Shutdown Device (ESD) defeat logs z controller mode status z P&IDs z 3D models (if available) z sample logs (for example, lab results) z Defective Equipment log z Night Order book z unit and factory standing instructions/orders z Work Order log z shutdown job folders z operating instructions z material handling guides z production, operations, and safety incident logs. Before taking over ownership, the incoming shift must be made fully aware of the plant s status, including any incidents. The necessary transfer of information is performed both by a review of the shift handover log and by face-to-face meetings between the Operations Supervisor(s) and Operator(s) of the respective shifts... Page 4

5 3. The nature of the problem Evidently, the potential quantity of information can be enormous, certainly greater than can be easily assimilated during a verbal exchange. Per year, a shift team typically handles in excess of 48 incidents per unit and up to 1,000 for a large (multiple-unit) facility. Simply keeping track of these incidents and ensuring that Operations are aware of the details can be challenging. Equally serious, the incoming shift may not have actually operated the plant for some time perhaps as long as two to three weeks, depending on shift rotas. Poor shift handover is known to cause operating problems, such as plant upsets, unplanned shutdowns and product rework. Even where safety is not compromised, these can result in considerable capacity (i.e. revenue) loss, as shown in the figures below from the Abnormal Situation Management Consortium (see References 6 and 7 at the end of this article). In practice, therefore, an incoming shift is likely to be taking over the facility with inadequate knowledge of the prevailing conditions. Worse, this deterioration of plant knowledge grows with each successive handover; it is quite common for even potentially serious incidents to have been forgotten within a few months. The economic cost of such corporate amnesia is illustrated by one Owner Operator, who reported savings of $18 million per annum across four facilities after implementing a shift handover system that provided easy access to information about previous incidents. People: Invariably Preventable z Fail to detect problems in reams of data z Are required to make hasty interventions z May be unable to make consistent responses z May be unable to communicate well People 40% Mostly Preventable Process 20% Equipment 40% Often Preventable Fig 1. Sources of abnormal events (source: ASM Consortium research) Unexpected events cost 3-8% capacity. That is >$10b annual lost production. Fig 2. The economic impact of plant incidents (source: ASM Consortium research) Page 5

6 4. The extent of the problem But it s not just about money; safety suffers as well. The lack of effective communication in shift handover is a recognised safety issue in the industry; it has been cited as a contributing factor in numerous major incidents, including Sellafield Beach, Piper Alpha, Sutherland and Texas City. The subsequent enquiries have consistently identified many common factors, including: z All incidents involved planned maintenance work (emphasising the importance of Permit to Work control). z Planned maintenance work continuing over a shift change (e.g. Piper Alpha, Texas City). z Operator support logs not being designed to capture key information reliably and unambiguously. z A lack of procedures for conducting an effective shift handover. z Inaccurate and unreliable carry-forward of written information from shift to shift. Shift handover is regarded by both the industry and its regulators as being of particular concern during abnormal plant conditions such as start-up, shutdown, abnormal operations and maintenance work. One oil industry company found that, while start-up, shift handover and shutdown accounted for less than 5% of the time, these critical take-off and landing periods accounted for 40% of plant incidents The regulatory environment Regulators who have defined requirements for, and who may audit, shift handover systems include: z Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) z Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) z Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) z Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) z Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) z Health and Safety Executive (HSE) z European Commission (part of SEVESO II regulations) z Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC) z Certification and insurance bodies. Both the USA and the EU currently have similar requirements, established through their respective safety regulation normalisation initiatives. As a result of the Texas City incident, and as part of its National Emphasis Program (NEP), OSHA circulated to refineries and chemical plants a detailed questionnaire which included items relating to shift handover management. The questions included: Is there an operating procedure for covered processes which covers communications and other activities involving shift change(s)? and Are shift change procedures implemented as required by the operating procedures? (see Reference 4). In summary, it is clear that, not only does shift handover incur unnecessary operating costs, the safety issues arising have put it squarely in the forefront of regulatory attention. In every hazardous process plant, operators have no choice but to address the matter. The good news is that technology is now available to support operators in this task, and this technology is further proven to deliver measurable returns on investment. In every hazardous process plant, operators have no choice but to address the matter. The good news is that technology is now available to support operators in this task, and this technology is further proven to deliver measurable returns on investment... 1 Sherman J. Glass, President of ExxonMobil Refining & Supply, at the NPRA 2009 National Safety Conference. Page 6

7 6. Limitations of current shift handover systems It might be assumed that the solution lies in simply improving current handover procedures but, as already noted, the volume and complexity of the information involved is typically such as to render any manual system ineffective. And without automation one remains vulnerable to the inevitable human failings. Typical communication failings in the shift handover process that the HSE (References 2 and 5) and others report include: z shift log entries being incomplete, badly worded or simply wrong z failure to communicate at all z messages sent too late z messages sent to the wrong person z inappropriate message media, for example sending a note or memo when a conversation would be more effective, or vice-versa z messages sent but not received z messages sent in time but received too late z messages not understood. These echo similar findings from a recent piece of AVEVA-sponsored safety research, The Health & Safety Information Gap, conducted by the Robert Gordon University (see Reference 9). This found that over 30% of respondents had never been trained to access information needed to operate safely, while over 40% reported difficulties in knowing how to search for relevant safety information, and around 25% listed specific problems such as: A further limitation of these types of handover logs is their inability to attach related information such as prevailing alarm/trip status or process conditions (real-time data), lab results and so on, or to notify incoming shifts of any current standing orders or instructions. (Examples of these include fire mains under repair or out of action, roads or entry points closed, or areas that are hazardous due to gas leaks or construction work.) But perhaps the most restrictive limitation of conventional electronic handover logs is their inability to access all available information and to exploit its full value. This is because their accessible information assets are limited and not cross-referenced so, for example, Permits to Work are not cross-referenced with plant status. Similarly, there is no inherent way of knowing if a shift log entry or incident recurs across multiple assets in an organisation, so identifying these relies largely on luck and individuals memories. This echoes the point mentioned earlier about corporate amnesia. A major North Sea Owner Operator claimed that corporate memory lasts no more than three months so, even if an issue is reported/recorded and discussed, it is quickly forgotten and the incident is destined to be repeated (see Reference 8). z systems failures z inadequate procedures z missing data z overly complex systems z restricted access. Some shift handover logs are no more than simple notebooks that the operators complete during their shift. These have obvious and serious limitations, such as illegible handwriting, the difficulty of searching through a mass of entries across numerous books to find a particular entry, and the inability to identify or correlate common or recurring issues. More advanced shift handover systems use electronic log books, which overcome the illegibility problem and can provide limited search capabilities. However, these are generally stand-alone applications which, since they are not networked, do not enable information to be shared, or used as a corporate resource. Search provisions are often simple text-matching functions that cannot access the latent intelligence in the accumulated information, inhibiting the ability to identify related problems or recurring issues. Page 7

8 7. The wish list All the foregoing limitations can be overcome by the use of AVEVA NET information management technology. Supported by suitable workflows, it can substantially eliminate the deficiencies of current handover management systems, and deliver significant economic benefits in operational efficiency and risk reduction. Suppose we could create the ideal shift handover solution; what features should it offer? Surely, at least the following: z Minimum direct data entry, through such features as configurable list boxes and check boxes with preconfigured site-specific information. z The ability to configure the log with site-specific and enterprisespecific fields. z Automatic population of standard fields and associated reports (for example, relevant information from the operator's report should automatically populate the shift supervisor's and the production manager's reports. z Easy access to all the information needed for a thorough shift handover. z Logs should be accessible by multiple users, according to permission levels. z On-line, context-sensitive help. z Control of who can see and edit log entries. z Audit trail on log entries. z The ability to export information to common applications such as Excel and Word. z Easy and rapid means of finding data. z The ability to access data from other data sources; for example, engineering and design applications, process instrumentation (including real-time information), maintenance, inspection and lab systems, and so on. z The ability to specific logs and their associated entries to designated stakeholders. z The ability to integrate logs with historical data. z Scheduled and on-demand printing of readily configurable reports. All these functions are readily provided using AVEVA NET. But effective shift handover is only one purpose to which AVEVA NET s comprehensive functions can be put. It is, in fact, an enabling technology for exploiting all of a plant's information assets (the 'digital plant') in innovative ways for continual improvement across all aspects of plant operations. Page 8

9 8. Fulfilling the wish AVEVA NET is a proven, off-the-shelf solution that can be rapidly deployed and configured to provide all these basic functions in a manner which meets an enterprise s specific needs and working practices. But it also provides many other important capabilities: z Highlighting assets that have been subject to a shift handover entry by simply selecting an asset (by tag/equipment number) and looking at these in the Content Explorer. This enables, for example, Maintenance to quickly identify potential problems with an asset and to see its associated shift log entries. Maintenance can thus quickly determine the severity of the problem, whether it is a recurring problem, or needs further investigation or other corrective action. Such information is essential for preventative or predictive maintenance. Equally valuably, the incoming shift can also see these affected assets and access the appropriate records to be fully informed of their status. This addresses one known root cause of safety incidents: an incoming shift not being aware of asset status (a contributing cause of the Piper Alpha incident). z Allowing shift logs across an organisation to be accessed centrally to capture common issues and incidents. This helps to build a knowledge base for plant operations, to capture lessons learnt from individual facility incidents, and to spot trends across all of an enterprise s assets. z Automating data entry to prevent human error and to free up valuable operations resources. For example, some events such as critical alarms, trips or excursions beyond set-points can be logged automatically. z Identifying assets that are undergoing maintenance and not available for operations (for example, stand-by equipment that is out of commission). z Identifying assets that are part of an active Management Of Change (MOC) request, or have been changed in a prior shift. z Linking shift entries, so as to automatically alert the incident management system to initiate a review or audit. z Identifying assets that have been isolated, including alarms or trips that have been bypassed. Fig 3. AVEVA NET technology aggregates and validates every type of plant information to support all plant operations processes Page 9

10 z Linking Permits to Work with their associated operating assets, allowing Operations to identify those assets which are subject to a permit and have been isolated. z Flagging incidents associated with an asset. z Capturing lessons learnt by allowing Operations to quickly identify assets that have been the subject of previous shift reports, including any operating instructions/considerations that they should be aware of. z Linking operating procedures and instructions with their associated assets. z Linking assets to applicable instructions and checklists, such as those associated with Safe Job Analysis (SJA). Fig 4. An example of an integrated Shift Handover log created using AVEVA NET 9. Conclusion An effective shift handover solution is no longer a luxury but an essential tool for continued safe and efficient plant operations. Regulatory authorities are increasingly (and justifiably) demanding substantial improvements in this critical area, but these cannot be achieved without the adoption of effective information management technology. AVEVA NET technology can provide such a solution, using its out-ofthe-box capabilities configured to suit the specific needs of the enterprise. These capabilities do far more than simply addressing common safety risks and operational inefficiencies. By enabling the full exploitation of plant information assets they can bring substantial and measurable additional business value. This technology puts powerful information handling tools in the hands of plant operations staff and business management, and provides a platform for both effective compliance reporting and continual business improvement. An effective shift handover solution is no longer a luxury but an essential tool for continued safe and efficient plant operations... Technology is no longer a limitation or cost burden with a modern web-based application such as AVEVA NET. For ease of adoption and use, it can readily be configured to fit a company s working practices, culture and organisation. And while its initial adoption can be justified against critical issues such as shift handover, its power and ease of use encourage far wider use. It is, in fact, a business enabler, not just a solution to one specific problem. Companies that have adopted AVEVA NET have frequently found unexpected ways to apply it to business processes beyond the original engineering functions, invariably because its users apply their knowledge and creativity to its use. So, while it does not impose unnecessary business change, it can facilitate constructive change and improvement within an organisation. The future Recognising the importance of efficient shift handover in maintaining the safety and performance of our customers operations, AVEVA has commissioned independent research by the Mary Kay O Connor Process Safety Center (Reference 10) into current shift handover practices. This will focus on the nature and extent of problems encountered and how improvements can be most effectively achieved. We look forward to sharing the findings with you in due course. Page 10

11 10. References and recommended reading 1. Lees Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, Frank P. Lees, 3rd Edition, Elsevier. 2. Offshore Technology Report OTO 96 00, Health and Safety Executive (HSE). 3. Guidelines for Safe Process Operations and Maintenance Centre for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS). 4. Supplement B, 2008, Annual Self Evaluation Report, Occupational Safety & Health Administration, Voluntary Protection Programs, 5. HSE Human Factors Briefing Note No. 8 Safety-Critical Communications, 6. Research findings from the Abnormal Situation Management Organisation, 7. Ian Nimmo, President, User Centered Design Services, Inc., (also with the Abnormal Situation Management Consortium, above). 8. LIFETRACK - Enhancing Team Knowledge and Corporate Memory in Petrochemical Operations Through Sharing Lessons Learnt, Dr Tony Holden and Paul Wilhemmij, Cambridge University, available in Safety-critical Systems, The Convergence of High Tech and Human Factors Proceedings of the Fourth Safety-Critical Systems Symposium, ISBN: The Health & Safety Information Gap an AVEVA Point of View paper, available from The Mary K O Connor Process Safety Center (Texas A&M University/MKOCPSC - Page 11

12 AVEVA Group plc High Cross Madingley Road Cambridge CB3 0HB UK Tel +44 (0) Fax +44 (0) Headquartered in Cambridge, England, AVEVA Group plc and its operating subsidiaries currently employ staff worldwide in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States of America. AVEVA also has representatives in additional countries around the world. For more details on AVEVA Worldwide Offices, visit AVEVA believes the information in this publication is correct as of its publication date. As part of continued product development, such information is subject to change without prior notice and is related to the current software release. AVEVA is not responsible for any inadvertent errors. All product names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective holders. Copyright 2012 AVEVA Solutions Limited and its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. BP/SHAND/12