Why Alarm Management is Important

Alarm management is essential to support user’s task of monitoring, analysing, investigating and correcting the automation process and system. A successful alarm management system helps user to work efficiently and confident.

An effective alarm management system is normally in compliance to industry recommendations and standards such as Engineering Equipment & Materials Users’ Association (EEMUA) publication 191, International society of Automation (ISA)-18.2, and Abnormal Situation Management (ASM) Consortium best practices.

Figure 1. ANSI/ISA-18.2 alarm management life cycle

Lack of effective alarm management system can result money loses due to:

• Accident
• Equipment damage
• Unplanned factory/unit outages
• Off-spec production
• Regulatory fines
• Environmental safety

Advanced and effective alarm management system helps:

• Improve support team responsiveness and effectiveness
• Protecting automation system uptime and safetfy
• Reducing loses

Alarm management system is vital to build smart factory and moving forward to Industrial 4.0.