There are many hazards in the process industry. When safety instrumented systems (SIS) are used to reduce the risks associated with the hazards, the SIS must not only be based on reliable technology but must also be designed, installed, operated, and maintained reliably. Control system failures can and do happen. And when they do, the consequences can be catastrophic.
The global standard for functional safety is IEC 61511. This has been adopted by the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to provide guidance to manufacturers of safety systems and equipment.
IEC 61508 is a performance-based “umbrella” standard from which the various industry sectors derive their own set of standards. In the process industries, the derived standard is IEC 61511. It is intended for the users and integrators of SIS and focuses on the management of functional safety and the specification, design, installation, operation, and maintenance of SIS.
Entrust your operation to a team of experts who will fit it with a robust functional safety solution that measures against IEC global safety standards. Our accredited, experienced team of functional safety experts will work with you to ensure your SIS is IEC compliant.
True North’s functional safety and automation services integrate seamlessly, reducing procurement efforts, streamlining project activities, and optimizing budget and scheduling efficiencies for your company.
Every operation entails risks: risk to people, risk to the environment, and risk to equipment and facilities. Functional safety mitigates those risks through the use of safety instrumented systems (SIS) and other protection layers. It’s about, identifying, designing, implementing, validating, and monitoring reliable SIS and ensuring that when they do fail, they will fail safely.
Safety instrumented systems (SIS) implement one or more safety instrumented functions (SIFs).
These functions are executed by equipment that bring the process to a safe state when a specific dangerous event occurs. Safety instrumented function equipment can include:
For example, a safety function might consist of thermocouples wired to a logic solver monitoring the exhaust temperature of a turbine. Upon detection of a high exhaust temperature, the logic solver, directed by its application program, closes the valves that supply gas to the turbine to stop it and avoid damage.
Whether you’re launching a new process facility or retrofitting an existing one, True North Solutions can help. We offer a broad portfolio of functional safety services across the full range of the IEC 61511 safety life cycle as well as the automation expertise to implement complete solutions.
Our functional safety services include:
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