How to design plant evacuation alarms: Part 2
- Webb, Murray and Associates, Inc., Houston, TX (United States)
Responding to OSHA's tighter enforcement of alarm-system standards, safety managers are reevaluating how their alarms instruct affected workers during an emergency. Because most alarm systems are audible, designers must factor in hindrances that result from being located in congested, noisy process units. Using new guidelines, designers can identify critical sound-obstruction problems that reduce the area covered, distort the signal and render it unintelligible. In a complex processing area, signaling devices must handle other barriers. For example, signal obstructions can include: masking, energy attenuation, barrier attenuation, reverberation, refraction, etc. Testing and maintenance of alarm systems is equally as important as its design. OSHA regulations address mechanical, operational, maintenance and training requirements. Documentation and training should not be overlooked during this review process. Processing hydrocarbons is a risky business. During an emergency, the results depend on the quality and quantity of preparedness put into the warming system's design and maintenance. Equal emphasis must be used when training employees to interpret and respond correctly every time the alarm is activated. The paper discusses meeting the standards; signal performance criteria; alarm signal types; and mechanical requirements.
- OSTI ID:
- 6690868
- Journal Information:
- Hydrocarbon Processing; (United States), Journal Name: Hydrocarbon Processing; (United States) Vol. 73:11; ISSN HYPRAX; ISSN 0018-8190
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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