(152c) Maintaining the Integrity of Safety Barriers - a Challenge

Several deadly accidents could have been prevented if the safety barriers have worked as designed. Management failure to maintain the integrity of safety critical systems is one of the most common root causes of major accidents while also being the most repeated recommendation in insurance loss control survey reports across all types of industries. There were several accidents in which all the preventive as well as mitigation barriers were either bypassed or not maintained.

Poorly implemented management programs, a deprived process safety culture, and low competency are leading causes of failures of safety barriers. Another major cause is the poorly implemented safety bypass program.

This paper will cover how an effective inspection and testing, and safety bypass program helps in addressing these gaps. The author will explain by using the practical examples about the most pertinent gaps, challenges, and best industry practices for maintain the safety barriers.

The paper will conclude by giving several real life examples from variety of high hazard industries to share the opportunities for improvement and well tested tips for developing or preferably updating an existing management system to maintain the integrity of barriers.