In an ideal world, process upsets machine failures wouldn’t occur, and alarm systems would not be needed to keep operations running smoothly. In the real world, they do, which means robust alarm solutions are essential to plant safety and efficiency.
Expert engineers work to reduce the number of crisis alarms presented to operators using methods like alarm grouping and alarm suppression. But these strategies can’t prevent alarm floods during a crisis.
Clean Your Sensors
Sensors are like eyes in a control system – when clean, they provide a clear picture of water chemistry and help optimize the operation. However, when dirty, they can cause operational challenges that are time-consuming and expensive.
If you Google “sensor cleaning,” you’ll find a variety of methods and opinions. The most conservative approach is to use a rocket blower to blast the sensor a few times between breaks (you want to give the dust a chance to fall out and down and not be re-attracted to the sensor).
If that’s ineffective, try putting one or two drops of lens cleaner on a clean sensor swab and gently rubbing it across the sensor window. Be careful to keep the swab balanced, or you’ll have streaks. If that doesn’t work, it might be time to move on to more invasive techniques.
Test Your Alarms
Alarms that go unchecked will reduce their effectiveness and increase the cost of running a plant. All notices must be tested regularly – whether daily or weekly like an alarm maintenance Tallahassee.
Start with your control panel to make sure the indicators are working correctly. Then, move on to all the sensors in your building, including door and window contact sensors, motion detectors, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors.
Test all the sensors by arming the system and opening a door with a sensor (like a SimpliSafe), pushing the test button on the control panel, or calling the central station to put it in test mode. Ensure all the signals are going through, then turn it off once you have verified that each sensor is operating as intended.
Once the system is back to normal/ready mode, you can test your alarms by calling up PagerDuty and email notifications for the system to see if the notification noise is acceptable. You can review the warnings and adjust the thresholds if needed.
Clean Your Control Panels & Keypads
Control panels and keypads are the central interfaces for your alarm system, so keeping them in pristine condition is crucial. Dust and grime can quickly accumulate on these surfaces, affecting responsiveness and readability. Using a soft, lint-free cloth to clean your control panel regularly and keypads can prevent these problems from occurring.
Additionally, you should always use a password or passcode to arm and disarm your system, especially if your alarm provider offers a hardwired-to-wireless alarm takeover. This upgrade allows your existing sensors and keypads to be transferred to a new wireless translator that communicates with a new touchscreen panel without having to rewire the entire system.
It’s also essential to check for available software and firmware updates regularly. These upgrades can address security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues.
Test Your Other Integrated Systems
In addition to running diagnostics from your control panel (follow prompts within your system), professionally servicing your alarm system is a good idea. A technician can test the wiring and perform more thorough diagnostics than you can.
Process alarm systems deliver tremendous value to law enforcement, healthcare, and plant operations. These tools help reduce false positives and escalations to provide visibility into the status of processes and equipment.
But they’re only as valuable as their practical use. Over time, many alarms can cause “alarm fatigue,” desensitizing operators and leading to decision-making mistakes.
To minimize this, engineers must design dynamic alarm systems. These systems should incorporate operator feedback to ensure they’re correctly configured and managing processes at peak safety and reliability. This will require combining methods like alarm grouping, suppression, and duress codes.