A look into Safety and Asset Integrity Excellence and how to use data and analytics to control risk and add operating value to your organization.

1. Kienbaum Management Consultants
CaseStudy
Safety and Asset Integrity Excellence – Using data and
analytics to control risk and add operating value
Conventional wisdom sees process
safety and machine integrity and
maintenance as two separate areas of
operating practice. We believe,
however, that these are one and the
same. Viewing safety and equipment
maintenance as elements of the same
system is an innovative approach that
not only manages composite risk but
also adds significant operating value.
However, these components are both
being addressed separately already by
many companies without success. To
change that, an unconventional
approach is required: data and
prescriptive analytics, applied
specifically to safety and maintenance.
Presented here is a case in which an
incident occurred as a result of a
number of factors working together to
culminate in a catastrophic failure.
This example illustrates the
interconnected nature of many
incidents, as well as the inadequacies
in processes, systems, and
organizational understanding that
plague current safety and asset
integrity cultures.
To solve these issues, an innovative
system of Safety and Asset Integrity
Excellence is presented. This system
addresses composite risk associated
with operations using prescriptive
analytics. Using risk mitigation
strategies, robust data and analytics,
key performance indicators, personnel
trainings, workplace design elements,
and asset management, organizations
have the ability to shift risk mitigation
to value creation.
Three Mile Island was a nuclear
meltdown in Pennsylvania in 1979.
This accident was the most serious
commercial nuclear power plant
incident in U.S. history. This case is an
example of how incidents are rarely the
result of a single mistake, and how a
comprehensive, data based risk
strategy can address the network of
safety and maintenance factors that
affect the operations of a site.
After a thorough investigation of the
Three Mile Island event, authorities
identified no single action or inaction
as the cause. Rather, a complex and
interlinked series of mechanical
failures, human actions, engineering
designs, operational implementations,
and team interfaces occurred.
The Three Mile Island site did not have
an adequate system to process the
amount of data and recognize the
inconsistencies that led to the
meltdown. In addition to this deficiency,
an effective risk mitigation strategy was
severely lacking. The failures and
errors that occurred could have been
avoided prior to the incident,
eliminating the possibility of escalation
to the meltdown point.
Critical Events:
» Asset integrity failure: Faulty pumps
and valves prevent proper cooling
water from being delivered to the
reactor
» Inadequate data management:
Gauges and controls read incorrect
data, and were not correctly
installed to display the current state
of the entire system
» Key metric absence: Operators
were not able to clearly and rapidly
make judgements based on the
massive amount of data being
delivered
» Operator error: Due to a lack of
training and incorrect safety culture,
the operators did not properly
handle the escalation
The incident was the result of a
combination of errors, along with a
misaligned safety and asset integrity
culture. This incident and others can
be avoided by correctly utilizing data
and prescriptive analytics. When
applied effectively, today’s
technologies give the ability to gather
massive amounts of actionable data,
providing the information needed to
mitigate this composite risk.
Three Mile Island
Overview
A New Approach

2. Composite Risk: People &
Machines
Overall composite risk is a combination
of risk from people and risk from
equipment.
Humans will be a significant risk
contributor to any risk profile. The case
of Three Mile Island exemplifies this: no
blatant mistake occurred, but action was
taken without an accurate understanding
of the situation. The risk of human
intervention based on the situation is
always present.
Equipment malfunctions and
breakdowns are another source of risk.
Preventive maintenance and reaction
plans should be established to ensure
that the human equipment interaction is
handled correctly.
The fact of operation is that humans
interact with equipment, both of which
present inherent risk. As seen in the
Three Mile Island case, the operators
reaction to equipment was a critical
piece of the puzzle. A safety and asset
integrity culture that does not recognize
the interaction between these elements
limits the effectiveness of risk mitigation.
Data Collection: Understanding
the Connection
For operators and equipment to interact
effectively, data must accurately depict
the current situation. Given the
technologies available for data
management, prescriptive analytics
offer an innovative and invaluable tool
for safety and equipment.
Data needs to be collected from all
sources and aggregated before it can
be used for any analytics. When robust
data is aggregated, a model can be
created that predicts adverse events
and prescribes early interventions.
This model allows organizations to
progress from descriptive analytics,
where data reports what happened in
previous events, to prescriptive
analytics. Based on the incoming data,
the model is able to monitor real time
incident risk levels and provide correct
signals and intervention.
DADA Cycle: From Risk to Value
Data is the start of a closed feedback
loop, the DADA cycle, that results in a
proactive system and triggers
continuous performance improvement
through analytics.
This approach allows an organization to
move from reactive safety procedures to
a proactive mentality. Rather than
focusing on adverse events that have
occurred previously, the goal is to
understand the conditions and factors
that lead to successful safe operations.
This culture facilitates an organizational
shift from value protection to value
creation. This shift is where
organizations are able to create value,
delivering operational improvements
from employees and equipment
Prescriptive Analytics: Incident
Mitigation Strategy
Prescriptive analytic models offer the
intervention strategies, but operators are
still required to take action. Based on the
model, key performance indicators to
focus the data, trainings on how to read
signals, and standard operating
procedures can be developed to mitigate
the risks through behavior.
These components not only encourage
safe behavior and limit equipment
failure, but also add significant operating
value. The improved performance due to
less downtime and fewer costs
associated with adverse events makes
Safety and Asset Integrity Excellence a
valuable component of operations.
With proper application, a pervasive
culture is instilled in the organization.
Employees see increased efficiency
when working with well-maintained
equipment in safe environments.
Kienbaum Consultants Inc.
2300 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 700
Alpharetta, GA 30009 USA
www.kienbaum.com
Excellence Applied: Three Mile
Island
» Preventative maintenance: Equipment
upkeep as a piece of the risk mitigation
strategy eliminates issues such as the
initial failure in Three Mile Island
» Workplace design: Proper
implementation and design of the
gauges and controls would ensure an
accurate depiction of the system’s
current state and eliminate false
readings
» Key performance indicators: Critical
metrics that are used to evaluate the
performance of the system would
disallow an unsafe situation to arise if
monitored correctly
» Data utilization: Prescriptive analytics
based on a robust data management
system can aid in risk assessment, and
would have provided the appropriate
intervention strategy in this case
» Training & Development: Operators
require proper training to monitor all
risk factors and properly handle
escalating situations similar to Three
Mile Island, thus limiting harm to the
system following a single adverse event
» Organizational Culture: An under-
standing of and an alignment between
all of these components is necessary in
order to control risk and add operating
value
The interaction between humans and
equipment is a complicated one, but is
critical to organizational success. Viewing
these as separate elements allows for cost
avoidance but stops there, without
holistically addressing the system.
The Safety and Asset Integrity Excellence
system is an innovative approach that
effectively mitigates composite risk using
prescriptive analytics, allowing
organizations to create value in safety and
asset management.
For more information, contact Eric Lavelle
at Eric.Lavelle@kienbaum.com.
Data
Analysis
Decision
Action