For the Vaal branch the month of May was full of surprises and required urgent adjustments to our normal schedule. Due to the annual WIKA braai, we were required to change our technology evening to the last Thursday in May instead of the first in June. But, despite this creative adjustment, and the onset of the winter cold, we had a record attendance of members.
Our presenter for the evening, Dirk van der Walt from Proconics, did not disappoint with his topic ‘Functional safety lifecycle for Brownfield plants’. He emphasised the need to ensure that plant installations comply with SIL requirements in accordance with the IEC 61511 standard. As part of the functional safety life cycle approach, the presentation covered topics like SIL reviews, gap analysis, loop design and verification. Some practical aspects were mentioned like the use of LOPA (layers of protection analysis), the risk matrix and loop SIL rating requirements. For all of us, this created a new realisation regarding the importance and urgency of a good functional safety review during project design stages, as well as a maintenance programme that includes review and maintenance of instrumentation with safety functions.
Solly Mabitsela (r) thanking Dirk van der Walt after the presentation.
The next meeting will be held in July, we hope to see you there.
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