ABB Limited

PO Box 99, Belasis Hall Technology Park, Billingham, Cleveland, TS23 4YS, United Kingdom.
Telephone: +44 (0)1642 372000 Fax no: +44 (0)1642 372111

Briefing Note on EEMUA 191

Tony Atkinson

Peter Bruce

ABB Engineering Services, UK

This briefing note has been produced in response to clients questions on the status and
scope of EEMUAs guide 191. The following are answers to some of the most frequently
asked questions.

What is EEMUA 191?

Alarm Systems, A Guide to Design, Management and Procurement (commonly known as EEMUA
191) is a guidance document written by the Engineering Equipment and Materials Users
Association (EEMUA)
EEMUA is a UK based body with membership consisting of both users and manufacturers of
equipment and materials. ABB is a full member of EEMUA.
The guide is intended primarily as defining best practice in the design, implementation and
management of alarm systems for operators of industrial processes, including transport systems. It
gives guidance on design of alarm processing systems, optimisation of the operation of existing
systems and the specification of new alarm systems.
ABB Engineering Services and EEMUA 191
ABB Engineering Services was involved in the production and review of the EEMUA 191 guide.
Subsequently we have worked with a number of customers on Alarm Management and
improvement projects in a number of industry sectors. Contact the authors for more details.
How do I get a copy?
Via EEMUA (www.eemua.org). Both hard copy and downloads are available.
What similar guidance is available?
The Abnormal Situation Management Consortium (www.asmconsortium.com) is a commercial
consortium covering the wider topic of management of abnormal events in the process industries.
Alarm Management is covered in some detail by the consortium. It has a less focussed approach
to the specifics of alarm management, but has some very worthwhile advice. It can lead to specific
technology solutions, particularly those supported by the Honeywell system family.

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Is EEMUA 191 mandatory?
No. The document is a guidance document only. However, it is the most widely accepted guide to
the subject and as such defines best practice for a number of regulatory bodies. We have direct
experience of UK regulators using the guide in specifying improvement targets. The guide is also
being used by a number of insurance companies on a global basis to evaluate operating company
performance.
Additionally, EEMUA works closely with international standards bodies. We believe it is likely that
some or all of the guidance will feature in future international standards or even legislation.
Why is the guide important?
There are a number of drivers recognised by our customer base. Following a number of high
profile incidents with global coverage within the industry, there is a heightened focus on the
management of alarms and events.
The regulatory driver is the most important. A number of regulatory bodies are currently using
EEMUA 191 as the gold standard for alarm management. Following any incident involving the
operator interface, the alarm management system is likely to come under scrutiny. Any agreed
corrective action is likely to use the targets and principles specified in EEMUA 191.
For new implementations, our more aware customers are attempting to anticipate any regulatory
implications by adopting the guidelines from the design phase onwards.
Secondly, adopting best practice in the management of alarms will deliver operational benefits to
manufacturing companies. Better understanding of abnormal process conditions leads inevitably to
better control and faster, more appropriate corrective action. This can lead to shorter outages, or
elimination of outages altogether.
The alarm system provides a relatively easily measurable indicator of system performance. As
such it is often seen as an indicator of good design and management practice, and as a metaphor
for control room behaviour.
Finally, the alarm system is a significant component of the process operators job role. Any
exercise in operator job design must incorporate the alarm system in its parameters. Similarly, any
exercise looking at the health implications of the control room operator role will need to consider
the alarm system as a major potential cause of job-related stress.
Are any systems EEMUA 191 compliant?
EEMUA 191 is not a standard that lends itself to compliance or non-compliance. As a guideline,
rather than a standard, it contains advice rather than specific compliance related targets. As such,
no system can comply or not comply with the guideline. Much of the guidance contained in EEMUA
191 relates to the specification of the alarm system and its management in the operational
environment. These factors are outside of a suppliers system scope and can only be addressed by
our customers.
However, specific technical features of a system can significantly help with adopting the principles
of EEMUA 191. These include:

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x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x

Alarm grouping features

Alarm shelving features (including the management and review of shelved alarms)
Dynamic suppression of alarms
Alarm prioritisation features
Change management features (including access control and audit trailing)
Audible alarm features
Visual alarm features, particularly consistency of presentation
Alarm acceptance regime
Alarm management facilities (summary screens etc.)
Time stamping at source
Alarm logging
Alarm analysis functionality
Operator help facilities

For advice on compliance or getting the best from a particular implementation, contact the authors
of this paper.
What should the System Owner provide to meet the principles of EEMUA 191?
Sometimes a customer will attempt to place the burden of compliance with EEMUA 191 on the
equipment supplier. Typically this may be done by specifying compliance in the User Requirement
Specification or similar document. This position is not practical as implementation of the guidelines
requires input from both parties, but primarily the customer (or his engineering contractor).
The guide is as much about the management of the Alarm system as it is about the design of the
Alarm System. The DCS vendor supplies a system that can manage the alarms generated by the
application (process being controlled) and the system itself. We would expect the system owner to
define how the DCS is to be used to manage their process. The system owner should know their
process and its equipment better than the DCS vendor and therefore they should be responsible
for interpreting the EEMUA guidelines for their implementation.
The system owner should develop an Alarm Design Strategy. This would include:
x Allocation of roles and responsibilities for the design
x Identification of the users
x Rules on priorisation
x Definition of safety role of the alarm system
The system owner would also provide the Site Alarm Management Strategy. This would include:

x Allocation of roles and responsibilities for the maintenance and management

x Definition of the review procedures

x Measurement of performance
x Description of modification procedures

ABB Engineering Services has specific experience in implementing these documents on behalf of
customers. Please contact the authors for more detail.

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The setting of alarm limits (and their associated deadbands, priority, suppression regime etc.) for
individual items of process equipment is usually defined as part of a process review. This will need
to be carried out by the customer or his Engineering Contractor.
The management procedures, maintenance and testing procedures, periodic review and change
control details are also clearly the responsibility of the customer.
What can the DCS supplier provide to help meet the principles of EEMUA 191?
As defined above, the Alarm Design Strategy has to be produced by the customer for their
process and operating environment. However, in order for the document to be effective and
relevant, it must take account of the abilities and limitations of the DCS system. The DCS vendor
should work with the client to develop the Alarm Design Strategy so that it is developed around
the specific DCS functionality. Specifically, the DCS vendor should be advising the customer on
getting the best from the facilities available.
We would strongly advise that the vendor has some level of input into this document. Particular
attention should be given to any special-to-project modifications proposed to the functionality of the
alarm system as these can compromise the performance of the system in unexpected ways during
the operational phase of the project.
When implementing (configuring) the DCS system, the vendor should have access to the Alarm
Design Strategy and should be ensuring that any detailed design adheres to the principles
specified in this document.
During implementation, the vendor should be paying attention to issues such as consistency of
presentation across screens (including custom graphics and faceplates), simplicity of presentation
and any constraints specified in the Alarm Design Strategy document.
What targets for alarm system performance does the guide recommend?
One reason the guide is popular amongst users and regulators is that it gives recommended
performance targets for alarm system performance, both for long term metrics (e.g. alarms/hour
and following an incident, alarm burst rate).
For example,

Alarm Condition

Benchmark value

average alarm rate in steady operation

less than 1 per 10 minutes

alarms in 10 minutes after plant upset

under 10

average number of standing alarms

under 10

average number of shelved alarms

under 30

The above are only an example of the metrics that may be adopted to measure an alarm system
performance, and the customer should exercise care when applying them in the context of his
system. ABB Engineering Services has an in depth knowledge of the selection of appropriate
metrics and their application to improvement or new installation projects.

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Monitoring of alarm system performance can be a labour intensive task if performed manually.
Consideration should be given to some automated method of gathering and reporting of
performance statistics.
For many existing installations, these alarm system performance targets are challenging at best.
Typically they cannot be achieved without cultural and procedural changes to the operating and
engineering environment. A customer under pressure from a regulator or from senior management
may attempt to shift the blame for poor system performance to the vendor. It is very unlikely that
application of technology alone can achieve the targets set by EEMUA 191 and the customer
should be made aware of this.
Some targets or metrics are also given for the engineering of alarm systems, particularly advice
regarding the relative numbers of alarms at different priorities.
Where can I obtain further information and advice?
The authors of this advice note are happy to discuss any questions or issues on the subject of
alarm management. They can be reached on
peter.bruce@gb.abb.com
tony.atkinson@gb.abb.com

Tel: +44 (0)1642 372140

Tel: +44 (0)1642 372280

December 2004

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