Advitech’s Risk Engineers can recall many scenarios in mining, utilities and the nuclear industry where an operator either presses the wrong E-stop button, or presses the right E-stop but it fails to work.
To ensure operators know which E-stop button to press, control panels should be intuitively designed and operators should be adequately trained. This means, in an emergency situation, pressing the E-stop button should be a ‘no brainer’.
“We have seen many instances where the E-stop is not obvious or the ‘look and feel’ of the control panel is different, resulting in operator hesitation and error. This can have tragic consequences”, said Mike Taylor, Advitech’s Lead Risk and Functional Safety Engineer.
Once the E-stop location is obvious and operators are appropriately trained, it is important to assure reliability of the E-stop, particularly where programmable electronic systems are used. Our Functional Safety Engineers can verify the reliability of your E-stop and give you the confidence it will work on demand. Has your E-stop been tested?
