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The seminal HSE publication Out of control: Why control systems go wrong and how to prevent failure was published 29 years ago and is still one of the most cited publications around functional safety. It showed that a majority of failures had their roots in decisions made before the plant or equipment was even constructed.

Controlling systematic errors during the full lifecycle of a safety system is vital to ensure that a safety function will operate correctly when required. Errors introduced at the specification, design and implementation lifecycle phase can be particularly difficult to foresee and may only be revealed during a ‘real demand’ unless actions are taken to identify them.

Over recent years there have been considerable efforts in reducing human error in the operational phases by concentrating on procedures, training, systems and software packages that prevent deviation during commissioning, verification and proof testing. The same cannot be said about activities during the design phase.

We will look at how design errors can impact the ability of a SIF to perform its safety function and how to reduce the incidence of design errors and discuss some of the ways in which reducing human error in the design phase can be achieved, with real world examples and particular emphasis on the selection of measurement transmitters.

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