(93b) Improving Operational Resilience By Safeguard Testing for Loss of Utilities, Communications, and Cyber Vulnerabilities

Resilient operations require safeguards to function effectively including during abnormal events such as loss of utilities, communications, and cyber vulnerabilities. Safeguard effectiveness testing can be used as a tool to support OSHA PSM, ISA 61511-1, and ISA 62443 assessment and integrity programs. Safeguard testing can be conducted using a risk-based screening or targeted selection of process IPLs, to evaluate the effectiveness of design, maintenance, and operator response. The three most common engineered safeguards, BPCS Alarms, Safety Instrumented Systems, and Pressure relief devices, will be used to illustrate the benefit of testing the impact of loss of utilities and communications. Example will include proactively identifying a potential single actor failure of control and safety systems.