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Poor alarm management is estimated to cost the global industry about $20 billion annually in lost production and productivity. That’s painful. What’s even more painful, is that alarm saturation leads to alarm fatigue.
By David Pfeiffer, Head of Solutions for the DACH region at Ascom.
In an industry survey, conducted with facility managers, respondents said they receive an average of 12.5 alarms per day. More than half receive up to 30 alarms a day. It’s not without reason that no less than 76 percent of the respondents wanted to see improvement in alarm management approaches.
Smart alarm management can prevent production incidents, reduce maintenance costs, improve efficiency, and lower insurance premiums. For instance, many European manufacturers have seen a 30% reduction in their risk operations insurance by implementing EEMUA-compliant alarm improvement strategies.
One of the greatest challenges is alarm overload. As mentioned, half of the operators receive more than 30 alarm calls a day, with the vast majority being non-urgent. This is unsustainable and places excessive demands on already overworked colleagues. Worse, the frequent “Cry-Wolf” effect can lead to operator errors or critical alarms being missed.
The repercussions of ineffective alarm management are extensive. It can lead to operational disruptions. Frequent false alarms can interrupt workflows and reduce productivity. Failure to manage alarms properly can result in non-compliance with industry regulations, leading to fines and legal actions. Moreover, inefficiencies and errors resulting from poor alarm management can lead to substantial financial losses.
Apart from the regulatory and financial consequences, there is also risk of damaged brand image and trust. Repeated operational issues can truly harm a reputation. Last but not least, constant alarm flooding can cause stress and fatigue among operators, reducing job satisfaction and increasing turnover, which in turn leads to higher recruitment and training costs.
Half of the operators receive more than 30 alarm calls a day, with the vast majority being non-urgent. This places excessive demands on already overworked colleagues. Worse, the frequent “Cry-Wolf” effect can lead to operator errors or critical alarms being missed.
Effective alarm management is not about eliminating alarms entirely but about optimizing the system to ensure that only critical alarms are prioritized and addressed by the right person. For example, if a machine breaks down, it is more efficient to alert the nearest qualified technician with the proper tools, rather than sending an alarm to every technician.
And therefore, more and more organizations are putting greater effort into their alarm management approach. According to Automation World, 60 percent of organizations report that overloads are causing problems, while 75 percent indicated that their companies have been taking steps to limit the number of alarms they track.
The same study says that a third of all respondents treat all notifications equally and rely on the operator on what to prioritize. This practice can be dangerous, especially in situations when the operators receive a lot of alarms. And according to Tipsweb, half of the businesses don’t perform analyses to determine strengths and deficiencies.
Implementing a comprehensive alarm management solution can significantly enhance productivity, safety, and operational efficiency. This includes reducing operator stress, cost savings and operational improvements, as well as ensuring smoother and safer workflows, boosting overall productivity.
Effective alarm management alleviates operational headaches and fosters a healthier, more efficient work environment. By adopting advanced alarm management solutions, businesses transform a potential source of stress into a strategic asset.
