Alarm systems and catastrophes from a diverse point of view

Using a chain of urns, we build a Bayesian nonparametric alarm system to predict catastrophic events, such as epidemics, black outs, etc. Differently from other alarm systems in the literature, our model is constantly updated on the basis of the available information, according to the Bayesian paradigm. The papers contains both theoretical and empirical results. In particular, we test our alarm system on a well-known time series of sunspots.

Method to assess and optimise dependability of complex macro-systems: application to a railway signalling system

Achieving a high degree of dependability in complex macro-systems is challenging. Because of the large number of components and numerous independent teams involved, an overview of the global system performance is usually lacking to support both design and operation adequately. A functional failure mode, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) approach is proposed to address the dependability optimisation of large and complex systems. The basic inductive model FMECA has been enriched to include considerations such as operational procedures, alarm systems. environmental and human factors, as well as operation in degraded mode. Its implementation on a commercial software tool allows an active linking between the functional layers of the system and facilitates data processing and retrieval, which enables to contribute actively to the system optimisation. The proposed methodology has been applied to optimise dependability in a railway signalling system. Signalling systems are typical example of large complex systems made of multiple hierarchical layers. The proposed approach appears appropriate to assess the global risk- and availability-level of the system as well as to identify its vulnerabilities. This enriched-FMECA approach enables to overcome some of the limitations and pitfalls previously reported with classical FMECA approaches.

Intelligent alarm processing

This paper presents the analysis that have been carried out in the alarm system of the DCRanger EMS. The intention of this study is to present the problem of alarm processing in electric energy control centers, its various aspects and operational difficulties due to operator needs. Some tests are produced in order to identify the desirable features an alarm system should possess in order to be of effective help in the operative duty. © 2006 IEEE.

Alarm tree analysis using statistical techniques

This work presents a systematic method for the generation and treatment of the alarms' graphs, being its final object to find the Alarm Root Cause of the Massive Alarms that are produced in the dispatching centers. Although many works about this matter have been already developed, the problem about the alarm management in the industry is still completely unsolved. In this paper, a simple statistic analysis of the historical data base is conducted. The results obtained by the acquisition alarm systems, are used to generate a directed graph from which the more significant alarms are extracted, previously analyzing any possible case in which a great quantity of alarms are produced.

Operator, organizational and intermediate (direct support and general support) maintenance manual (including repair parts and special tools list) : control unit, alarm set C-9412( )/FSS-9(V) (6350-228-2735).

Includes index.

Operator, organizational, and intermediate (direct support and general support) maintenance manual (including repair parts and special tools list) : alarm, audible, BZ-204( )/FSS-9(V), FSN 6350-228-2514.

Includes index.

Anesthesia alarms in context: An observational study

This paper surveys current work on the design of alarms for anesthesia environments and notes some of the problems arising from the need to interpret alarms in context. Anesthetists' responses to audible alarms in the operating room were observed across four types of surgical procedure (laparoscopic, arthroscopic, cardiac, and intracranial) and across three phases of a procedure (induction, maintenance, and emergence). Alarms were classified as (a) requiring a corrective response, (b) being the intended result of a decision, (c) being ignored as a nuisance alarm, or (d) functioning as a reminder. Results revealed strong effects of the type of procedure and phase of procedure on the number and rate of audible alarms. Some alarms were relatively confined to specific phases; others were seen across phases, and responses differed according to phase. These results were interpreted in light of their significance for the development of effective alarm systems. Actual or potential applications of this research include the design of alarm systems that are more informative and more sensitive to operative context than are current systems.

Qualidade e satisfação do sistema de seguimento à distância de cardioversores-desfibrilhadores implantáveis

RESUMO - Com o aumento da esperança de vida e das doenças crónicas, cada vez se tem implantado mais cardioversores-desfibrilhadores (CDI) para prevenção de morte súbita. O aumento exponencial no número de implantes aumenta o número de seguimentos dos dispositivos, sobrecarregando os profissionais de saúde e comprometendo a qualidade dos serviços prestados. Segundo as recomendações internacionais, um CDI deverá ser vigiado a cada 3 meses, o que perfaz 4 consultas por ano/doente no mínimo, se não existirem episódios de “choques” ou “descompensações” clínicas, e mensalmente quando é atingido o indicador de substituição electiva do gerador. A evolução da tecnologia, de algoritmos, visualização de episódios e terapias requer recursos técnicos e humanos diferenciados e um gasto de tempo considerável no seguimento. Em países como os Estados Unidos da América, em que os doentes têm de percorrer distâncias muito grandes para aceder aos cuidados de saúde, tornou-se preemente a necessidade de um sistema de vigilância alternativo. Nesse sentido, e usando o conceito da telemedicina, foi criado o seguimento/monitorização à distância de dispositivos cardíacos. Este reduz os custos em consultas, deslocações e recursos humanos, uma vez que contempla apenas uma consulta presencial por ano. Por outro lado, aumenta a segurança do doente com a monitorização periódica e a criação de alarmes, permitindo uma assistência de qualidade e intervenção adequada imediata. Aproveitando as vantagens que este tipo de sistema de transmissão remota oferece, procedeu-se no meu serviço, à distribuição inicial de 62 comunicadores a doentes portadores de CDI´s ou com Ressincronizadores Cardíacos (TRC´s1). Apesar de ser considerada uma melhoria na qualidade dos serviços prestados, é também uma mudança importante na metodologia da consulta feita até aqui. Segundo vários autores, a avaliação da qualidade dos cuidados em saúde está intrinsecamente ligada ao grau de satisfação dos doentes com esses serviços, ou seja, à relação entre as suas expectativas e os resultados percebidos por eles, sendo considerado um importante indicador de qualidade dos serviços. Com este trabalho, pretende-se avaliar a percepção dos doentes face ao novo seguimento em termos de aceitação, satisfação, validade, segurança e confiança no novo sistema. Se este mantém os mesmos padrões de qualidade que o seguimento presencial. Trata-se de um estudo transversal com uma componente retrospectiva de avaliação da nova metodologia de consulta à distância. Para tal, foi elaborado um questionário, que foi aplicado a 40 doentes (17,5% do género feminino e 82,5% do género masculino; média de idades de 65 anos) que constituíram a amostra do estudo. Verificou-se uma média de 5 anos de tempo de implante do CDI. Dos dados obtidos, é de realçar que 70% dos inquiridos estão satisfeitos e 30% estão muito satisfeitos com esta nova metodologia de consulta e cerca 67,4% prefere a consulta à distância. Quando solicitados para comparar a qualidade do serviço prestado entre as duas consultas, 65% respondeu igual e 27,5% melhor. Todos os inquiridos responderam ter confiança e segurança com o sistema de consulta à distância. Cerca de 87,5% dos inquiridos vê-se mesmo a continuar com este tipo de consulta. Os resultados obtidos são bastante satisfatórios no que diz respeito à transição do modo como a consulta de CDI´s é feita. Reflectem também que a tecnologia não é necessariamente uma barreira no acesso aos profissionais de saúde, desde que suportada por algum contacto directo (telefone e através de uma consulta presencial por ano). 1 TRC – Terapia de Ressincronização Cardíaca

Northern Ireland Firecode (PDF 55KB)

Health Technical Memorandum 82 Alarm and detection systems Supplement A: Automatic fire control systems and voice alarm systems

Northern Ireland Firecode (PDF 376KB)

Health Technical Memorandum 82 Alarm and detection systems Supplement A: Automatic fire control systems and voice alarm systems

Evaluación del nivel de seguridad ocupacional en laboratorios universitarios de ingeniería en Bogotá

Antecedentes: Los laboratorios estudiantiles ofrecen riesgos para los estudiantes, la normatividad específica vigente no es de carácter obligatorio y en Bogotá aproximadamente hay 387 laboratorios. Objetivo: Evaluar el nivel de seguridad referente a salud, higiene y seguridad industrial en las prácticas que se desarrollan en los laboratorios de pregrado de Ingeniería en universidades de Bogotá. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo con un muestreo estratificado por conglomerado en ocho (8) universidades de la ciudad de Bogotá, con una confiabilidad del 95% y una precisión absoluta del 6% para una proporción máxima esperada; para evaluar los laboratorios se utilizó el Cuestionario de seguridad para laboratorios de secundaria (NTP 921) del Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene del Trabajo de España Resultados: Se evaluaron 166 laboratorios de 8 universidades de Bogotá, 65 de los laboratorios evaluados presentaron un riesgo bajo de los aspectos evaluados. Los aspectos con un porcentaje mayor o igual al 80% de cumplimiento de condiciones fueron aspectos generales del laboratorio, trabajo de los alumnos, manipulación de material, manipulación del producto, protección contra Incendios, eliminación de residuos, seguridad eléctrica y formación. Los ítems con un porcentaje menor del 60% de cumplimiento son los siguientes: sistemas de alarma contra incendios o emergencias; mantenimiento preventivo de la red eléctrica del laboratorio, capacitaciones anuales sobre seguridad en los laboratorios. aspectos generales del laboratorio, trabajo de los alumnos, manipulación de material, manipulación del producto, protección contra Incendios, eliminación de residuos, seguridad eléctrica y formación. Se realizó una prueba de asociación entre el tipo de laboratorio y cada ítem de las condiciones de seguridad del laboratorio. Los laboratorios que cumplen con un mayor número de condiciones de seguridad fueron los laboratorios químicos, el aspecto que obtuvo un porcentaje bajo de cumplimiento fue protección personal (40%); los aspectos que se cumplieron son aspectos generales del laboratorio, trabajo de los alumnos, manipulación de material, manipulación del producto, protección contra Incendios, eliminación de residuos, seguridad eléctrica y formación.

Métricas de desempenho para sistema de alarmes de processos industriais

The evolution of automation in recent years made possible the continuous monitoring of the processes of industrial plants. With this advance, the amount of information that automation systems are subjected to increased significantly. The alarms generated by the monitoring equipment are a major contributor to this increase, and the equipments are usually deployed in industrial plants without a formal methodology, which entails an increase in the number of alarms generated, thus overloading the alarm system and therefore the operators of such plants. In this context, the works of alarm management comes up with the objective of defining a formal methodology for installation of new equipment and detect problems in existing settings. This thesis aims to propose a set of metrics for the evaluation of alarm systems already deployed, so that you can identify the health of this system by analyzing the proposed indices and comparing them with parameters defined in the technical norms of alarm management. In addition, the metrics will track the work of alarm management, verifying if it is improving the quality of the alarm system. To validate the proposed metrics, data from actual process plants of the petrochemical industry were used

False alarms in damage detection approaches

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) denotes a system with the ability to detect and interpret adverse changes in structures in order to improve reliability and reduce life-cycle costs. The greatest challenge for designing a SHM system is knowing what changes to look for and how to classify them. Different approaches for SHM have been proposed for damage identification, each one with advantages and drawbacks. This paper presents a methodology for improvement in vibration signal analysis using statistics information involving the probability density. Generally, the presence of noises in input and output signals results in false alarms, then, it is important that the methodology can minimize this problem. In this paper, the proposed approach is experimentally tested in a flexible plate using a piezoelectric (PZT) actuator to provide the disturbance.

Operator, organizational, and intermediate (direct support and general support) maintenance manual (including repair parts and special tools list) : monitor module, status ID-1921()FSS-9(V) 6350-228-2661.

"July 1974."

Tailoring reveals information requirements: the case of anaesthesia alarms

We discuss the phenomenon of system tailoring in the context of data from an observational study of anaesthesia. We found that anaesthetists tailor their monitoring equipment so that the auditory alarms are more informative. However, the occurrence of tailoring by anaesthetists in the operating theatre was infrequent, even though the flexibility to tailor exists on many of the patient monitoring systems used in the study. We present an influence diagram to explain how alarm tailoring can increase situation awareness in the operating theatre but why factors inhibiting tailoring prevent widespread use. Extending the influence diagram, we discuss ways that more informative displays could achieve the results sought by anaesthetists when they tailor their alarm systems. In particular, we argue that we should improve our designs rather than simply provide more flexible tailoring systems. because users often find tailoring a complex task. We conclude that properly designed auditory displays may benefit anaesthetists in achieving greater patient situation awareness and that designers should consider carefully how factors promoting and inhibiting tailoring will affect the end-users' likelihood of conducting tailoring. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.