Instrument technicians

Assign a special team of instrument technicians to process analyzer maintenance. Having this specialized maintenance done by every instrument technician in the plant is simply not satisfactory, as demonstrated over the years at many plants. 

If manometer has sealing fluid, make sure it is the proper type fluid, and that the manometer is properly filled. (This is an instrument technician s job.)... 

Nurse Groundskeepers Receiving and product shipping personnel Secretaries Instrument technicians Helpers for the above Supplymen... 

Production engineer Lead operator Process instrument technician/specialist Production experience Operator community buy-in... 

Facility personnel who perform testing and maintenance on fire protection equipment and systems must be experienced and knowledgeable in the systems and on the protocols for testing and maintenance. Knowledge can include work history, educational experience, craft certification, manufacturer certification, field verification, and job assessment and testing. Testing and maintenance personnel may be pump mechanics, pipe fitters, instrument technicians, electrical technicians, millwrights, fire protection personnel or other qualified personnel. 

Instrument technicians, inspection technicians, and maintenance technicians (as needed)... 

The indicated flow of acetic acid is 9000 liters per day. The instrument technician checks the flowmeter to see if it has drifted, by opening valve B, with A and C closed (see Fig. 6.7). It should go back to zero— but a reading of 2000 liters per day is noted. The full range on the flowmeter is 10,000 liters per day. What is the real flow rate of the acetic acid The answer is not 2000 liters. Why Because flow varies with the square root of the orifice plate pressure drop. To calculate the correct acetic acid flow ... 

Group II A job classification in which SOME employees have occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. Employees in this group would be those whose performance of their duties as defined by their job classification, or whose special assigned tasks, put them at risk for possible exposure to human blood or other potentially infectious materials. An example of an employee who would fit into this classification would be an instrument technician whose duties require routine maintenance or repair of an instrument in which blood or other potentially infectious materials might be encountered. These individuals must receive the same training and orientation as employees in Group I. 

Who will use the procedures you write Operators Maintenance persoimel Instrument Technicians Engineering staff Contractors and temporary employees Health. Safety staff The users of the procedure and the level of information needed to perform the task will determine how the procedure is written. 

Human error is frequently die source of common cause problems. It is also very difficult to quantify. On one chemical plant, for example, the material balance around a large reactor did not balance. The instruments showed that more material was going in than coming out, yet all other indicators showed that there were no problems. The follow-up investigation showed that an instrument technician had installed all the orifice plates the wrong way round. As soon as that error was corrected, the flows balanced perfectly. The technician s lack of training (or lack of attention to detail, or errors in the instrument data sheets) was the common cause error in this example. 

For example, an equipment-oriented team might say The tank overflowed because the level controller failed. A people-oriented team may say The tank overflowed because the instrument technician did not service the level controller. A management-oriented team would say The tank overflowed because we did not have a good enough training program for our instrument technicians. ... 

The notification process is distinct from training it concerns those people who have some peripheral involvement with the consequences of the change, but who are not directly affected by it. In the case of the Standard Example, the operators and instrument technicians will need to be trained regarding the operation of Tank T-101 if the instrumentation associated with it is modified. However, the administrative personnel and people at corporate headquarters need only be notified (Figure 10.11). 

Because of the sophistication of new automated control systems and the complexity of the growing list of responsibilities, the requirements for a process employee changed. No longer can they be someone who could come in off the street without training or experience and be trained for the job in a few days or even a few weeks. The fact that operators, instrumentation technicians, and analyzer technicians are now more frequently referred to as technicians implies a change in their roles. The definition of technical is having special or practical knowledge of a mechanical or scientific subject. 

As more complex operations, such as catalytic cracking and reforming were introduced, more complex instrumentation and controls were needed to operate the plants safely and economically. Pneumatic units replaced manual controllers as operations became more complex. These were subsequently replaced by electronic controllers, then by programmed smart controllers, and eventually by computerized systems. Each evolution required that operators, instrument technicians, and analyzer technicians have more and more technical training to understand process operations and perform their Job safely and profitably. A gradual evolutionary process occurred and many employees evolved into technicians. They were no longer just blue collar workers. 

Write a one page report describing why process operators, instrument technicians, or analyzer technicians are no longer considered blue-collar workers. 

Impact accidents involve a worker being struck by or striking against an object. Impact accidents are more frequent during turnarounds when a lot of equipment is being moved, lifted, and transferred around. The next most prominent cause of work injuries is falls. Operators, instrument technicians, and analyzer technicians do a lot of climbing on towers... 

The most important element of the entire right-to-know program is employee training and education. In the processing industry all employees—operators, analyzer and instrument technicians, and maintenance personnel—are at risk from hazardous chemicals. Employers are required by the HAZCOM standard to provide employees with effective information and training on hazardous chemicals in their work area. The employee training section should contain a synopsis of the educational program. It should provide a description of how the company intends to train its employees about routine hazards and hazards created by non-routine tasks. 

There are three permit systems very common to the petrochemical and refining industries because OSHA mandates them. They are confined space, lockout/tagout, and hot work. All process employees—operators, instrument technicians, analyzer technicians, and maintenance personnel—sooner or later participate in a permitting situation. 

Under the Clean Water Act, all discharges into the nation s waters are unlawful unless specifically authorized. Industrial and municipal dischargers must obtain permits from the EPA or their municipal government before allowing any effluent to leave their premises. The Clean Water Act and its amendments have a large impact on most process industries and involve process technicians to catch and analyze samples and operate wastewater facilities instrument technicians to maintain the instruments of the wastewater system and analyzer technicians to maintain and calibrate analyzers on the wastewater system (see Figure 20-2) and outfalls. 

Instrumentation—All instruments and measuring devices used must be approved by an electrical engineering and/or instrumentation technician prior to use. Special considerations must be given to standardization, precision and accuracy, calibration requirements and maintenance. All original manuals and specifications shall be provided. 

Maintenance staff — includes electricians, fitters and instrument technicians... 

Electricians, instrument technicians, lab/research technicians, machinists, mechanical craftsmen, and process technicians work as a team to control the operations of a plant (see Figure 1-13). They work with chemists, engineers, secretarial and clerical staff, attorneys, legal assistants, computer specialists, industrial hygienists, and human resource analysts. Each of these occupations starts at different pay rates. The primary financial difference among the four craft occupations and process is shift differential and overtime. Most operating facilities run between 20% and 25%... 

Instrument Technician. Start 19 to 31 per hour 39,520 per year. Work on level, fluid flow, pressure, and temperature instruments and control loops troubleshoot maintain operations. 

Maintenance technicians instrument technicians, electricians, mechanics, and machinists... 

Modern manufacturing plants are comprised of complex networks that work closely with each other. The people who operate and maintain these networks include process technicians, maintenance technicians, instrument technicians, electricians, computer, laboratory technicians, chemists, and engineers. 

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