Functional Safety Assessment (FSA) vs. Audit: What’s the Difference?
A functional safety assessment and an audit get used interchangeably, but they answer different questions and sit at different points in the IEC 61511 life-cycle. One judges whether the required…
The Longview Chemical Tank Implosion: What We Know So Far
On May 26, 2026, a 900,000-gallon white liquor tank imploded at the Nippon Dynawave mill in Longview, Washington, killing eleven workers. This piece covers the facility, the chemical, and why…
Functional Safety Is Not the Same as Occupational Safety
Occupational safety, process safety, and functional safety are not the same discipline, and treating them as interchangeable is a common mistake at process facilities. Different training, different credentials, different daily…
The Garden Grove Chemical Incident: What We Know So Far
A tank of methyl methacrylate at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, California has been the center of a multi-day chemical emergency. This article walks through the facility, the…
SIL Verification: The Three Gates Every SIF Must Clear
SIL verification under IEC 61511 is three independent gates, all of which must pass: PFDavg, systematic capability, and architectural constraints. The gate that gets the most attention rarely fails an…
Hazard and Risk Analysis Methods: How HAZOP, What-If, LOPA, Risk Graph, FTA, ETA, and Bowtie Fit Together
A practitioner's orientation to the methods that make up an IEC 61511 hazard and risk assessment — HAZOP, What-If, LOPA, risk graph, FTA, ETA, and bowtie — and how they…
Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA): The Engineer’s Guide to SIL Selection
LOPA — layer of protection analysis — is the most widely used method for SIL selection in the process industry. This guide covers how it works, where it fits in…
Hazard and Risk Assessment (H&RA): The Foundation of Functional Safety
A hazard and risk assessment (H&RA) is the foundation of every IEC 61511 safety case. This guide covers what it is, how it works, the methodologies used to conduct one,…
Functional Safety for the Process Industry: 10 Core Concepts Every Engineer Should Know
Functional safety in the process industry is more than calculations—it's a lifecycle approach to reducing risk. This guide explains IEC 61511, SIS, SIL, LOPA, and how safety systems actually work…
