Instrumentation & Control#1155
Industrial Instrumentation Training Course
Covers the installation, operation, calibration and maintenance of industrial instruments that measure and monitor process variables in modern plants.
5 Days·Classroom
Alarm Management (ISA-18.2) Training Course
Guides teams through the ISA-18.2 life cycle to design, rationalize, implement and sustain alarm systems that operators can trust during plant upsets.
INS · Instrumentation & ControlAll Levels#2368ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy
Sectors:Industrial Engineering, Maintenance & OperationsCategories:Instrumentation & Control
Course Overview
The Alarm Management (ISA-18.2) Training Course equips control, instrumentation, process, operations, and process safety professionals with the knowledge and practical tools needed to design, rationalize, implement, and sustain effective alarm systems in accordance with ANSI/ISA-18.2 and related international standards and guidance. In refineries, petrochemical plants, oil and gas facilities, power and water utilities, and other process industries, operators rely on alarms to detect abnormal situations and respond in time to prevent incidents. Poorly managed alarm systems, with nuisance, chattering, and standing alarms, alarm floods, and unclear priorities, overload operators, hide critical information, and have been identified as contributing factors in major industrial incidents. The course follows the alarm management life cycle. Participants learn alarm management principles, the requirements of ANSI/ISA-18.2 and related standards and guidance, and how to develop an alarm philosophy that defines alarm purposes, priorities, performance targets, roles, and practices. The program then addresses alarm identification, rationalization workshops covering consequences, operator response, time to respond, and priority assignment, detailed design techniques such as setpoints, deadbands, delays, and suppression, and alarm presentation within operator interfaces. Participants also examine safety-related alarms and alarms credited as protection layers, alarm response procedures and operator training, alarm system performance monitoring using recognized metrics, bad actor analysis, alarm flood management, shelving and suppression controls, management of change, audits, and sustaining alarm system performance over time. The course is delivered through alarm data analysis exercises, rationalization workshops, case studies of incidents involving alarm system failures, and improvement planning. Participants leave with an alarm philosophy template, an alarm rationalization worksheet and priority matrix, an alarm performance metrics and benchmarking guide, a bad actor analysis template, and an alarm management improvement plan template.
Learning Objectives
- Analyze the purpose of alarm systems and the consequences of poor alarm management, drawing lessons from major incidents, on Day 1.
- Apply the alarm management life cycle and requirements of ANSI/ISA-18.2 and related international standards and guidance.
- Develop an alarm philosophy that defines alarm definitions, priorities, performance targets, roles, and management practices.
- Identify alarms from process hazard analyses, operating procedures, and design requirements.
- Conduct alarm rationalization, including consequence assessment, operator response, allowable response time, setpoint determination, and priority assignment.
- Apply detailed alarm design techniques, including deadbands, on and off delays, filtering, and state-based and flood suppression.
- Design effective alarm presentation in operator interfaces and develop alarm response procedures.
- Manage safety-related alarms and alarms credited as independent protection layers.
- Monitor alarm system performance using recognized metrics, including alarm rates, flood time, top frequent alarms, chattering, standing, and stale alarms, and priority distribution.
- Conduct bad actor analysis and implement corrective actions to reduce nuisance alarms.
- Apply controls for alarm shelving, suppression, out-of-service alarms, and management of change.
- Conduct alarm system audits and develop an alarm management improvement plan to sustain performance by the end of Day 5.
Who Should Attend
This course is designed for control and instrumentation engineers, process control and automation engineers, process engineers, and operations managers, supervisors, and control room operators. It is also relevant for process safety engineers, HSE professionals, human factors specialists, DCS and SCADA system administrators, and engineers responsible for control room design and operator performance.
It is particularly valuable for professionals in refineries, petrochemical and chemical plants, oil and gas production and gas processing facilities, LNG plants, pipelines and terminals, power generation and utilities, water and desalination plants, pharmaceutical and manufacturing plants, and automation system integrators and engineering contractors.
Learning Outcomes
- By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Explain why effective alarm management is essential for safe operation.
- Apply the alarm management life cycle and key standard requirements.
- Develop a practical alarm philosophy for their facility.
- Identify which conditions truly need alarms.
- Lead or participate in alarm rationalization workshops.
- Apply design techniques that eliminate nuisance alarms.
- Present alarms clearly to operators and support their response.
- Manage safety-related alarms appropriately.
- Measure alarm system performance against recognized targets.
- Identify and correct bad actor alarms.
- Control shelving, suppression, and changes to alarms.
- Audit alarm systems and sustain improvements over time.
Course Outline
Course Outline:
Alarm Management Fundamentals and Standards
- The role of alarms in safe operation and lessons from major incidents
- Alarm management principles and common problems
- ANSI/ISA-18.2, related international standards, and industry guidance
- The alarm management life cycle
- Practical application: participants analyze incident case studies and assess common alarm system problems
Alarm Philosophy and Identification
- Developing an alarm philosophy
- Alarm definitions, priorities, classes, and performance targets
- Roles and responsibilities in alarm management
- Alarm identification from process hazard analyses and design requirements
- Practical application: participants develop key sections of an alarm philosophy for a case study facility
Alarm Rationalization and Detailed Design
- Rationalization workshop methodology
- Consequence assessment, operator response, response time, and setpoints
- Priority assignment using a priority matrix
- Deadbands, delays, filtering, and state-based and flood suppression
- Practical application: participants conduct a simulated alarm rationalization workshop
Alarm Presentation, Safety Alarms, and Operator Response
- Alarm presentation in operator interfaces
- Alarm response procedures and operator training
- Safety-related alarms and alarms credited as protection layers
- Shelving, suppression, and out-of-service alarm controls
- Practical application: participants develop alarm response procedures and review alarm presentation designs
Performance Monitoring, Management of Change, and Audit
- Alarm performance metrics and benchmarking
- Bad actor analysis and alarm flood management
- Management of change for alarm systems
- Audits and sustaining alarm system performance
- Final workshop: participants analyze alarm system data, identify bad actors, and present an alarm management improvement plan
Upcoming Dates
Selected date
Barcelona · 3 – 7 May 2027 · Classroom
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| City | Dates | Price per Participant | Early Bird | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
BarcelonaScheduled | 2 – 6 Nov 2026 | €6,000 | — | |
CairoScheduled | 9 – 13 Nov 2026 | €3,800 | — | |
CasablancaScheduled | 16 – 20 Nov 2026 | €4,700 | — | |
DammamScheduled | 23 – 27 Nov 2026 | €4,800 | €4,320until 2 Nov | |
DohaScheduled | 30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026 | €4,700 | €4,230until 9 Nov | |
DubaiScheduled | 6 – 10 Dec 2026 | €4,700 | €4,230until 16 Nov | |
GenevaScheduled | 14 – 18 Dec 2026 | €7,300 | €6,570until 23 Nov | |
IstanbulScheduled | 14 – 18 Dec 2026 | €5,300 | €4,770until 23 Nov | |
Kuala LumpurScheduled | 21 – 25 Dec 2026 | €4,700 | €4,230until 30 Nov | |
LisbonScheduled | 28 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 | €6,000 | €5,400until 7 Dec | |
LondonScheduled | 4 – 8 Jan 2027 | €5,800 | €5,220until 14 Dec | |
MadinahScheduled | 11 – 15 Jan 2027 | €4,800 | €4,320until 21 Dec | |
MadridScheduled | 18 – 22 Jan 2027 | €6,000 | €5,400until 28 Dec | |
MakkahScheduled | 25 – 29 Jan 2027 | €4,800 | €4,320until 4 Jan | |
MarrakeshScheduled | 1 – 5 Feb 2027 | €4,700 | €4,230until 11 Jan | |
ManamaScheduled | 1 – 5 Feb 2027 | €5,300 | €4,770until 11 Jan | |
MilanScheduled | 8 – 12 Feb 2027 | €7,000 | €6,300until 18 Jan | |
MunichScheduled | 15 – 19 Feb 2027 | €6,000 | €5,400until 25 Jan | |
MuscatScheduled | 22 – 26 Feb 2027 | €6,300 | €5,670until 1 Feb | |
OnlineScheduled | 28 Feb – 4 Mar 2027 | €2,700 | €2,430until 8 Feb | |
ParisScheduled | 8 – 12 Mar 2027 | €6,700 | €6,030until 15 Feb | |
RomeScheduled | 15 – 19 Mar 2027 | €7,000 | €6,300until 22 Feb | |
RiyadhScheduled | 15 – 19 Mar 2027 | €4,800 | €4,320until 22 Feb | |
SingaporeScheduled | 22 – 26 Mar 2027 | €9,100 | €8,190until 1 Mar | |
TunisiaScheduled | 29 Mar – 2 Apr 2027 | €4,300 | €3,870until 8 Mar | |
ViennaScheduled | 5 – 9 Apr 2027 | €6,400 | €5,760until 15 Mar | |
ZurichScheduled | 12 – 16 Apr 2027 | €5,800 | €5,220until 22 Mar | |
AmmanScheduled | 18 – 22 Apr 2027 | €4,000 | €3,600until 29 Mar | |
AmsterdamScheduled | 26 – 30 Apr 2027 | €6,000 | €5,400until 5 Apr | |
BarcelonaScheduled | 3 – 7 May 2027 | €6,000 | €5,400until 12 Apr |
Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Riyadh · Doha · Amsterdam
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