The Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC)'s Safety Committee, in co-operation with the BC Forest Safety Council, WorkSafeBC and media partner Canadian Biomass magazine, is hosting a workshop on alarm management systems in Prince George, B.C., on April 15, as a part of process safety management series. Poor alarm management is one of the leading causes of unplanned downtime in process industries, contributing billions of dollars in lost production every year.

Join us to learn about the value of optimizing your alarm management system. The workshop is targeted at all forestry manufacturing sectors including lumber, OSB, pellets, and pulp. This workshop will benefit production personnel, maintenance staff, management and senior executives. Our introductory principle-based program will help you to understand how your control system can be improved to increase productivity, quality and safety. We will discuss how the system should convey and facilitate accurate and timely fault and diagnostic information to operators, resulting in effective and safe plant management.

This workshop will engage you to think about your control systems, and how your systems could be optimized for efficiency, safety and operator detection and decision making.

Agenda

• 8:00 a.m.: Breakfast and networking
• 9:00 a.m.: Scott Bax, COO, Pinnacle Renewable Energy and chair, WPAC Safety Committee – Introductory comments.
• 9:10 a.m.: WorkSafeBC’s Process Safety Team – Introduction to control rooms and how process control systems are an integral part of plant optimization and safety.
• 9:30 a.m.: Ron Rensink, associate professor, Departments of Psychology and Computer Science – Using visual interfaces to interact with information.
• 11:00 a.m.: Coffee break
• 11:15 a.m.: Brian Grantham, general manager, West Fraser – Safety and operational benefits from focussing on process control.
• 12:30 p.m.: Lunch
• 1:15 p.m.: WorkSafeBC’s Process Safety Team – Practical tools and tips for improving alarm systems and operator interfaces.
• 2:30 p.m.: Coffee break
• 2:45 p.m.: WorkSafeBC’s Process Safety Team – Facilitated discussion of how to apply tools and tips to participants own operations and how such tools and tips tie into the management of critical controls to increase plant integrity.
• 3:45 p.m.: Summary and closing comments
• 4:00 p.m.: Workshop adjourns

Workshop Venue:

Prince George Conference and Civic Centre
808 Canada Games Way, Prince George, B.C. V2L 5L1

Register Now!

For more information please contact:

Gordon Murray, executive director, Wood Pellet Association of Canada: Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | Tel: (250) 837-8821