2013-July-Columns-Material Matters

Plant equipment failures are responsible for an estimated 30% to 50% of all process safety incidents and environmental releases, and 20% to 40% of all plant production losses. Excess maintenance — i.e., maintenance activities that do not add value either by improving the understanding of the equipment condition or by correcting known deficiencies in equipment — accounts for 15% to 30% of most plants’ total maintenance budget. This article describes risk-based inspection (RBI) — a systematic approach to the management of inspection programs by prioritizing equipment inspection activities — and discusses how it can provide improvements in safety and production while reducing costs.