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Tom Shephard – Managing Principal Consultant

Tom Shephard – 40+ years working in global operating, EPC, and consulting companies.
Areas of expertise: functional safety, control and safety system design and projects,
human factors, project management, and developing new methods and best practices.
Project experience includes O&G, refining, petrochemicals, and pipelines. Tom worked
on several of the world’s largest and most advanced offshore O&G production facilities.
Author (book): Human Barrier Design and lifecycle, a Cognitive Ergonomics Approach
and Path forward (published May 2024).

Abstract: The presentation demonstrates the application of a newly published and peer-reviewed
design and lifecycle model to an alarm IPL. The same model equally applies to a SIF
maintenance bypass, or a safety critical maintenance task performed on a high
consequence SIL 3 SIF. Current global practice and standards, including IEC 61511,
lack the capability to prevent an entire class of designed-in failure types that remain
persistent and, as yet, unmitigated contributors to safety system failure. The presentation
begins with a brief review of alarm IPL and SIF failures that were causal contributors to
the Deepwater Horizon accident. Indicating failure in the post-accident industry
response, a 2023 NASEM report assessed these functions to be a continued major
source of systemic risk in the US offshore O&G industry. The first-of-kind, project executable model employs cognitive ergonomics
and engineering psychology to prevent and mitigate what, for most, remain hidden design errors that mislead and failure to
adequately support operators and maintenance personnel. The model aligns to and is
intended to supplement IEC 61511 and like safety practice and standards in these areas.
Attendees will be introduced to the next logical next step in safety design.