Asset Integrity Management (AIM) systems must establish policies, standards, procedures, and activities that ensure the equipment and process piping are properly designed, installed per specifications, and fit for their intended use over their life cycles using industry standards and manufacturers' recommendations. This technical paper will discuss implementing an AIM program for a global chemical and pharmaceutical company. The discussion will include developing the broad asset groups and relevant challenges, obtaining stakeholder buy-in for the implementation methodologies, and managing a measured rollout with global training and a simple performance indicator to track implementation progress. Implementing an AIM program requires management commitment and vision to ensure its success, qualified individuals to identify all included equipment, flexibility to adopt relevant regulations, collaboration to create compliant and reasonable policies and procedures, and coordination to seek buy-in, conduct training, and improve the program continuously.
Implementing an Asset Integrity Management (AIM) program requires organizations to create their equipment and piping lists for Inspection, Testing, and Preventive Maintenance (ITPM) in the PSM-covered process (often called included equipment). The list can be grouped into categories that guide ITPM requirements and ensure compliance with recognized industry codes, standards, and recommended practices as mandated by OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard1, 29 CFR 1910.119. Operating companies can also choose to create critical equipment lists to prioritize included equipment that helps prevent or mitigate catastrophic incidents, such as safety instrumented systems (SIS) or fire protection equipment.
The company in this case study had an equipment list that was grouped into categories, including fabricated equipment, pre-engineered equipment, pressure relief devices, electrical equipment, critical interlocks, and fire protection systems, each governed by relevant industry standards and/or manufacturers' recommendations. As the AIM program evolved, additional categories, such as a gasket management program and infrastructure, were incorporated to address previously overlooked equipment categories and their associated risks.
Beyond the initial work of creating equipment lists, grouping the equipment, and understanding the relevant standard, successful AIM implementation also requires stakeholder buy-in, ongoing training for the AIM representatives, flexibility in execution, and the recognition of additional safety programs such as electrical safety. The structured rollout emphasized following the company's program requirements to ensure compliance with OSHA's PSM mechanical integrity element to prevent loss of containment and the resulting incidents. This technical paper outlines the approach taken, challenges encountered, and key lessons learned in successfully launching a global AIM program for a chemical and pharmaceutical company.
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