Things in the World of Functional Safety – Introduction

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This post was last edited by budaoweng123 on 2017-9-2 08:06. It serves as the opening to the series “Insights from the World of Functional Safety”. Going forward, we will share with you our experiences over the more than ten years we have been working in this field, as well as academic topics from our perspective (given that functional safety is still an emerging discipline). To get things started, functional safety is a rather vast field. At present, Lao Zheng is only familiar with the process industry; therefore, for at least the next half year, most of his views will be based on that experience. However, Lao Zheng has heard that functional safety in industries such as automotive, rail transport, and nuclear power operates in a similar manner. Whether this is indeed the case, Lao Zheng isn’t old enough yet, but he hopes to have the opportunity to experience it firsthand and then share his insights in detail. Let’s start by discussing what \"the martial world\" means – this is important for understanding the role of this category. If you think of positive and entertaining concepts such as \"The Smiling, Proud Wanderer\", \"Forgetting Each Other in the Martial World\", \"Wandering the World with a Sword\", or the TV series \"The Legend of the Condor Heroes\", then you might have the wrong idea. Lao Zheng’s concept of the world is rooted in ideas such as “relationships,” “face,” “getting by in life,” “things related to society,” and the “world of the legitimate and the illegal” – concepts that should not really be associated with Chinese people. Lao Zheng is not a historian, but he is interested in history and deeply understands one thing: China’s five-thousand-year civilization did not arise through chaos; rather, it was built through hard work, wisdom, diligent effort, and steady progress step by step. The world has no other civilization whose legacy has never been interrupted. If you have experienced what is known as the \"world of martial arts\" and feel that it is unfathomable, then let me tell you that this world is nothing more than a psychological distortion resulting from the backwardness of Chinese civilization over the past two hundred years; it will fade into obscurity as Chinese civilization rises again. Returning to functional safety, the bad news is that it remains an environment governed by ad-hoc rules at present; the good news is that it is not far from being marginalized ； Nevertheless, let’s talk about it, whether as part of the history of functional safety development or as a way to assess the situation before addressing functional safety issues. It seems that the functional safety industry in China has the most complex workforce. Firstly, the functional safety capabilities of these companies vary greatly; there are almost all the world’s top giants: BASF, Dow, Bayer, DuPont, 3M, Honeywell, Total, and many others ； What about the other side? There are also many small oil refining companies that never conduct risk analysis, or if they do, it’s just a perfunctory effort; they have no idea what functional safety entails, nor do they understand that interlock logic is implemented within DCS systems ； Of course, our large state-owned enterprises and central state-owned enterprises are also setting an example and moving forward through trial and error. Looking at instrument and equipment suppliers, the market is just as mixed – there are well-established companies such as Honeywell, Conson, Black Horse, and Emerson ； There are also newly established and well-known companies such as Allen-Bradley and Zhejiang Zhongkong, as well as a number of automation companies that decide to take action on the spot by obtaining a European SIL certificate (which is a significant step). Design institutes, engineering companies, and system integrators have deeply intertwined interests. Finally, there are also third-party companies that many people may not be familiar with – those that carry out risk analysis and issue SIL certificates. Of course, you might only be aware of TUV in Germany, and get confused by names like Rhine, South Germany, North Germany, Saarland, Hesse, etc.; yet there are many other world-renowned third-party organizations as well, from the United States, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Norway. If we are to talk about the origins of functional safety, it dates back to the 1960s, but I prefer to focus on what’s going on in the domestic industry. Just like when I was studying history, I always found the Western Mesopotamian civilization, the Dark Ages, and the city-state system to be rather obscure; I even thought that Hanoi in Vietnam was located in a river ； On the contrary, he is full of passion for modern Chinese history, and he reads over and over again even the small print in the selected passages from the books. Therefore, what I want to say is regarding functional safety in China: its official history dates back to the 2010 \"Notice of the State Council on Further Strengthening Work Safety in Enterprises,\" as well as the implementation guidelines issued by the State Administration of Work Safety to carry out this notice. Some people claim this is nonsense, arguing that we already had SIS systems back then – design guidelines were available in 1999, design standards in 2003, and the international standard GBT20438 was translated into Chinese in 2006. Well, that’s all correct; then let there be no time limit on our affairs in this world. Well, with the time, place, and characters set, this tale of anecdotes from the world of martial arts now begins. Lao Zheng’s basic views are reiterated as follows: To this day, no one doubts that China will become a modern **;** the decisive victory has been achieved in the struggle against a bureaucracy-driven system, nepotism, favoritism, and corrupt officials. Driven by the pursuit of maximizing national interests, such practices will be pushed to the periphery in today’s China. China will return to an era dominated by honest people who avoid deceitful tactics. To be honest, acting with integrity, being hardworking, and being wise have always been synonymous with the Chinese people. All the distorted tactics and practices described in the articles under the \"Jianghu Affairs\" section are meant as a warning to serve as a lesson. Lao Zheng believes that the day when the rules governing functional safety will change is not far off. Once that day arrives, the \"Industry Affairs\" section will be closed, and this official account will serve solely for technical discussions and exchanges on current topics; then, it will be time to say goodbye to this industry forever. To get things started, let me introduce myself: I’ve always felt there’s so much to say – about the promotion and development of functional safety in China over these past decade or so, about the correct and incorrect ways in which it is applied, about the various attitudes people have toward functional safety, whether positive, negative, or indifferent. I’d like to talk at length about all those things that I can’t cover due to time constraints, content limitations, or the circumstances of each presentation, or about those topics that haven’t been discussed thoroughly enough. It’s quite coincidental – when I wanted to sleep, someone brought me a pillow. In the past two years, two colleagues have appeared in my life who share an immense passion for functional safety. They don’t view functional safety merely as a means to make a living and support their families (though that is certainly important); instead, they work together on functional safety-related tasks, discuss it, and imagine what the future of this field will hold. Naturally, as the conversation went on, an idea came to mind: could we find more people who are interested in functional safety to talk with? Is it possible to do one’s part to promote functional safety in China? Even if it’s not possible, talking about things one loves with like-minded people, and feeling understood in those conversations, must be a great pleasure in life. That’s why you have come across this subscription account and this article. Let’s talk about us first, the Chit-Chat Trio. Lao Zheng – he’s not that old yet. I first came into contact with SIS in 2004 or 2005, when I visited the Daqing Petrochemical Complex; there was a Honeywell system there, which was extremely expensive. “You can’t go in; you can only take a look.” Looking back, I want to thank the gentleman who reminded me of this. It was precisely because of my dissatisfaction with him that, throughout my career – working for CNPC, American companies, German companies, and now a French company – functional safety, this \"valuable\" concept, has become something that is always present in my life. Kobayashi is not young either; he studied in France. His strengths lie in the fields of petrochemicals and chemistry. He has worked for renowned international design firms as well as major global chemical companies. There’s also Xiao Jun; let’s call him that for now. With ten years of experience in developing various electronic products, you’re really skilled. Now, let’s talk about the overall view of the functional safety industry in China. In one sentence: it is not yet mature. So what is maturity? China’s high-speed rail and subway technologies are considered mature – why? Through practice, absorb and digest Western experiences, establish Chinese standards, and export them abroad. When does it mature? In 2016, when Chinese standards became international standards. What about before that? The Paris Metro in France has been in operation since the 19th century, while Shanghai’s Metro Line 1 was opened in 1994, which is almost a century later. Therefore, at that point 20 years ago, the standards and norms developed by the French through continuous practice were advanced. Today, China’s functional safety industry is roughly at a similar stage to that of the high-speed rail industry in 1994. At this stage, the most prominent characteristic of the functional safety industry is chaos – it’s like a marketplace where companies and organizations from developed Western countries (the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Greece), whether reliable or not, get involved. In China, people who understand the subject or those who pretend to understand it, as well as those with experience or without it, all establish their own companies. Yet this is an inevitable path toward the maturity of the industry. Only through such practices can functional safety standards that suit China’s national conditions be truly developed. Here, we offer our contribution, holding out the hope that one day China’s functional safety industry will, just like nuclear power and high-speed railways, be able to introduce its standards as international standards. Only then can we say that it has reached maturity. Regarding future articles on this subscription account, they will be divided into three main categories: Industry Affairs: All the events that have taken place over the years in this industry will be the topics of discussion ； Current Affairs Expert: You can’t escape today’s hot topics ； Knowledge base: Plain-language explanations of functional safety concepts. Of course, translations that fail to use clear language are strictly avoided according to international standards; it is necessary to have clear opinions and attitudes. At the same time, there are also articles that are neutral and objective, based on facts and statistics, which reflect our commitment to rigor. What I hope most is that there will be more friends who are interested in functional safety to chat together. It should be noted in advance that all articles represent solely the author’s personal views; if any offense is caused, discussions are welcome. 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