Thread Content
Instrument technicians bear the heavy responsibility for ensuring safe production; there are certain risks associated with tasks such as installation, maintenance, and calibration. Therefore, it is essential to be familiar with job responsibilities, adhere to safety procedures, and ensure proper operation. Below, the editor has compiled a list of the job responsibilities and precautions that instrument technicians must be aware of, in the hope that it will be helpful to everyone. General safety regulations: 1. Instrument technicians should be well-versed in the safety aspects related to electricity and toxic or harmful substances for the instruments under their responsibility. 2. Under normal circumstances, working on live circuits is not allowed. 3. In workplaces with dust and toxic substances, it is necessary to understand the nature of these substances and their hazards to human health, and to take effective preventive measures. 4. Operations inside towers, tanks, and other vessels shall be carried out in accordance with the safety regulations for work within such vessels. 5. Equipment that is not under dedicated management shall not be started or stopped arbitrarily. 6. Before starting work, the instrument technician must carefully check whether the tools being used, as well as various instruments and equipment, are in good working condition; otherwise, work cannot begin. 7. When servicing instruments, it is necessary to check in advance whether all safety devices are in good condition; otherwise, the servicing cannot begin. 8. When it is necessary to stop the meter or cut off power supply for on-site work, it is essential to contact the operators and obtain their permission before proceeding. Electrical operations are carried out by electrical professionals in accordance with established procedures. 9. When performing maintenance on instruments, the residual pressure and materials in the equipment must be released, water, electricity, gas, and supply sources must be cut off, the temperature must be brought to normal levels, and signs stating “Do not close the switch” and “Under maintenance” must be hung. If necessary, a dedicated person should be assigned to supervise the process. Remove the safety device. 10. When using a soldering iron, wiring must not be done while the device is powered on; wiring should be completed first before power is applied. It is strictly prohibited to use electric tools that generate sparks in flammable and explosive environments, and a fire permit must be obtained if such tools must be used. 11. Instruments and their electrical equipment must have proper grounding. 12. Any instrument or equipment shall be treated as being energized until it is proven otherwise. Whenever the wiring at the terminals is not clear, it should be treated as a high-voltage power source. 13. The wires of instruments, electrical and lighting equipment, etc., must not be damaged or leak electricity. 14. The instrument power switch must not be shared with the lighting or power supply switch; explosion-proof switches must be used in explosive environments. 15. For instruments and their auxiliary equipment, before powering them on, it is necessary to check whether the power source and voltage level meet the requirements of the instruments. Then, the insulation condition should be inspected; power can only be supplied after confirming that the wiring is correct and the connections are good. 16. It is strictly prohibited to place conductors and magnetic items on instruments and electrical equipment. 17. It is strictly prohibited to touch any terminal of the transformer after it has been powered on. 18. It is strictly prohibited to disassemble or assemble instruments while they are under voltage. When work must be carried out under voltage, the on-site staff must first contact the relevant departments or personnel and confirm that it is safe and reliable before powering them on. 19. For the instruments on site, as well as the intermediate junction boxes and distribution boxes, measures must be taken to protect them from water, moisture, freezing, and corrosion, in order to ensure their safe operation. 20. The casings of electric tools, electrical equipment, etc., used must be properly grounded. It is strictly prohibited to insert wires directly into sockets without plugs. 21. The voltage of electrical equipment should meet the requirements. If the equipment malfunctions during use, the power supply should be turned off first before notifying maintenance personnel. Non-professionals must not touch it arbitrarily. 22. Without the consent of the workshop equipment operator, the operating conditions of all instruments (differential pressure, pressure, or temperature ranges, etc.) must not be altered arbitrarily. After the scope of work changes, it is necessary to inform the equipment operator for record-keeping, and this should be clearly documented in the technical files. 23. Ammonia or liquid ammonia must never come into contact with mercury to avoid corrosion. 24. When working at heights, the “Safety Technical Operating Procedures for Work at Heights” must be followed. 25. When operating under high-temperature conditions, necessary protective and insulating measures must be installed around the work area to prevent burns or scalds. 26. It is prohibited to stack chemical substances that produce corrosive gases around the instrument room (panel). II. Instrument Repair Technician 1. Comply with the “General Safety Regulations for Instrument Technicians”. 2. When performing maintenance or troubleshooting, it is necessary to contact the main operator on duty, discuss safety measures, and work closely together. For critical processes where the interlock control system poses a risk of stopping the machine, work must be carried out only after contacting the workshop and dispatch. 3. When dealing with faults in automatic control systems, the interlock mechanism must be disabled by the operator; the regulator should be switched from \"automatic\" to \"manual\" mode. Additionally, the transmitter processing unit, recorder, and alarm unit should have their power and gas supply cut off, but the regulator’s power and gas supply must not be interrupted to ensure proper operation in manual mode. 4. If it is determined that the fault originates from the regulator or actuator itself, after following the procedures specified in the previous point, have the operator perform manual operations on site to resolve the fault. 5. Maintenance personnel must have a clear understanding of the process flow, automatic systems, and the composition and structure of the detection systems; moreover, the terminal numbers must match those on the drawings before any work can be carried out. Safety preparations must be made before dealing with faults; the resolution of major faults requires approval from the shift leader or the workshop duty officer, and a plan must be devised before any action can be taken. 6. When performing routine maintenance or accessing the control panel, careful handling is required – handle it gently, push and pull it softly, and avoid knocking off any wires, plugs, or any components of the instruments. Knocking is strictly prohibited while driving normally, to prevent malfunctions in the interlocks, buttons, or relay contacts. 7. When removing or installing instruments on various pipelines and valves that are under pressure or contain materials, it is necessary to close the instrument valves to release the pressure; the materials must be completely removed before any removal or installation can take place. Such operations should always be carried out from the side. When dealing with on-site issues, all pipelines should be treated as under pressure. 8. If an abnormal operation of the instrument is detected and it resumes working on its own before the cause has been identified, the cause must be found before the instrument can be used again; otherwise, it should be disabled. If the gauge poses a direct threat to production and it cannot be stopped, contact the production chief scheduler. 9. When maintaining instruments, it is necessary to take measures to prevent them from freezing, so as to avoid accidents caused by frozen instrument pipelines. 10. When removing items from the electric furnace, it must be done after turning off the power. The voltage for local lighting must not exceed 36V. 11. The inspection, disassembly, and inspection of instruments on gas equipment must be carried out by two persons (one as supervisor), and should be done after the gas supply has been shut off for cleaning. When working with fire, it is necessary to go through the relevant procedures, and the work must be carried out under the supervision of a supervisor. 12. When working on the steam system, precautions should be taken to avoid burns and overheating of instruments. Oils and fireworks are strictly prohibited when in contact with oxygen or acetylene or when working in their vicinity. Three instrument installers: 1. Comply with the “General Safety Regulations for Instrument Workers”. 2. Installing field instruments requires two people to work together. 3. When removing instruments that are exposed to hazardous substances such as alkalis, dust, and toxic gases, work may only proceed after proper cleaning and purging have been carried out. 4. Strictly enforce the management regulations regarding the issuance, storage, and keeping of flammable and explosive materials. 5. During installation and connection, if mechanical equipment, welding equipment, as well as pneumatic and electric tools are to be used, the relevant safety and technical operating procedures for such equipment must be followed. 6. It is strictly prohibited to store flammable and explosive materials around electric furnaces, ovens, and other heating equipment. Night operations must be carried out by two people. 7. The power supply and other wiring must comply with the requirements shown in the diagrams; no changes shall be made arbitrarily. If changes are indeed necessary, approval from the relevant departments is required. 8. When leaving the work area, the power supply and other relevant energy sources must be turned off. Electrical equipment must not be installed under doors or pipelines to prevent damage to the equipment due to drips. Four Instrument Calibrators 1. Comply with the “General Safety Regulations for Instrument Workers”. 2. It is necessary to understand the operating instructions, principles, and performance of the instrument being tested before operating it. 3. When using vibration tables, ovens, cryogenic equipment, or other devices for performance tests, the safety and technical operating procedures for such devices must be followed. Concentration is required during the experiment; one must not leave without permission, and should constantly monitor the progress of the experiment while keeping proper records. 4. When cleaning the instrument, turn on the ventilation equipment, pay attention to the surrounding environment, and the operator must not leave. Flammable solvents must not be used; if their use is necessary, special approval is required, and they must be stored in accordance with the regulations for flammable and explosive materials. 5. It is prohibited to use electric ovens or dryers to heat flammable materials such as oil ; Electric heating equipment should be under the supervision of a designated person. 6. During acceptance, the schematic diagram or other relevant documents should be carefully checked against the wiring list; testing may only begin after it is confirmed that everything is correct. 7. Any instrument that is in use must have a maintenance certificate upon replacement; otherwise, its use is prohibited. 8. The removal of stopped instruments or field instruments must be recorded by the production workshop to prevent accidents caused by accidental operations by operators. 5. Thermal Instrument Operators: When performing work on live equipment, in environments with gas present, or at heights without shutting down the equipment, thermal instrument operators must first obtain approval. They need to be equipped with reliable safety tools, and one person should operate while another acts as a supervisor. 2. Before operating or maintaining the instruments, it is necessary to have a thorough understanding of the entire system as well as the instruments themselves, so as to be well-informed; after the maintenance is completed, relevant parties and users should be informed accordingly. 3. All equipment must not be operated or used beyond its \"specified range of use\". 4. The power must be turned off before items can be removed from the electric furnace. 5. It is prohibited to use temporary wires for instruments and electrical equipment, as well as to insert wires directly into sockets. 6. Inspections and the removal of instruments from gas equipment should be carried out after the gas supply is shut off and the system is purged. When working with fire, it is necessary to notify the relevant departments and obtain approval from the safety and technical department, and the work must be carried out under the supervision of rescue personnel. 7. When adjusting or maintaining the instruments in the gas system, two persons are required (one of whom acts as a supervisor). Staff should be familiar with gas safety procedures. 8. When the steam system is in operation, burns and overheating of instruments should be prevented. Oil and fireworks are strictly prohibited when in contact with oxygen and acetylene or when working in their vicinity. 9. Flammable, explosive, and toxic substances should be kept under the supervision of a designated person, and stored in locked cabinets in well-ventilated areas where overheating can be prevented. The storage quantity must not exceed the specified amount. What are the precautions that instrument technicians should follow when working on site? 1. First and foremost, instrument technicians must be familiar with whether the workplace is a location prone to fire and explosion or one where toxic and harmful substances are produced ; 2. Then familiarize oneself with the tasks at hand, prepare the maintenance work order, and have two or more people participate ; 3. Before and during work, pay attention to the following points: ① Based on the work tasks, it is essential to conduct a thorough safety risk analysis, identify all potential hazardous factors in detail, and take appropriate safety measures. Wear all necessary protective equipment; for work at heights, follow the relevant safety rules – wear non-slip shoes and use safety belts. Work is strictly prohibited in conditions of strong winds or heavy snowfall, etc ; For hot work, it is required to obtain the necessary work permits; after analysis and approval, work can proceed only with the presence of a supervisor ; When performing maintenance on enclosed containers such as towers, tanks, vats, and reaction vessels, analysis or purging must be carried out; work may only proceed after confirmation that the conditions are suitable, and signs indicating that people are working inside must be installed ; When maintaining measuring instruments and control valves used with toxic, harmful, and corrosive media, it is necessary to wear protective equipment such as gas masks or air respirators ; ②Instruments that require power shutdown must be prepared for such a shutdown. When maintaining interlocked or automatically controlled valves, it is necessary to inform the process engineers in advance, and they shall create the conditions necessary for maintenance by disabling the interlocks or switching the automatic control circuits to manual mode ; ③During maintenance in the oxygen-enriched area, it is prohibited to use hammers or equipment that may generate sparks ; ④When removing or installing instruments, stand to the side of them. Only after ensuring that the pressure medium has been completely drained can the instruments be removed. If the medium is toxic or harmful, it must be discharged in a designated location to prevent contamination. When reinstalling, degreasing must be carried out if oxygen-measuring instruments are used ; ⑤When dealing with instrument failures involving high-temperature media, take measures to prevent scalding and heat burns, and proceed only after ensuring that both the primary and secondary valves are tightly closed.