Technical Support

Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA)

The FMECA of any system shall assess the effects on different failure modes on those systems operating equipment and where required the support vessel interfaces. The resultant quantification may highlight deficiencies in design, lack of redundancy and failure to maintain the recommended critical spares to ensure safe and efficient operations, with the emphasis being on personnel safety.

A FMECA shall consider the failure of electrical, mechanical and control systems hardware as well as all supporting documentation and should identify any Codes of Practice that should be followed during the assessment, such as International Codes and Legislation, Class Society Rules, Industry Standards and any Company Management Systems.

The failure modes of typical systems and sub-systems of any system should be considered as well as any mitigation that is in place and should subsequently provide a criticality rating for each failure. This will provide critical information required to plan any additional mitigation that may need to be included within the system to ensure safe and efficient operations.

The failures are ranked for criticality based on the probability and severity of the failure and will highlight deficiencies in the system as well as identify mitigation currently in place or required to provide safer systems. The level of criticality will be identified pre and post-mitigation which will have to be considered to ensure the failure mode criticality level is acceptable to commence operations.

Diving System Automation Functional Safety

When it comes to the everyday routine, no one can deny that automating processes within our daily work lives, greatly improves productivity. It has been a technological development that has seen great strides in production and safety in almost every industry across the globe. The use of automation to carry out the basic processes primarily reduces the risk of human error with mundane repetitive tasks. When you look further into the safety benefits you can see that by automating functions you can limit operator and user exposure, to inherently dangerous processes and direct equipment control, by moving command and control to safer and centralised locations.

However, what if the equipment in question actually houses and supports the life of its operators and users? What if every aspect of your life relied upon these routine processes? Wouldn’t you want these processes to become automated? Sounds like something of the future, but within the modern dive support vessel (DSV) this is becoming far more commonplace.

Namaka Subsea is positioned to support, not only in the auditing and assurance of these automated systems in line with the standards, various industry guidance and company procedures, but we also have the ability to support our clients in achieving functional safety compliance and its management throughout the dive system lifespan.