Technical Assurance Review for Asset Integrity at an Acid Manufacturing Plant
Executive Summary:
Challenge: Frequent loss of containment incidents and LTIs signalled weaknesses in asset integrity.
Approach
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Multidisciplinary team assessed plant integrity via inspections, incident analysis, and engineering reviews.
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Evaluated equipment degradation, structural concerns, and instrumentation failures.
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Triangulated findings with incident data and maintenance history.
Outcome
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Delivered a phased roadmap: immediate repairs, recalibration, fireproofing, and control logic modifications.
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Helped leadership prioritise resources and align capital investment plans.
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Restored confidence in asset integrity and provided clear pathway to safe, sustainable operations.
Case Study
AFRISHE was engaged by an acid manufacturing facility following a concerning trend of frequent loss of containment incidents, many of which had resulted in injuries and Lost Time Injuries (LTIs). The leadership sought independent technical assurance to understand the root causes of these recurring events and to implement practical, risk-based solutions. Over a six-month period, AFRISHE mobilised a multidisciplinary team of mechanical, civil, electrical, instrumentation, quality assurance and process safety specialists to conduct a comprehensive review of plant integrity and risk exposure across all tiers of process safety.
The engagement focused on identifying visible plant defects and operational vulnerabilities that contributed to mechanical and systemic failures. Through detailed inspections, performance observations, and engineering reviews, the team assessed how equipment degradation, structural concerns, and instrumentation faults were impacting control layers and barrier effectiveness, especially in the context of Tier 1 and Tier 2 process safety events. The review also considered the potential for escalation into Tier 3 incidents under current operating conditions. Findings were triangulated with incident data, maintenance history, and operating practices to ensure a complete and defensible understanding of failure mechanisms and safety system weaknesses.
AFRISHE presented the client with a phased recommendation roadmap, outlining both immediate “quick win” interventions and medium- to long-term actions requiring shutdown planning. These included urgent asset repairs, instrumentation recalibration, fireproofing upgrades, and control logic modifications, all aligned to reduce the likelihood and consequences of loss of containment events. The report also helped leadership prioritise resources and gain visibility into areas requiring capital investment or strategic shutdown alignment. By restoring confidence in asset integrity and laying a structured improvement path, AFRISHE enabled the client to take decisive steps toward restoring safe, stable, and sustainable operations.
