Determination of the prioritised factors influencing equipment failure in the process industry by applying the Delphi technique
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15282/cst.v5i2.12227Keywords:
Delphi Technique, Prioritization, Process industry, Safety, HealthAbstract
This study addresses the pervasive issue of equipment failure in industrial settings, acknowledging its potential impact on production, service delivery, cost of repairs, and, critically, employee health and safety. Accidents resulting from equipment failures, especially in the processing industry dealing with hazardous materials, can lead to catastrophic events such as explosions and fires. The root causes of equipment failure, as identified by previous research, encompass factors like improper operation, insufficient design, improper welding, and inappropriate materials. A significant portion (35.2%) of recorded accidents is attributed to equipment failure, while the remainder is linked to human or operational errors. Despite numerous studies identifying influencing factors, there exists a lack of prioritization, hindering effective resource allocation and action planning. The study sets out clear objectives: to identify, validate, and prioritize factors influencing equipment failure in the process industry. Utilizing the Delphi Technique, the research obtains expert opinions to rank these factors in three categories: human, mechanical, and external. Maintenance errors emerge as the most critical human factor, emphasizing their importance in preventing equipment failure. The rankings also underscore the pivotal roles of training, leadership, and top management in mitigating human-related risks. In the mechanical category, internal factors like shortages of material, corrosion, and degradation receive moderate rankings, while power problems are comparatively lower. External factors, such as external flammable sources, natural hazards, and contamination, are ranked lower, suggesting a relatively lower impact on equipment failure. The study concludes with the importance of adopting a multifaceted approach to reduce equipment failure, emphasizing strategies to minimize maintenance errors, enhance training, strengthen leadership, and address mechanical issues. The findings provide valuable insights for developing comprehensive risk management plans that consider both internal and external factors, serving as a guide for industry professionals and policymakers in proactively improving equipment reliability and reducing failures in the process industry.
References
[1] B. Christiansen, “Equipment failure causes, risks, and how to avoid them,” Limble CMMS, Mar. 6, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://limblecmms.com/blog/equipment-failure/
[2] C. Eisner, “Understanding equipment failure: Causes & prevention,” MaintainX, Dec. 19, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.getmaintainx.com/blog/equipment-failure-common-causes/
[3] K. J. Niemitz, “Process safety culture, or what are the performance-determining steps?” in Proceedings Workshop on Safety Performance Indicators, Ispra, Italy, 2010, pp. 17–19.
[4] K.P. Prem, D. Ng, M.S. Mannan, “Harnessing database resources for understanding the profile of chemical process industry incidents,” Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 549–560, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2010.05.003
[5] T.M. Alexander, “A case-based human reliability assessment using HFACS for complex space operations,” Journal of Space Safety Engineering, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 53–59, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsse.2019.01.001
[6] X. Xie, D. Guo, “Human factors risk assessment and management: Process safety in engineering,” Process Safety and Environmental Protection, vol. 113, pp. 467–482, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2017.11.018
[7] A.M. Kumar, S. Rajakarunakaran, V.A. Prabhu, “Application of Fuzzy HEART and expert elicitation for quantifying human error probabilities in LPG refuelling station,” Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, vol. 48, pp. 186–198, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2017.04.021
[8] E. Zarei, M. Yazdi, R. Abbassi, F. Khan, “A hybrid model for human factor analysis in process accidents: FBN-HFACS,” Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, vol. 57, pp. 142–155, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2018.11.015
[9] S. Shokria, S. Varmazyar, P. Heydari, “A cognitive human error analysis with CREAM in control room of petrochemical industry,” Biotechnology and Health Sciences, vol. 1, pp. 13-21, 2016. https://doi.org/10.5812/bhs-38592
[10] K. Kidam, M. Hurme, “Analysis of equipment failures as contributors to chemical process accidents,” Process Safety and Environmental Protection, vol. 91, no. 1–2, pp. 61–78, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2012.02.001
[11] D.A. Crowl, J.F. Louvar, Chemical Process Safety: Chemical Applications, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Pearson Education, 2011.
[12] W. D. Seider, J. D. Seader, D. R. Lewin, and S. Widagdo, Product and process design principles: Synthesis, analysis, and design, 3rd ed. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
[13] P.K. Marhavilas, D. Koulouriotis, V. Gemeni, “Risk analysis and assessment methodologies in the work sites: On a review, classification and comparative study of the scientific literature of the period 2000–2009,” Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, vol. 24, no. 5, pp. 477–523, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2011.03.004
[14] H. Taherdoost, M. Madanchian, “An effective compromising ranking technique for decision making,” Macro Management & Public Policies, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 27–33, 2023. https://doi.org/10.30564/mmpp.v5i2.5578
[15] I. Emovon, R.A. Norman, A.J. Murphy, “Hybrid MCDM based methodology for selecting the optimum maintenance strategy for ship machinery systems,” Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, vol. 29, pp. 519–531, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10845-015-1133-6
[16] I. Zulkofli, “Influencing factors on equipment failure in chemical industry,” Ph.D. dissertation, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia, 2023.
[17] S. Thangaratinam, C.W. Redman, “The Delphi technique,” The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 120–125, 2005. https://doi.org/10.1576/toag.7.2.120.27071
[18] B.F. Olij, V Erasmus, J.I. Kuiper, F. van Zoest, E.F. Van Beeck, and S. Polinder, “Falls prevention activities among community-dwelling elderly in the Netherlands: A Delphi study,” Injury, vol. 48, no. 9, pp. 2017–2021, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2017.06.022
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
