Leveraging Ex-Equipment Inspections and Data Analysis for Sustainable Process Safety
Big data analysis of 26,000 Ex equipment inspections across 35 global facilities revealed a 29.45% average compliance rate β and a sector-specific roadmap for sustainable improvement.
The Challenge
Traditional Ex equipment inspection processes are plagued by chronic operational problems: data loss, human error, difficulty locating assets in the field, and no systematic corrective action tracking. Without structured digital data collection, the massive volume of information generated by inspections cannot be analysed β and the strategic value of compliance auditing remains unrealised.
The Solution
ProSCon Engineering deployed the ExA audit software platform across 35 industrial facilities spanning four sectors β Oil & Gas, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Food. Each of the 26,000 Ex-rated equipment items was assessed against 132 individual data points, producing 3.4 million structured entries. The Ex-RBI (Risk-Based Inspection) methodology was applied to prioritise all findings, and results were integrated with enterprise asset management systems including SAP and Maximo.
The Outcome
Analysis revealed an average Ex equipment compliance rate of just 29.45% across all 35 facilities, exposing the scale of hidden risk in industrial hazardous areas. The research produced sector-specific and protection-type-specific action plans, categorised into immediate safety risks (32%), medium-term integrity issues (39%), and long-term housekeeping deficiencies (29%) β providing facilities with a clear, prioritised roadmap for sustainable process safety improvement.
Project Scope & Dataset
Conducted by ProSCon Engineering and presented in 2023, this research examined 35 industrial facilities across four primary sectors β Oil & Gas, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Food β managed globally. The average facility age was 18 years. Using ProSCon's proprietary ExA audit software, 26,000 Ex-rated equipment items were inspected. Each item was assessed against 132 individual data points, producing a total dataset of 3.4 million entries. The breadth and depth of this dataset made meaningful cross-sector statistical analysis possible for the first time.
Key Findings: Sector Compliance Rates
Across all 35 facilities, the average Ex equipment compliance rate was just 29.45% β revealing the scale of hidden risk in hazardous industrial areas.
Equipment Failures by Protection Type
Non-conformances were analysed by IEC 60079 protection type to identify root causes and target corrective action:
Risk-Based Ex Inspection (Ex-RBI) Approach
All identified non-conformances were categorised and prioritised using the Ex-RBI (Risk-Based Ex Inspection) methodology:
Digitalization: The Foundation for Big Data Analysis
Traditional inspection processes suffer from chronic operational problems: paper-based records are lost or mis-filed, data entry is error-prone, and locating assets in the field is time-consuming. Without structured digital data collection, inspection information cannot be meaningfully aggregated or analysed. Specialised audit software such as ExA eliminates these problems by enabling real-time field data capture, standardised assessment frameworks, and direct integration with enterprise asset management systems including SAP and Maximo. This digital infrastructure is a prerequisite for the kind of strategic cross-facility analysis demonstrated in this research.
Recommendations by Sector & Protection Type
The research produced a prioritised action roadmap across two dimensions: organisational strategy and engineering practice, followed by sector-specific corrective measures.
- Periodic Ex equipment inspections should be conducted by second- or third-party independent experts to eliminate operational blindness and break cycles of chronic non-conformance.
- A Process Safety Management (PSM) system integrated at facility level is the structural foundation for sustainable improvement.
- Type 'e' and 'i' equipment design must be performed exclusively by competent, qualified personnel.
- Type 'd' flameproof equipment must undergo a mandatory initial inspection after installation.
- Type 'n' equipment requires careful pre-startup verification checks following every maintenance intervention.
After GMP-mandated painting operations, schedule sample inspections to verify flameproof flamepath integrity and cable gland condition.
Tighten dust leak measurement programmes and housekeeping routines to prevent explosive dust cloud formation in Zone 21/22 areas.
Revise internal Hazardous Area Classification (HAC) studies to correct equipment specification errors at the root; address chemical corrosion as a systematic asset management issue.
Invest in increasing personnel competence in managing external environmental factors β UV degradation, salt spray, vibration β that affect Ex equipment condition over time.
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Key Results
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