Foreign Object Debris (FOD)
Within many nuclear and electrical power plants as well as in other industrial facilities, there is a major concern surrounding safety and operation when it comes to lost, fallen, and floating objects within the internal system of the facility. The costs incurred in relation to debris are nearly impossible to specifically track and calculate but could possibly be in the billions each year for each industrial sector. These costs include equipment damage, repair and replacement, reduction in efficiency, or downtime, lost revenue, and sometimes the costs of litigation.
A foreign object, in this industry and context, is any item that does not belong in a particular area or space. In other words, if a tool, a piece of garbage, or another item falls or is dropped into a space, that object is then considered foreign matter, a foreign object, or foreign debris. Foreign matter is dangerous, could lead to costly and unsafe conditions, and therefore should be located and removed immediately.
Some examples of foreign objects are bolts or nails, pebbles or leaves, and lost equipment, such as hardhats or gloves. Another common type of foreign debris occurs when internal parts are worn and either fall or shear off from its original component. This happens more often than some are aware, and again, these free-floating items should be located and removed immediately so as not to cause further corrosion or even contamination.
A Protocol
There are many risks associated with foreign object debris, but there are also methods that can be used in order to mitigate those risks. Creating and implementing Foreign Matter Exclusion (FME) and Foreign Object Search and Retrieval (FOSAR) protocols is essential as a best practices initiative to mitigate accidents leading to Foreign Object Debris (FOD) in your system. For example, educating employees regarding potential areas where matter exclusion might be of concern. This might include identifying a specific and strict area as a boundary for tools and chemicals. It’s also important to train technicians on the importance of securing equipment. Finally, taking action, for example ensuring all hand-held equipment are tethered with a lanyard, using only tinted plastics, and cable ties are some easy ways to ensure fewer debris accidents.
Side-Effects
Injuries to workers may not be the most expensive calculation involved in FME issues, but employee safety cannot be quantified and is the most important factor to any industrial environment. Damages and the side-effects from a foreign object are exponential. Many times, the destruction caused affects the integrity and functioning of equipment, which could, in turn, compromise quality, operation, and life of the equipment as well as the entire system. All of this entails repair or replacement, and leads to outages and downtime, and ultimately to lost revenue.
Debris Retrieval
If you do find yourself in a situation where you know or suspect there is foreign debris in your system, the experts at IIA can help right away. Our decades of plant services experience and our nationwide footprint means you can rest assured that we will quickly mobilize and then deploy NDE technology to locate the debris. After locating the debris, our team will use remote, robotic RVI equipment for retrieval to stop a full facility outage and further destruction to your system. Trust the experts at Industrial Inspection & Analysis for all your Plant Services testing, inspection, exam and RVI needs.
