Analyzing the Alarms in the Alarm List
The Current alarm list consists of all active and/or unacknowledged alarms. This means that any alarms for which the condition that triggered them still exists are displayed, whether you (or another operator) has clicked the acknowledge button; and any unacknowledged alarms are displayed, regardless as to whether the condition that triggered them still exists.
Note: If you are interested in viewing only those alarms for which the alarm condition still exists, you can click the Active List Options button. If you are interested in viewing only those alarms that have not yet been acknowledged, you can click the Unack List Options button. The alarm categories are described in List Options Buttons.
An example of the Current alarm list is displayed below.
Examine the Current alarm list example shown above. You will notice that the alarms are displayed in different colors. As you read in Alarm List, these colors reflect the priority or urgency of each alarm. It is important to note that any alarm displayed in navy blue has been selected in the alarm list (as is the case for the last alarm in the list shown above).
Color is one indicator of the priority of each alarm. The second indictor of priority is the text displayed in the Priority column. By default, alarms range in priority from Critical (most urgent) to No Alarm (least urgent).
The Status column identifies the current status of each alarm. In the list shown above, you can see that only the second alarm is experiencing normal conditions – in other words, the condition that caused the alarm no longer exists; however, the alarm remains in the list because it has not yet been acknowledged.
In addition to the priority of the alarm, a description of the equipment process condition is provided in the message field. These messages help you to determine what equipment is in an alarm state, and why.
Once you have determined the cause and priority of an alarm, you should fix the condition that caused the alarm to trigger. You can turn off the alarm signal by acknowledging the alarm (as directed in Acknowledge One Alarm). Acknowledging alarms stops the alarm indicators for the selected (i.e. alarm siren and the red flashing indicators.)
If you have acknowledged an alarm, but have not fixed the condition that caused the alarm to occur, then the alarm's status will change from Alarm to Alarm/Ack in the Status column, but the alarm will continue to be reported in the Current alarm list.
If you fix the condition that caused the alarm to occur, but do not acknowledge the alarm, the alarm's status will change from Alarm to Normal/Unack in the Status column, and the alarm's highlight color will change to green (indicating a normal status), but the alarm will remain in the Current alarm list until it is acknowledged.
The sections that follow provide specific instructions on acknowledging alarms and controlling alarm sounds.