THE INDUSTRIAL OPERATOR'S HANDBOOK A Systematic Approach to Industrial Operations by H. C. Howlett Il Pocatello, IdahoTHE INDUSTRIAL OPERATOR'S HANDBOOK: A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS Copyright © 1995 by H.C. Howlett IT [All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any ‘means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. For information contact TECHSTAR. Book Design, llstrations, and Cover Design by Gary J.Jensen. First Edition Published October, 1995. Gary J. Jensen, Editor and Publisher. Printed in the United States of America. ‘04 03 02 01 00 99 98 97 54 ISBN 1-57614-021-0 ‘TECHSTAR BO. Box 2651 Pocatello,ID 83206-2651 (208) 237-4119 ivThe 20th century has seen an industrial revolution and the phenomenal growth of technology which has brought forth television, worldwide instant communications, the automobile the airplane, amazing advances in medicine, the development of computers, the use of nuclear energy, and even space exploration, ‘Those of us who have been privileged to live in this remarkable century are well aware ofthese and. other achievements. However, we will carry forever in our minds some spectacular and tragic failures along the way, such as the sinking of the R.M.S, Titanic in 1912, the Challenger space shuttle accident in 1986, the fatal gas release at Bhopal in 1984, the Three-Mile Island accident in 1979, the crash of Air Florida Flight 90 in 1982, the Chernobyl Atomic Power Station accident in 1986,and the Exxon-Valdez grounding in 1989, Hop Howlett has incorporated these and other failure case studies in The Industrial Operator's Handbook, By so doing, he presents the vital elements of successful systematic industrial operations. The text explores the nature of failure in a very readable manner and follows up by discussing the strategy and skills for operational success, concluding with specific suggestions for implementing thestrategy, Hop Howlett strong background in the nuclear industry, steeped in Admiral Rickover’s principles of personal responsibility, the ever present challenge of working hard, and always striving to do. ‘one’s very best ate at the heart of this book. ‘The book is written from the operator's standpoint, but in a very real sense, engineers, and the ‘maintenance and support people are operators, too, as are managers, team leaders, and executives all the way to the CEO. If were a CEO, The Industrial Operator’s Handbook would be mandatory reading for all of them. The book can be used as a textbook for training or for executives to refer to frequently. Importantly, I believe this text is applicable to the chemical process industry, fossil fuel power generation, and laboratory and manufacturing operations, in addition to the nuclear industry. I believe the underlying principles as well as the strategy and implementing recommendations can be used in almost all industries. Hop Howlett has put the principles, the skills, and the implementation strategy for safe and reliable industrial operations into this text. In so doing, I believe he has made a significant contribution to ‘many industries. I highly recommend widespread use of this valuable textbook. LANDO W. ZECH, JR. ‘Vice Admiral, US. Navy (Retired) Former Chairman, US. Nuclear Regulatory Commission