November/December 2020

28 n SAFETY November/December 2020 www.drivesncontrols.com Are passwords past it for factory operations? M anaging passwords has become a major part of everyday life, but in the age of industrialised digitalisation and the increased need for total traceability, do they still cut it for controlling processes and keeping the operators involved in setting up and running equipment safe? Passwords are commonplace throughout modern manufacturing facilities – HMIs, touchscreens, industrial PCs and robot controllers all have login options, access levels, user privileges, and so on, and most of these are based on passwords. Strong passwords are an effective security tool as long as they are not revealed, shared or hacked. Lapses happen – such as a person leaving a Post-It note with their personal details for accessing their email account stuck to the side of a computer. It’s quite common to see passwords or codes for a production line written on a control panel as a reminder for all to see. This tends to become worse as the plant gets older, with the only password that matters, and the one subsequently shared, being the one that grants access to everything. Poor password security can compromise product safety and, if replicated throughout a plant, it can cause issues. This is especially so during the current pandemic when people who have been self-isolating, return to work, find they have forgotten their own password and borrow someone else’s. With shared passwords, you lose all individual traceability. Many systems don’t log users off automatically, and those that do might only do so after a long period of inactivity. This could result in someone taking over machinery using the same access details, with significant safety implications. If a supervisor with extended access rights leaves a session open, this could allow potentially dangerous actions to be carried out – for example, initiating a Cleaning- in-Place (CIP) process. As more exacting requirements are expected for full transparency and traceability in the supply chain – such as identifying a particular operator at a specific time – data interfaces with low possibilities of manipulation or error will be vital for discovering who did what and when, and even preventing an undesirable operation taking place in the first place – for instance, if the operator did not have the correct training for the process. There are various applications based on biometric and machine vision technologies that are emerging as alternatives to passwords on shop floors. However, fingerprint readers can be a problem in locations where most operators have to wear gloves and/or have dirty fingers. An electronic key system (EKS) is a flexible, effective alternative which can phase out human error and provide increased safety for employees, systems and processes. An EKS offers not only secure access to machine/process functions and data, but also traceability of events through plant control systems. Colour-coded inductive key tags can control multiple processes, from operations to maintenance, including hazardous mode selection, thus improving safety for both employees and customers. Some of these key systems are based on RFID. A reader scans the data and forwards the information to the control system. Such systems can also be used to control specific functions and access encrypted process parameters for an installation. Different keys can be assigned to different operators or access levels – or even to a particular product. Process parameters can also be assigned to a key to ensure product quality. Where several languages are spoken, keys can be used to select the operator’s language, again reducing the likelihood of errors. Some EKSs offer high ingress protection ratings (including IP69), making them suitable for CIP applications, or for areas where high- pressure jet spray cleaning is used. Unlike magnetically-coded swipe cards, electronic key systems cannot lose data. If a tag is lost or stolen, it can be blocked instead of needing to reprogram the entire system. This offers a secure method for connecting personnel into production systems where access privileges need to be controlled. n Although passwords are ubiquitous, they are not ideal for protecting people and processes, or increasing product safety, in manufacturing operations. David Dearden, UK and Ireland manager for Euchner, describes a secure alternative. The German chocolate-maker Ritter Sport uses an electronic key system to ensure that the right raw ingredients are filled into the right containers.