Does NFPA Compliance Make Your Burner Management System Less Safe? NFPA 85, 86, and 87 have long defined the baseline for Burner Management System (BMS) design and operation. But what if strict adherence to these prescriptive standards is creating a false sense of security—and in some cases, actually increasing risk?

This webinar challenges the conventional assumption that NFPA compliance equals safety. While NFPA standards define minimum requirements, they do not ensure that risk is reduced to tolerable levels. In fact, many BMS implementations rely on architectures, testing intervals, and component selections that align loosely with SIL 2 performance—regardless of actual risk exposure.

When evaluated through the lens of IEC 61511 and Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), it becomes clear that certain fired equipment scenarios—high occupancy, frequent demands, offsite consequences, or aggressive corporate risk targets (e.g., 1×10⁻⁵/year)—may require SIL 3 risk reduction. Yet typical NFPA-based BMS designs fall short. Field devices are often only SIL 2 capable at prescribed test intervals, and logic solver requirements are rarely sufficient to achieve higher integrity levels.

This session will challenge deeply held assumptions and provide a clear path forward: moving from “compliant” to “defensibly safe” through risk-based design, lifecycle data, and performance validation.