Apparatus and method for assessing exceedance of a process beyond safe operating limits

An apparatus and method implementable with a software application for checking or assessing exceedances of process variables beyond safe operating limits is described. The process has instruments, a process history database, and one or more external databases. The instruments measure process variables and can be associated with the equipment. The process history database stores a plurality of values of the process variables measured by the instruments. Data of the equipment, the associated instrument, and the safe operating limit for the equipment is defined in a limit sequence of the software application. The process history database is searched for one or more exceedance values that are measured by the defined instrument and that exceed the defined safe operating limit. The "apparent" exceedance values are then imported into the software application. Finally, the user uses the software application to evaluate and validate the exceedance values.