A system for preventing inadvertent or untimely parameter changes to an active online field device from a secondary system different from a distributed control system application providing control instructions to the field device, where the parameter changes may cause detrimental effects to a plant process or activity. A request for a parameter change from the secondary system may be intercepted before the request is received by a field device or a controller for evaluation by an operator of the distributed control system. The validation process may provide a plant operator with override authority to approve or deny a set of critical parameter changes to an active field device or other active plant device.