Planning for Turnaround Success
Every plant encounters turnarounds! Either for scheduled maintenance, replacement/repair of equipment or expansion. The challenge in planning for turnaround success, is to minimize downtime while adhering to safety and environmental standards. To meet this challenge, Facility Managers often call on an external source, a company that has expertise in turnaround management. Experienced Turnaround Planners agree that it is important to have a plan that includes the following steps:
- Acquire Necessary Documentation
Depending on your state, county or city, you may need permits to make modifications or additions during the turnaround. Be sure to investigate and confirm that all necessary permits are in order in advance of the turnaround. Given the speed at which some agencies move, delays in obtaining permits could add unnecessary downtime while raising costs, should the inspector not like what they see.
- Set Limits
Many turnarounds involve limiting and/or controlling the access of non-essential personnel into turnaround work areas. These areas may be barricaded using tape or simple stands, through the use of sentries or by completely closing off access to the areas. These steps are mainly taken in order to:
- Maintain the safety of personnel and equipment/materials
- To provide warning of hazardous or sensitive areas
- To set clear paths for the entry and exit of personnel
- Inspect Contractor’s Documents
Once you have selected the contractor or contractors to execute your turnaround, one of the major parts of your plan should be reviewing their insurance certificates. Most contractors are required to have a minimum liability policy along with worker’s compensation insurance. If the turnaround goes past its planned deadline, additional insurance may be required. Be sure to keep a file with the insurance information in the event of worker injuries or even accidental deaths.
- Plan for Repairs
While inspecting the insurance and contracts of outside vendors, be sure to highlight clauses that cover damage that might be caused to the plant. Given that some equipment may have to be dismantled, moved or worked on, accidents can happen. Some of the most common accidents in plants, happens to the property fence or equipment that must be moved. It is imperative to insure your contracts address the coverage of what can seem to be a minor incident, but something that can ultimately be very costly and time consuming.
- Provide Cleaning Options
Many of the activities undertaken during an outage, involve “messy” work. If possible, seal off affected areas so the exposure is limited to one area. If not already present at the facility, consider setting up clean rooms with emergency showers and eye baths. These can be rented with temperature and pressure controlled water. Even if you have these areas already established, be sure they can accommodate any increased worker volume of the turnaround.
Conclusion on Planning for Turnaround Success
To achieve a successful turnaround, the lifting, moving, removal, and installation of equipment and components are all important factors that must be planned around. This also includes having the right equipment in the interval. Many plants were not built with large scale turnarounds in mind. This reality demands innovative and comprehensive solutions that take everything into account. One of the most important ways you can plan for success…. is to hire skilled professionals to assist you.
AMACS is not a turnaround management contractor, but we have long standing relationships with contractors that have been managing turnarounds for years. We are willing and able to handle the supply of your tower internal needs on a “turnkey” basis. With over 70 years of experience, the AMACS Turnaround Team is ready to partner with you! Contact us so we can share in more detail how our Turnaround Team can provide you with all your tower internal needs.