Shutdown and Turnaround Success: What Your Contractor Needs to Know
Let’s say during your next planned turnaround, you hire a walkway company to build and remove walkways around tanks, columns, and other vessels. You are doing this because of the likely scenario that no one on your staff is qualified or licensed to do so. Your walkway company may be the best at what they do, but they need your help to ensure the job is done right. Below, we will discuss the necessary information to share what your contractors need to know for a successful shutdown or turnaround.
- Shutdown Contractors Need to Know Who to Call
Some say your contractors only need one contact within your facility. In actuality, your contractor will need a customized list of facility contacts. The list begins with contract coordinator(s) or a primary contact. Your contractors should also be provided the names and mobile phone numbers for those they need to speak with in operations, maintenance, and safety. A capital project and/or process technical contact may be needed depending on the type of contractor. Here are a few essential reasons your contractors should have more than one contact:
- The primary contact WILL NOT be available at all times during a shutdown or turnaround.
- The contractor may have several team members or several crews, each with their own needs.
- The contractor(s) may not be scheduled at the same time the selected contact(s) are scheduled.
- The contractor’s work may involve specialty fields the individual contact is not experienced in.
- Having just one contact for contractors can add hours or even days to projects, which can escalate costs.
- They Need to Know Your Facility
It is essential contractors know the facility in which they are working, including but not limited to: equipment location, sequence when working on multiple pieces of equipment, safety areas, off-limits areas, common areas, etc. Contractors should be shown how they would get work done from a real world perspective. For example, if you are sharing equipment with contractors, how do they ask for them? How long may they take them for? What is their liability when using facility equipment?
This “facility tour” is essential for new contractors and returning ones as well, as they may have forgotten your facility or have new team members with them.
- Contractors Need to Know Contingency Plans
Contractors should be clear on the extent of any decisions they make. For example, if your walkway contractor goes to lay concrete and finds cracks in the ground, should they address this themselves? What sort of permission do they need should they have to go outside of the original scope of the work? Someone in your facility should be assigned beforehand to have any extra work reported to, assessed, and approved. Some contractors know what to expect and lay out common scenarios they may encounter. It is essential that a plan for these scenarios be put into place before the shutdown begins.
- Safety Rules Apply to All
Your contractor may be experienced in building walkways around tanks, but they may have no experience in dealing with the chemicals inside the tanks or the various processes going on around them. Safety procedures vary from facility to facility. Make sure all of your contractors know all safety risks and procedures as it pertains to their work. This includes government regulations for your country, state, city, and county. Make sure your out-of-area contractors are up to date on local regulations.
AMACS is a trusted contractor to countless processing plants throughout the world. We provide in-kind replacement or custom tower internals, including trays, packing, mist eliminators, hardware, and coalescers. Contact us by calling or e-mail us with your tower internal requirements to get a quick response.