We just finished our two yearly shutdown or we call it turnaround(TAR). Sure you wondering why they call it turnaround. First time when I heard this word also doesn't know what and why they call like that. Turnaround is an American dilect that has been using until today for plant shutdown. At that time all equipment been opened for services and maintenance. If you observed it at that time it just like everything turning around.Parts are everywhere, equipment removes, piping scattered around and heavy vehicles such as crane park everywhere. That why they call it as turnaround. Nothing special really but the term sometime make us think, it that the right word?.. I think you know better.
What i would like to share with you is about how challenging we are when you dealing with thousand of contractors and safety hazards are everywhere. We are lucky that no one seriously injured from this major shutdown. The challenge is to manage HSSE aspect to ensure compliance and practice is taking place. We conducted at least 3 official audits every days for total of 14 days. Load of findings and issues were raised and addressed prombly. Just to highlight to those who have this kind of experience, there 4 stages of HSSE lifecycle during shutdown(TAR), pre TAR is all about scaffolding issues, loose materials all over the place, incompliance (here some start testing the effectiveness of the company system). At this stage when we started issuing yellow card (similar like football), people start taking safety seriously and compliance start improving. At second stage of HSSE lifecycle during TAR is about to maintained the compliance and at this time vessel start boxing out. High risk activity start such as entry into confined space, welding inside the vessel and when time reaching the end of the period, people start getting tired and fatigue, short cut will take place. At the 3rd stage is about completing the task by boxing up the vessel, testing, commisioning and authority verification taken place. This stage also dealing a lot with loose materials and tired workers. At this stage you'll HSSE complaince getting better. Last stage is about dealing with houskeeping and those equipment that require insulations before plant start up. These stages are only concer during Mechanical days, not taking consideration on Plant shut down and plant start up, that should be consider different hazards.
To those whose involves with shutdown, take notes...at least you can make a different to avoid any injury to our friends. This should include contractors or employees themself, if we create right system for them to work, I strongly believed we can improve it and safe people who work for us.