Refinery
turnaround is a must for every oil refinery’s operation. Equipment
and materials are updated or subjected to maintenance to enhance
operational efficiency. This maintenance activity requires shutting
down and even disassembling complex machinery, which can be dangerous
for refinery workers and contractors. Follow these turnaround safety
tips to reduce the chances of accidents:
Re-educate the people involved
Plant
turnaround is done once a year only so don’t expect adequate
retention regarding the safety measures. Re-educate employees for a
refresher. Since this activity involves special tasks like piping
installation, compressor overhaul and instrument calibration, it’s
important to inform contractors, like fuel services, about your
plant’s safety procedures, potential hazards, communication systems
and chain of command.
Minimize
hazards
Accidents
can greatly impede your turnaround’s operational flow so you should
include reduction of hazards (physical, biological, chemical etc.) in
your safety plan. Set a schedule on which equipment to overhaul or
dismantle. See to it that no high pressure, temperature or toxic
chemical is present inside which could threaten the worker’s
safety.
Establish a quality assurance program
Use
a 2-part tagging system that works this way: After a worker finishes
a job, the foreman takes a tag, inspects the work done then signs it
for confirmation. He then gives the other tag to the quality
assurance inspector who checks the work again and signs the tag to
signal that the equipment is ready for startup. This system is one of
the most popular turnaround safety measures used by many refineries
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