Industrial project or maintenance shutdown underway?

Maintenance and service work is often carried out in an environment that is unfamiliar to the person carrying out the work, and at facilities where all the risks and working methods are not necessarily known. On the other hand, even an unexpected error in a familiar environment can stop production, which means that safety measures may need to be taken in a different way than usual. The risk increases even more if a situation occurs at night or during the weekend, when the person with the right competence is more difficult to reach. These factors, together and individually, can lead to safety procedures not being followed or being applied prematurely.

During a major maintenance shutdown, there may be hundreds or even thousands of workers on site at the same time, often including people who may not speak the local language.
How can you best ensure that everyone is familiar with the workplace rules and knows how to act in an emergency, report deviations and understand the routines for work permits?

The phrase “well planned means half done” also applies when preparing for a maintenance shutdown.
An important part of preparations is safety training in advance, which employees are often required to complete before arriving at the workplace.

Safety training prior to maintenance and shutdown work should include:

• Instructions for entering and moving around the area, such as assembly points and roads.
• Requirements in terms of personal protective equipment.
• Instructions for preparing and completing work, such as work permits and risk assessment before starting work.
• Incident reporting and management.
• Instructions for emergency situations.

As a client or employer, you should ensure that everyone has the necessary safety knowledge well in advance of maintenance and shutdown work commencing, by providing the right training and guidance.