7 steps to gear up for plant shutdown

7 steps to gear up for plant shutdown

Written by  Michelle Morra 31 August 2011

Preparing for your next plant maintenance should start with a solid lockout program to keep workers safe from the hazards of energized machinery. Safety experts offer best practices for safe shutdown procedures.

You would never clean a meat slicer without first unplugging it and making it impossible for anyone to plug it back in. Safety in this case is simple: place the plug in a lockout device and hold onto the key until the job is done and you are safe from the machine’s moving parts.

The risk is similar but a hundredfold in a manufacturing plant or other facility with multiple machines and equipment. Shutting down the entire plant for cleaning, service or maintenance requires that every part with the potential to move be rendered completely inanimate.

Many occupational injuries and fatalities are the result of power sources being inadvertently turned on, or valves opened mistakenly before the work is completed. That’s why it’s important to not only lock out all energy sources, but keep them locked out until the work is completed.

Energy control is a big job that must be done meticulously, with no room for error. Probably the biggest challenge, says Jamie Button of Brady Canada, is a lack of resources.

“Companies that are trying to follow ‘lean’ or ‘5s continuous improvement’ have got things so pared down,” he says, “that often people tasked with developing a lockout/tagout program have many other things in their job description. They also have to be experts in being engineers or ‘continuous improvement’ people.”

On the brighter side, he has observed that since the Ontario Ministry of Labour stepped up its inspections over the past five years, and since CSA Standard Z460-05 Control of Hazardous Energy – Lockout and other Methods came into effect, he has seen far more requests for lockout products and services than before.

Every plant should have written procedures for a safe plant shutdown. According to the Industrial Accident Prevention Association (IAPA), the procedure should state that: supervisors must be notified of lockouts in their areas; all lockouts must be authorized by a work permit; lockout stays in effect if work is not completed at the end of the shift; and completed work must be reported to the person in charge of signing off the work permit.

As for the lockout process itself, every machine being cleaned, maintained, adjusted or repaired must have its own written lockout procedure.

“I’ve seen some do generic shutdown procedures, and you could see that it was for another plant,” Button says. “It’s important to indicate that it’s for this machine, for this plant. Inspectors want to see you be specific.”

He says that if machines have very few or just one energy source, (like pulling out a plug), it might be enough to put a lock or tag on it. But a generic procedure won’t do if you have multiple sources of energy feeding it. “If you’ve got hydraulic, pneumatic, gravity or electricity or any combination of those things, obviously you’ve got to get into multiple steps to isolate the energy,” Button says.

Every machine, device or process needs its own written lockout procedure that states who will perform the lockout, who is responsible for ensuring it is done right, which energy sources need to be controlled, where to find control panels, valves and other components, and the steps for removing the lockout.

While every machine’s lockout procedure is different, here are the essential steps:

Conduct a risk assessment. Identify all energy sources connected with the work. The machine’s written lockout procedure must indicate all hazards.

Turn it off. Unplug, switch off and disable the equipment and redirect, or stop all energy. Much more than a flick of a switch, though, powering down means releasing all stored energy.

Some machines have several sources of energy. You can’t always see them, but they lurk in hidden places such as springs, pistons, air surge tanks and loose machine parts and have been known to injure or kill workers who thought the machine was disabled. For example, gravity can cause the raised arm of a press to drop, even if the machine’s hydraulic and electric power are locked out. “Stored energy” could be anything with potential to cause the machine to spontaneously or unexpectedly move.

All potential energy must be relieved, disconnected and restrained. A “competent person” — one who has the knowledge, training and experience to safely perform the task and is familiar with applicable hazards and safety regulations — must stop all energy flows. This step might require tracking wires, lines, and piping in and out of the equipment to identify all energy sources.

Lockout: Keep it off. Apply restraint devices to prevent the system from starting up while you work on it. Each person working on the equipment must padlock the disconnect switch in the off position, remove the key and hold onto it. The person in charge, or who is doing the work, should be the first to install a lock and the last to remove it.

Tagout. Each worker who is working on the machine needs his or her own tag. Tagout is a way of communicating the danger to anyone in the vicinity — in plain language: Do not start. Do not close. Do not energize. Do not operate.

The tag indicates who locked out the machine, directs people not to start or operate the machine, and notes when the lockout procedure was applied. Some companies use colour-coding, where each department uses a different colour. Barricade tape or floor stands are also effective visuals to convey the message that an area is off-limits. Some even put the employee’s picture on the tag.

“If you have a face on there,” Button says, “you see the person who’s doing the work. And if you see that face and you know who it is, maybe even subconsciously you’ll use a little more care.”

Test. Before starting any cleaning, maintenance or service, check that the equipment has been locked or tagged out, isolated and de-energized. Also make sure the main disconnect switch cannot be moved to the “on” position. Try starting the machine using the normal operation controls and switches to make sure that the power is off. The machine’s lockout procedure should spell out exactly how to test the lockout.

Do the maintenance, cleaning or service work. You may start work on the machine or its parts only when you know there is zero chance that any part of the machine or equipment will move!

Safely resume operations. Before turning the machines back on, alert staff that the lock and/or locks will be removed. Make sure the operational controls are in the “off” position so that the main disconnect switching is done under “no load”. There should be no tools or other foreign materials in the machine.

No lock should be removed until the work is done and the work is completed and the work permit signed off. The person supervising the lockout should be the last to remove his or her lock.

List of Safety Precautions for Shutdown Activities of Chemical Plants

There are two kinds of chemical plant shut down, i.e. planned shutdown and emergency or unplanned shutdown. An example of planned shutdown is as preparation for Turn Around or yearly preventive maintenance programs. Emergency plant shutdown can be triggered by many factors, such like electric power failure, machinery failure, instrumentation trouble and many more.
In both shutdown cases, there are safety precautions for shutdown activities of chemical plants that need to be taken into account. Such safety precautions are required to prevent potential hazards that commonly appear during plant shut down.
In fact, many people may underestimate chemical plant safety in shutdown condition. Of course there may no pumps running, no reactions occur or production process. But various potential hazards such as over pressure, fire and explosion still exist, which could present real danger to the plant and people inside it.
This article is aims to provide safety precautions for shutdown activities of chemical plants. The safety precautions inside this article will not cover all the potential hazards because each plant has different potential hazards. However, they may represent the most common potential hazards during plant shutdown.

1. Release pressure that may be trapped between two closed valves or closed process equipment loops. If liquid trapped inside is decomposing and releasing gas, such as hydrogen peroxide, the condition will be worst.
2. Replace flammable gas inside vessel or piping line to below its Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) with inert gas, for instance nitrogen if hot work is planned to be done surround that area.
3. During normal operation there may be a leak through steam valve. Insert a blind plate to stop process heating by steam, otherwise pressure inside will build up and may create over pressure or over heating condition.
4. Always measure oxygen concentration inside tank or reactor at the safe level, where a job will be conducted.
5. Flammable gas concentration may zero in tank or column, but beware of nitrogen hazard, since nitrogen could make oxygen level less than safer concentration.
6. Maintain nitrogen blanket for tank containing flammable liquid during plant shut down. Flammable vapor is still released.
7. When pressure indication just relies on pressure gauge consider error indication. Seek another one for comparison.
8. Do not just rely on pressure gauge indication to make sure zero pressure. Open all available drain or vent valves to release the remaining pressure. Beware of pressure that trapped in a dead zone.
9. Bring any high temperature process to ambient. It is not only saving energy but also eliminate one hazard source. Except there is a strong requirement keeping that high temperature.
10. During plant shut down period, it is usually performed many jobs in the same time. Be careful not to use same hoses or transferring pump to avoid unintended reaction. Consider material compatibility. Read the MSDS to find out material compatibility.
11. There will be much flammable or combustible material spread around the plant site. Do not dispose used absorbent materials that still contain flammable liquid into trash bin.
12. Utilization of temporary lines or hoses may increase in shutdown period. Dispose damaged hoses and only use good hoses with the right specifications.
13. Several equipments or pipelines are designed to be used only in shutdown time. Be careful, because some part of the equipments or pipes may have been corroded and would not be able to hold certain pressure rating.
14. Used drums are usually used during plant shutdown in order to recover lubrication oils, chemicals or catalysts. Use only used drums that are originally used for those chemicals or ones that have been washed and cleaned up.
15. In yearly preventive maintenance period, there are not only permanent workers involved in plant shutdown activities but there will be contractor workers and temporary workers. Educate them adequately about all the potential hazards that may exist in the area where they work.
16. Temporary electric connections are commonly used for driving portable pumps or exhaust blowers in shutdown time. Put extra care to avoid electric spark generation because many flammable materials exposures.
17. Chemical splash and spill hazards will more likely occur during maintenance works.

The above checking points do not represent all the safety precautions for shutdown activities of chemical plants. Complete the above list based on your actual plant conditions. It had better to include them in safety inspection checklists during plant shutdown.

Weather Report and Forecast For: Kakinada Dated :Apr 28, 2015

Local Weather Report and Forecast For: Kakinada    Dated :Apr 28, 2015

	Past 24 Hours Weather Data Maximum Temp(oC) 37.4 Departure from Normal(oC) 0 Minimum Temp (oC) 27.4 Departure from Normal(oC) 0 24 Hours Rainfall (mm) NIL Todays Sunset (IST) 18:20 Tommorows Sunrise (IST) 05:37 Moonset (IST) 01:44 Moonrise (IST) 13:46
Today's Forecast:Sky Condition would be partly cloudy. Rain/thundershowers may occur in parts of city. Maximum and Minimum Temperatures would be around 38 & 27 Degrees Celsius respectively.
Date Temperature ( o C ) Weather Forecast Minimum Maximum 29-Apr 27.0 38.0 Partly cloudy sky 30-Apr 27.0 38.0 Partly cloudy sky 01-May 28.0 39.0 Partly cloudy sky 02-May 26.0 38.0 Partly cloudy sky 03-May 26.0 38.0 Partly cloudy sky 04-May 26.0 37.0 Partly cloudy sky

	Actual	Average	Record
Temperature
Mean Temperature	32 °C	-
Max Temperature	37 °C	-	- ()
Min Temperature	27 °C	-	- ()
Cooling Degree Days	25
Growing Degree Days	40 (Base 50)
Moisture
Dew Point	25 °C
Average Humidity	66
Maximum Humidity	81
Minimum Humidity	41
Precipitation
Precipitation	0.0 mm	-	- ()
Sea Level Pressure
Sea Level Pressure	1009.00 hPa
Wind
Wind Speed	2 km/h ()
Max Wind Speed	7 km/h
Max Gust Speed	-
Visibility	7.0 kilometers
Events

T = Trace of Precipitation, MM = Missing Value

Source: Averaged Metar Reports

Daily Weather History Graph

 today prediction

Monthly

	Max	Avg	Min	Sum
Temperature
Max Temperature	38 °C	35 °C	29 °C
Mean Temperature	33 °C	30 °C	28 °C
Min Temperature	29 °C	25 °C	23 °C
Degree Days
Heating Degree Days (base 65)	0	0	0	0
Cooling Degree Days (base 65)	26	22	16	625
Growing Degree Days (base 50)	42	37	32	1063
Dew Point
Dew Point	28 °C	25 °C	20 °C
Precipitation
Precipitation	4.0 mm	0.4 mm	0.0 mm	10.30 mm
Snowdepth	-	-	-	-
Wind
Wind	9 km/h	1 km/h	0 km/h
Gust Wind	-	-	-
Sea Level Pressure
Sea Level Pressure	1015 hPa	1010 hPa	1002 hPa

Monthly Weather History Graph

Workplace Housekeeping - Basic Guide -Annual Turn Around at NFCL EHSQ MANAGEMENT

Why should we pay attention to housekeeping at work?

Effective housekeeping can eliminate some workplace hazards and help get a job done safely and properly. Poor housekeeping can frequently contribute to accidents by hiding hazards that cause injuries. If the sight of paper, debris, clutter and spills is accepted as normal, then other more serious health and safety hazards may be taken for granted.
Housekeeping is not just cleanliness. It includes keeping work areas neat and orderly; maintaining halls and floors free of slip and trip hazards; and removing of waste materials (e.g., paper, cardboard) and other fire hazards from work areas. It also requires paying attention to important details such as the layout of the whole workplace, aisle marking, the adequacy of storage facilities, and maintenance. Good housekeeping is also a basic part of accident and fire prevention.
Effective housekeeping is an ongoing operation: it is not a hit-and-miss cleanup done occasionally. Periodic "panic" cleanups are costly and ineffective in reducing accidents.

What is the purpose of workplace housekeeping?

Poor housekeeping can be a cause of accidents, such as:

• tripping over loose objects on floors, stairs and platforms
• being hit by falling objects
• slipping on greasy, wet or dirty surfaces
• striking against projecting, poorly stacked items or misplaced material
• cutting, puncturing, or tearing the skin of hands or other parts of the body on projecting nails, wire or steel strapping

To avoid these hazards, a workplace must "maintain" order throughout a workday. Although this effort requires a great deal of management and planning, the benefits are many.

What are some benefits of good housekeeping practices?

Effective housekeeping results in:

• reduced handling to ease the flow of materials
• fewer tripping and slipping accidents in clutter-free and spill-free work areas
• decreased fire hazards
• lower worker exposures to hazardous substances (e.g. dusts, vapours)
• better control of tools and materials, including inventory and supplies
• more efficient equipment cleanup and maintenance
• better hygienic conditions leading to improved health
• more effective use of space
• reduced property damage by improving preventive maintenance
• less janitorial work
• improved morale
• improved productivity (tools and materials will be easy to find)

How do I plan a good housekeeping program?

A good housekeeping program plans and manages the orderly storage and movement of materials from point of entry to exit. It includes a material flow plan to ensure minimal handling. The plan also ensures that work areas are not used as storage areas by having workers move materials to and from work areas as needed. Part of the plan could include investing in extra bins and more frequent disposal.
The costs of this investment could be offset by the elimination of repeated handling of the same material and more effective use of the workers' time. Often, ineffective or insufficient storage planning results in materials being handled and stored in hazardous ways. Knowing the plant layout and the movement of materials throughout the workplace can help plan work procedures.
Worker training is an essential part of any good housekeeping program. Workers need to know how to work safely with the products they use. They also need to know how to protect other workers such as by posting signs (e.g., "Wet - Slippery Floor") and reporting any unusual conditions.
Housekeeping order is "maintained" not "achieved." Cleaning and organization must be done regularly, not just at the end of the shift. Integrating housekeeping into jobs can help ensure this is done. A good housekeeping program identifies and assigns responsibilities for the following:

• clean up during the shift
• day-to-day cleanup
• waste disposal
• removal of unused materials
• inspection to ensure cleanup is complete

Do not forget out-of-the-way places such as shelves, basements, sheds, and boiler rooms that would otherwise be overlooked. The orderly arrangement of operations, tools, equipment and supplies is an important part of a good housekeeping program.
The final addition to any housekeeping program is inspection. It is the only way to check for deficiencies in the program so that changes can be made.

What are the elements of an effective housekeeping program?

Dust and Dirt Removal

In some jobs, enclosures and exhaust ventilation systems may fail to collect dust, dirt and chips adequately. Vacuum cleaners are suitable for removing light dust and dirt. Industrial models have special fittings for cleaning walls, ceilings, ledges, machinery, and other hard-to-reach places where dust and dirt may accumulate.
Special-purpose vacuums are useful for removing hazardous substances. For example, vacuum cleaners fitted with HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters may be used to capture fine particles of asbestos or fibreglass.
Dampening (wetting) floors or using sweeping compounds before sweeping reduces the amount of airborne dust. The dust and grime that collect in places like shelves, piping, conduits, light fixtures, reflectors, windows, cupboards and lockers may require manual cleaning.
Compressed air should not be used for removing dust, dirt or chips from equipment or work surfaces.

Employee Facilities

Employee facilities need to be adequate, clean and well maintained. Lockers are necessary for storing employees' personal belongings. Washroom facilities require cleaning once or more each shift. They also need to have a good supply of soap, towels plus disinfectants, if needed.
If workers are using hazardous materials, employee facilities should provide special precautions such as showers, washing facilities and change rooms. Some facilities may require two locker rooms with showers between. Using such double locker rooms allows workers to shower off workplace contaminants and prevents them from contaminating their "street clothes" by keeping their work clothes separated from the clothing that they wear home.
Smoking, eating or drinking in the work area should be prohibited where toxic materials are handled. The eating area should be separate from the work area and should be cleaned properly each shift.

Surfaces

Floors: Poor floor conditions are a leading cause of accidents so cleaning up spilled oil and other liquids at once is important. Allowing chips, shavings and dust to accumulate can also cause accidents. Trapping chips, shavings and dust before they reach the floor or cleaning them up regularly can prevent their accumulation. Areas that cannot be cleaned continuously, such as entrance ways, should have anti-slip flooring. Keeping floors in good order also means replacing any worn, ripped, or damaged flooring that poses a tripping hazard.
Walls: Light-coloured walls reflect light while dirty or dark-coloured walls absorb light. Contrasting colours warn of physical hazards and mark obstructions such as pillars. Paint can highlight railings, guards and other safety equipment, but should never be used as a substitute for guarding. The program should outline the regulations and standards for colours.

Maintain Light Fixtures

Dirty light fixtures reduce essential light levels. Clean light fixtures can improve lighting efficiency significantly.

Aisles and Stairways

Aisles should be wide enough to accommodate people and vehicles comfortably and safely. Aisle space allows for the movement of people, products and materials. Warning signs and mirrors can improve sight-lines in blind corners. Arranging aisles properly encourages people to use them so that they do not take shortcuts through hazardous areas.
Keeping aisles and stairways clear is important. They should not be used for temporary "overflow" or "bottleneck" storage. Stairways and aisles also require adequate lighting.

Spill Control

The best way to control spills is to stop them before they happen. Regularly cleaning and maintaining machines and equipment is one way. Another is to use drip pans and guards where possible spills might occur. When spills do occur, it is important to clean them up immediately. Absorbent materials are useful for wiping up greasy, oily or other liquid spills. Used absorbents must be disposed of properly and safely.

Tools and Equipment

Tool housekeeping is very important, whether in the tool room, on the rack, in the yard, or on the bench. Tools require suitable fixtures with marked locations to provide orderly arrangement, both in the tool room and near the work bench. Returning them promptly after use reduces the chance of being misplaced or lost. Workers should regularly inspect, clean and repair all tools and take any damaged or worn tools out of service.

Maintenance

The maintenance of buildings and equipment may be the most important element of good housekeeping. Maintenance involves keeping buildings, equipment and machinery in safe, efficient working order and in good repair. This includes maintaining sanitary facilities and regularly painting and cleaning walls. Broken windows, damaged doors, defective plumbing and broken floor surfaces can make a workplace look neglected; these conditions can cause accidents and affect work practices. So it is important to replace or fix broken or damaged items as quickly as possible. A good maintenance program provides for the inspection, maintenance, upkeep and repair of tools, equipment, machines and processes.

Waste Disposal

The regular collection, grading and sorting of scrap contribute to good housekeeping practices. It also makes it possible to separate materials that can be recycled from those going to waste disposal facilities.
Allowing material to build up on the floor wastes time and energy since additional time is required for cleaning it up. Placing scrap containers near where the waste is produced encourages orderly waste disposal and makes collection easier. All waste receptacles should be clearly labelled (e.g., recyclable glass, plastic, scrap metal, etc.).

Storage

Good organization of stored materials is essential for overcoming material storage problems whether on a temporary or permanent basis. There will also be fewer strain injuries if the amount of handling is reduced, especially if less manual materials handling is required. The location of the stockpiles should not interfere with work but they should still be readily available when required. Stored materials should allow at least one metre (or about three feet) of clear space under sprinkler heads.
Stacking cartons and drums on a firm foundation and cross tying them, where necessary, reduces the chance of their movement. Stored materials should not obstruct aisles, stairs, exits, fire equipment, emergency eyewash fountains, emergency showers, or first aid stations. All storage areas should be clearly marked.
Flammable, combustible, toxic and other hazardous materials should be stored in approved containers in designated areas that are appropriate for the different hazards that they pose. Storage of materials should meet all requirements specified in the fire codes and the regulations of environmental and occupational health and safety agencies in your jurisdiction.