Restarting factories post lockdown



Deeply saddened by the turnaround of events resulting in the series of accidents in various process industries during the post lockdown start up.

Things were moving on smoothly until some viruses came from nowhere and started controlling our decisions.
Nations went on lockdown, factories that were running fine for years had to shut down unplanned. 
Now, slowly the world has started to accept it as the new normal and is learning to work accordingly. Factories are restarting, and with that comes a new risk most of us had not seen in our career.
- restarting factories that were closed down for days together after a planned / unplanned shut down has to be done, but not forgetting the inherent risks.

 Penning down some of the questions you can ask yourself before setting the burner on fire.

 Manpower related - 
There is no guarantee that the same people who left the plant last come in first for the start up, people might be stranded, they might be busy taking care of their loved ones, they might be under huge stress of loss of job or a reduction in salary - a lot might have changed during  the lockdown period. Here are a few questions you can ask -

1.    Do we have sufficient staff available to restart the plant? – Maybe the staff are stranded in various other locations from where they won’t be able to come, maybe some new norms by authorities restrict the number of people that can be employed in an factory at a particular time.
2.    Is manpower experienced in start-up operations available for this start-up / Are the available resources trained and able to perform a start up?
3.    Are your checks on the subcontractors outsourced with critical activities sufficient?
4.    Is a proper management of change in place for all the changes made in the plant (including the change of personnel) and are the changes incorporated in your start up procedure?
 

Operation related - 
Your systems have been left idle for a longer than normal period of time. You should take your time to understand the issues that might have occurred. Maybe some of the chemicals may have denatured, safety valves may be jammed, pipes might be corroded due, your nozzles might be choked and lot more. Umpteen number of problems that only your team can brainstorm and answer. Here are some questions you can ask -
  
5.    Are you sure about the mechanical integrity of your systems?
6.    What are the areas where blocks, choking, corrosion etc might have happened due to the plant being  shut down for a long time? Are such new risks identified and mitigated?
7.    Do you have all the systems reliable and proper controls available in place to ensure safety in start up? Are the systems/ loops checked and ensured they are safe to start?
8.    Have you checked all the leak detection devices? Are they working?
9.    Does your company have procedures in place wherein transparency is appreciated? ( In plain words can I come and tell my boss that there is a chemical leakage because I didn't shut down the system properly and now it can't be started until the clutter is cleared ? Required purging done? Required cooling period ensured?) If not do it before you ask a start up. Make sure you take some steps to boost their morale (like someone of the level of the Factory Manager attends the shift tool box talk, assuring them of their salaries, assuring them of the additional safety precautions and that extra amount of care you have put up to ensure their safety)
10. Are your operators informed to communicate any changes in parameters to their supervisors?
11. Are the supervisors open enough to listen to their subordinates and capable to make informed decisions?

Safety related - 
The start up is not the same as running your plant once it reaches steady state. Emergency preparedness is vital. Plant may not be started without a PSSR that gives a satisfactory outcome. Here are some questions you an ask -

12. Do you have quantitative risk assessment covering the major hazards in the plant that can result in onsite / off-site emergencies - more importantly, are they communicated to the stakeholders?
13. Are hazop or any similar studies conducted after plant modifications?
14. Are the emergency procedures of your plant updated and tested? When was it tested lately?
15. Do you have an off-site emergency response plan in place? Are the risks of offsite emergencies shared with the local crisis group / other similar local disaster management collectives?
16. Is the Pre startup safety review done?Has the top management reviewed all the systems before start up and is confident to start up?
Process related accidents do unmatched damages to the society and also to the reputation of your company. So we cant take risks.





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

🌍 Embracing Sustainable Living, One Step at a Time! 👣

Dear Community, I recently encountered a common yet often overlooked problem - the sole of my running shoes decided to part ways with me.  🙄  Rather than rushing to buy a new pair, I decided to take a small step towards sustainability and repair them with Fevicol shoe fix. (I could have run down to a good cobbler, but I didn’t know anyone nearby) This experience got me thinking about the simple ways we can contribute to a more sustainable future. It's not just about big eco-initiatives; small, individual acts matter too.   Sustainability isn't just about solar panels and electric cars; it's about reusing, repairing, and repurposing in our daily lives. In this fast-paced world, we often forget that the most eco-friendly product is the one we already own – for the production of which, raw materials were used, processed in factories, transported and displayed in a shop until it was bought for use. So the way in which we as an end user can contribute is by prolonging its lif...
Read more

Risk Factors in Landslide Disaster Emergency Rescue

In the wake of the horrible landslides in Wayanad district of Kerala, among other articles and news, I came across a write up by a disaster management expert from the United Nation. A portion of his article translates roughly to 'An area that met with a disaster requires people with special skills. Even if there are small things to do (like serving food), some experience is required; such as the presence of mind to deal with disasters when they are seen in person, and benevolent behavior towards those affected by the disaster comes from the experience handling such situations.' this inspired me to give a thought on the the delicasies and risks involved in the Emergency rescue. Watch the videos running on news channels - you will come to know that the emergency recue after a landslide is no child's play. Landslide disasters caused by heavy rainfall pose significant risks to both rescue teams and affected communities. Understanding these risks is crucial for ensuring the saf...
Read more

The Influence of Childhood Team Sports on Adult Behavior

Recently while on job, I had an opportunity to have an engaging conversation with a business leader. The late evening discussion then went off topic, maneuvered smoothly through the passionate field of behaviour sciences and delved then into some thought provoking questions on where it is leading to in the world being increasingly dominated by AI and ML. On a similar front, another fact that has triggered my curiosity is that organizations are working hard to find leaders who can adapt to changes and provide necessary answers by implementing all available leadership development programs. During the recent years, learning & development leaders have manifested an increasing interest in engaging personalities from the sports sector, proof of this is the increasing number of athletes and coaches who participate in leadership programs offering their insights and experiences transferable to the businesses. These intrigued me to do a slew of internet searches which led to reading a co...
Read more