Associates Ltd
Copyright © AMP Associates Limited 2007
In today’s modern Process Industry, plant operations professionals have to function within the manufacturing environment and be conversant with an increased level of complex and sophisticated technology related to running a production plant. This includes issues of plant safety, the health safety and welfare of employees, perceived impact on the local environment and make sure that all procedures adhere to regulatory compliance.
No matter what internal plant operation processes and procedures are employed, communications between operational shifts is of paramount importance. This is typified by the Buncefield major incident which occurred on 11th December 2005. The subsequent report, published in July 2006, recommended 5 topic areas to be considered, one of which was ‘shift handover’. This is not the first time shift handover has been cited in a report. The HSE had said in 1996 that shift handover should be given more emphasis ‘as a priority’ .
Those of us who work in the process industry would probably not be surprised to learn that the more significant disruptions occur shortly after shift handover than at any other time of day. A decision is made, or more importantly not made simply because the incoming shift operators and supervisors are not made aware of the current operational status of the plant. These avoidable incidents can range from an oversight to a life threatening situation. What could possibly go wrong? The answer is just about anything!
Any organisation’s most valuable assets are the employees, who retain a wealth of knowledge and experience concerning plant operations. As process industry professionals, we all have a responsibility to ensure that the plant operations processes and procedures employed support the individual’s ability to record and transfer the operational knowledge to colleagues who take over at the next shift change.
BASF plc the chemical company, at its manufacturing site in Seal Sands has opted to replace their paper based shift recording system with a computerised solution. Camtique Ltd and BASF IT Services Ltd jointly developed and implemented the STAR (Shift – Tracking – Action – Recording) software at the Seal Sands plant. After nine months of continuous 24 hour usage, the whole site has benefited from an increased level of communications with regard to plant operations.
No matter what internal plant operation processes and procedures are employed, communications between operational shifts is of paramount importance. This is typified by the Buncefield major incident which occurred on 11th December 2005. The subsequent report, published in July 2006, recommended 5 topic areas to be considered, one of which was ‘shift handover’. This is not the first time shift handover has been cited in a report. The HSE had said in 1996 that shift handover should be given more emphasis ‘as a priority’ .
Those of us who work in the process industry would probably not be surprised to learn that the more significant disruptions occur shortly after shift handover than at any other time of day. A decision is made, or more importantly not made simply because the incoming shift operators and supervisors are not made aware of the current operational status of the plant. These avoidable incidents can range from an oversight to a life threatening situation. What could possibly go wrong? The answer is just about anything!
Any organisation’s most valuable assets are the employees, who retain a wealth of knowledge and experience concerning plant operations. As process industry professionals, we all have a responsibility to ensure that the plant operations processes and procedures employed support the individual’s ability to record and transfer the operational knowledge to colleagues who take over at the next shift change.
BASF plc the chemical company, at its manufacturing site in Seal Sands has opted to replace their paper based shift recording system with a computerised solution. Camtique Ltd and BASF IT Services Ltd jointly developed and implemented the STAR (Shift – Tracking – Action – Recording) software at the Seal Sands plant. After nine months of continuous 24 hour usage, the whole site has benefited from an increased level of communications with regard to plant operations.
Mission Critical Shift Handover Knowledge Transfer
By Ian Paddock MIOM, MILT, MAPM.
By Ian Paddock MIOM, MILT, MAPM.
Mission Critical Shift Handover Full Article Download:
BASF plc STAR Case Study download:
STAR Commercial Press Release download: