Turnaround planning checklist for Sarnia plants

In Sarnia's Chemical Valley, turnarounds are where reputations are made or lost. Every hour a unit is down costs real money, so the planning done months ahead decides how the shutdown goes. This checklist walks through the phases owners and contractors should have covered, whether you run the turnaround or supply a crew to it.

1. Scope and work list

• Build the work list from inspection data, maintenance history and operations requests.
• Challenge every item: is it required, or nice to have during this outage?
• Set a scope freeze date and a formal process for anything added after it.
• Identify the long poles early: exchangers, columns, reactors, heavy lifts.

2. Estimate and budget

• Estimate labour hours per work item, not just a lump sum per unit.
• Carry a separate allowance for discovery work found once equipment is opened.
• Label the estimate with its class and range so the budget is understood.
• Agree how changes and emergent work will be priced before the job starts.

3. Materials and long-lead items

• Order long-lead materials and replacement parts well ahead of the scope freeze.
• Confirm gaskets, bolting and consumables per job package.
• Stage and tag materials so crews are not hunting on shift.

4. Job packages

• Write a work pack for each item: scope, steps, drawings, materials, tools and hold points.
• Include isolation, permit and confined space requirements in every pack.
• Have the packs reviewed by the people who will execute them.

5. Schedule and manpower

• Build an hour-by-hour schedule in Primavera P6 with real shift calendars.
• Load manpower by trade and check the peak against what is available locally.
• Plan crane and heavy lift windows and lock them into the schedule.
• Identify the critical path and assign an owner to each critical activity.

6. Safety and permits

• Confirm isolation and lockout plans, hot work and confined space procedures.
• Check every contractor's prequalification, training and orientation status.
• Plan permit issuing capacity for the shift peaks, not the average.
• Prepare toolbox talks for the specific hazards of this outage.

7. Readiness review

• Hold a formal readiness review a few weeks before shutdown.
• Check that every work item has a package, materials, a crew and a slot in the schedule.
• Confirm communication plans, shift handovers and escalation routes.

8. Execution and control

• Update progress at least every shift against the schedule.
• Track hours and cost against the estimate, with earned value if you can.
• Run discovery and change items through the agreed approval process.
• Hold short daily meetings focused on the critical path and safety.

9. Closeout and lessons learned

• Close all permits and confirm equipment is returned to operations.
• Reconcile actual hours and cost against the estimate.
• Capture lessons learned while people still remember them.
• Feed real productivity back into the next turnaround estimate.

Getting help

Our Estimating & Scheduling team builds turnaround estimates from the work list, loads the manpower, and lays out hour-by-hour P6 execution schedules. Our Safety & Compliance team handles the prequalification and safety side. Book a free consult to plan your next outage.