Plant Shutdown Before Long Holidays and Restart Checks

Why does a plant shutdown before a holiday need a separate plan?

Shutting a plant down before a holiday is a different job from turning off the lights at the end of a shift. If the factory will be empty for nine days, a valve left open on Friday evening, a tank left under pressure or a fire pump that has been switched off can make a problem grow for hours, even days, without anyone noticing. On top of that, maintenance teams often use exactly this gap: welding, tank cleaning and roof work are done while production is stopped.

In this article we look at a holiday or maintenance shutdown in three periods: shutdown, the stoppage and restart. The examples are from metal and machinery businesses, but the method fits any plant in Bursa and the surrounding provinces that stops production for public holidays, New Year or a collective summer leave.

As a basis, it is enough to know two provisions. Art. 4 of Law No. 6331 gives the employer the duty to take all kinds of measures and carry out a risk assessment; the period when the plant is empty is also part of this duty. The Regulation on Health and Safety Requirements for the Use of Work Equipment is directly relevant to restart.

Shutdown plan: who switches off what, and in what order?

Do not leave the shutdown to everyone "tidying up" their own section on the last day. At least a week before the holiday, hold a short meeting with section supervisors, the maintenance manager and the OHS specialist and fill in the table below for your own plant.

System	At shutdown	During the stoppage	At restart
Electricity	Unnecessary circuits are isolated, panels are labelled	Fire, security and frost protection circuits stay on	Power is restored in stages with checks of panels and residual current devices
Compressed air	Compressor stopped, tanks emptied, condensate drained	Line depressurised	Leak and safety valve check
Natural gas and LPG	Process valves closed, decision on the main valve put in writing	Gas detectors running	Leak check, burners and furnaces lit in sequence
Hydraulics and presses	Ram in the bottom position or on a safety block	Drip tray in place	Oil level, hoses, safety devices
Cranes	Hook unloaded, load on the ground, controls locked	Not used	Daily check and unloaded test
Chemicals	Containers closed, in drip trays, away from heat and frost	Store locked	Label and leak check
Fire systems	None is switched off	Pump, detection and sprinklers running	Event log and pressure gauges read

Write a name in each row of the table. On shutdown day, that person signs after completing their row; the list is collected by the maintenance manager at the end.

Factory shutdown before a public holiday: energy, gas, chemicals and fire

Energy and stored energy

Cutting the electricity does not make the plant safe. Air in a compressor tank, pressure in a hydraulic accumulator, a press ram waiting at the top or a load left suspended are stored energy. At shutdown, bring them all to a zero energy state: empty the tank, lower the ram to the bottom position or put it on a mechanical safety block, and do not leave a load on the crane hook. For the maintenance of pressure vessels, see our article on pressure vessels and compressor tanks.

Label which switches on the panels have been deliberately left on. A switch turned off after the holiday because "why is this on?" can cut the frost protection heater or the supply to the fire pump.

Gas lines and cylinders

Close the valves of process burners. Whether the main gas valve is closed should be decided in writing according to whether gas is needed for heating or frost protection in the building. Close the valves of oxygen and acetylene cylinders, release the regulator pressure and secure the cylinders with chains. The fire watch steps for after welding in our article on the hot work permit also apply on shutdown day.

Chemicals and waste

An open drum, a leaking IBC tank or a waste container left on site can turn into a leak that nobody will see in an empty plant. Close the lids, check the drip trays and move frost-sensitive chemicals into a heated area. Collect rags soaked in paint or oil in lidded metal containers; some types of oil and varnish can heat up spontaneously and ignite. Remove combustible waste from the site before the holiday.

Fire safety

Also keep the area in front of emergency exit doors clear, check that fire extinguishers are in place and prepare a list showing who can be reached at the plant, and on which phone. If there is a security guard, add the boiler room, compressor room and chemical store to the patrol points. We described the risk of stoves in site containers and guard huts in our article on carbon monoxide from heaters.

Maintenance shutdown OHS: risks can rise when production stops

A maintenance shutdown is the period when the year's heaviest maintenance work is done with the fewest people. The production team is on leave, and those on site are mostly maintenance staff and contractors. So add the following to the shutdown plan:

Work list and risk assessment. Write down every job to be done during the shutdown: tank cleaning, welding, roof repairs, dismantling machines. If the risks of non-routine work are not in the general risk assessment, assess them job by job.
Permit to work. Hot work, confined spaces and work at height should be subject to permits. Make sure the person who will sign the permit will be on site during the holiday; our article on confined space entry gives details for tank entries.
Lockout. Personal locks and tags should be used on every machine being maintained. For the practice, see the LOTO lockout and tagout guide.
Contractor coordination. An induction briefing, common area rules and a responsible person are set for contractors' employees. For the division of responsibility, see our article on subcontractor OHS responsibility.
Emergency capacity. The small team working on site should include a first aider and a person trained in firefighting; lone working should be prohibited.
Periodic inspections. It is wise to schedule crane, compressor tank or press inspections during the shutdown. Remember that the contract must be set up on İSG-KATİP (the Ministry's online OHS registration system) at least one day before the inspection; compare the dates with our article on periodic inspection intervals.

If a new machine has been installed, the layout has changed or the production method has changed during the shutdown, the risk assessment must be updated for these changes before restart.

Order for recommissioning the plant

Everyone starting their machines at the same time on the morning of restart is as risky as the shutdown. Carry out the following sequence with the maintenance team the day before; if possible, complete it before production staff arrive.

Site walk. The maintenance manager and the specialist walk around the plant: is there flooding, a roof leak, a spill, broken glass, signs of unauthorised entry or material that has moved?
Ventilation. Ventilate areas closed for a long time, such as pits, tank rooms, boiler rooms and stores, before entering. If gas build-up is suspected, nobody enters without measurement.
Removing locks. Each lock is removed by the person who fitted it. On a machine whose lock is removed, it is checked that maintenance is finished and guards have been refitted.
Staged energy. First the main distribution, then the section panels, followed by compressed air and gas, are brought into service. At each step, check for leaks, noises and smells.
Testing safety devices. Emergency stop buttons, light curtains, door interlocks and two-hand controls are tested before production.
Unloaded test. Presses, cranes and conveyors are first run without load. If there has been an event such as flooding, a storm or damage, the equipment concerned is not used until it has been inspected by an authorised person.
First shift briefing. Tell employees what changed during the shutdown: a new guard, a relocated bench, a changed walkway. Plan close supervision on the first day against lapses of attention after the holiday.

New Year holiday safety check: shutdown and restart list

Use the short list below on shutdown day and on the morning of restart:

Has every row of the shutdown table been signed?
Are circuits that must stay on labelled?
Are tanks empty, rams down and hooks unloaded?
Are cylinder valves closed and cylinders secured?
Are chemical containers closed and in drip trays?
Are the fire pump, detection and sprinklers running?
Is the emergency contact list with security?
Has a permit and a responsible person been set for every job during the shutdown?
Were a site walk and safety tests carried out at restart?

You can add dates and responsible persons to your annual plan with the OHS calendar. For metal and machinery businesses in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, preparing shutdown and restart plans is part of our OHS specialist service; you can plan inspections that fall during the shutdown through our periodic inspection service, carried out via our solution partners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it right to turn off the main electrical switch during the holiday?

In most plants, no. Fire detection, pumps, emergency lighting, security systems and frost protection need power. Isolate unnecessary circuits, label those left on and record the decision in the written plan.

Must machines undergo a periodic inspection after the holiday?

A new periodic inspection is not needed for every machine. However, Art. 7/2-b of the Work Equipment Regulation requires equipment that could create a hazard because of a fault to be inspected by authorised persons after situations that may impair safety, such as not being used for a long time, a natural event or an accident. Do not use equipment suspected of damage without having it inspected.

Who is responsible when a contractor works during a maintenance shutdown?

Each employer is responsible for its own employees; however, as owner of the workplace, you also ensure the safety of common areas, provide information and coordinate the work. Your permit to work and lockout rules should also apply to contractors.

Do employees need additional training on restart day?

If equipment, layout or methods changed during the shutdown, you need to inform employees about the change. If nothing has changed, a short start-of-shift briefing is sufficient and useful for attention and order.