SHIFT WORK IN THE PROCESS INDUSTRIES

PTOA Readers have been introduced to process technology industries that are involved with the exploration and production of natural resources, electrical power generation and transmission, fuels and petrochemical refining. These are industries that do not shutdown production at 5:00 pm so that all the employees can be home for a 6 pm dinner.

The great poet John Lennon never clarified what time he woke up, fell out of bed, and dragged a comb across his head.

 

“Always Open” Means Somebody is Always at Work

Industrial processing facilities are making products 24 hours a day and 7 days a week (otherwise stated, “24/7”).

The company only makes money when feedstock is being processed into desired products. Downtime, the time interval that the facility is not in production mode, is purposely limited to planned maintenance intervals.

To provide complete coverage of the processing units, industrial processing facilities require some employees to work on shift schedules.

Process Unit Operators are shift workers. They are responsible for making sure that the mega-million dollar equipment used to convert the feedstock into products is being operated correctly during his/her shift. If not, the quality of the products made from the process may not be usable as feedstock for the next step of processing. Even worse, the final product that flows into a sales tank may not meet the customer’s expectations.

 

The Maintenance Department Also Works on Shifts

Shift work times can vary within job function categories that work at the same industrial complex. For example the shift schedules for Process Unit Operators may differ from the shift schedules for Maintenance Department workers.

The Maintenance Department has several types of “shops.” Some common Maintenance Department shops are:

 

•  Instrumentation and Electrical Shop.

Electricians are responsible for the transmission and distribution of electricity within the facility. The electrical utility can be generated at the facility or purchased from a public utility and/or both scenarios. Rotating equipment (pumps, compressors, turbines) are sources of heavy electrical loads. Electricians make certain that all wiring meets code.

Automation is used in process operations to improve safety, efficiency and quality control. The (Automatic) Instrumentation Technicians keep many types of controls systems working.

 

• Mechanical Shop.

The Mechanics and Mechanic Techs are responsible for keeping pumps, compressors, and turbines working. They will work with the electricians frequently.

 

• Fab Shop or Carpentry Shop

The responsibilities of the Fabrication/Carpentry Shop could include fabricating anything needed temporarily, erecting scaffolding, installing and insulating pipe and valves, busting flanges open and bolting them closed, control of blind inventory and assignment, rigging (safe lifting by ropes, cables, or chains), and dry storage management. Basically, this busy shop does what other shops don't.

 

• Warehouse

Warehouse is an important auxiliary responsible for making certain that a sufficient quantity of spare parts and materials are always on hand to support Operations and Maintenance Departments.

 

Wide Variety of Shift Schedules

Who determines the various shift schedules at the processing plant? A guy named something like Stanley dressed in a suit and tie who works in the Accounting Department at corporate headquarters. Stanley’s Power Point presentations will convince top management which shift combinations yield the most profit on paper.

One fuels refinery in Your Mentor’s past scheduled process operators to work twelve-hour shifts from 6 am to 6 pm on a 7 day week-on, 7 day week-off schedule. After the process operator completed his/her 7 days of work, the operator rested for one week and then returned to work for 7 days, this time rotating to the night shift from 6 pm to 6 am. This shift is called a “7 and 7 alternating (between day and night) shift” and is typical for industrial complexes that are located in close proximity to where the process operators live.

(FYI: This fuels refinery changed to two 12 hour shifts from three 8 hour shifts after it was determined that too much vital process information was lost in translation between three shifts. Apparently, Stanley in the Accounting Department did not factor in the cost of a multi-million dollar unplanned emergency shutdown which resulted from communication and continuity gaffs across three shifts. The root cause of all problems is poor communication).

The weirdest shift schedule Your Mentor worked was a ‘forward rotation” that involved working one day of ‘day shift’ (8 am to 4 pm) that moved directly the next day to ‘night shift’ (4 pm to 12 midnight) then moved directly the third day to ‘graveyard shifts’ (12 midnight to 8 am) before repeating the process. This schedule was intended to benefit the shift worker by reducing fatigue associated with successive night shifts. Your Mentor found it personally disruptive. The main contractor calling the shots on the assignment was French and it seemed to work well for them.

 

“Remote” Processing Facilities Use Longer Shift Intervals

Some processing facilities are “remote” meaning that they are far away and cannot easily be driven to or accessed. For example, the oil rigs located offshore in the Gulf of Mexico are remote.

Shift workers in a remote facility do not come home every night; these workers eat and sleep in remote barracks.

A private bedroom may or may not be reserved for the employees of the rig owner. Private rooms are usually not provided to the many contractors at the facility as they are considered ‘temporary employees’ even if they’ve been there for years. And nobody has exclusive use of a shower because that would be an inefficient use of valued real estate.

To reduce the cost of transporting employees back and forth, shift work schedules at remote processing facilities are often extended to two-week on, two-week off work rotations and even longer.

Since remote facilities need the same support as local processing plants, everybody is put on shift work schedules. Maintenance, engineering, supervision, planning, quality control, etc. all are on shift schedules. Throughout the years, the shift members turn into separate family units of their own.

 

Take Home Message: Shift work is a common lifestyle for industrial process unit operators and workers who provide strategic maintenance functions. At remote processing facilities, shift work is a common lifestyle for all career disciplines needed at the production site.

Photo credit: www.johncherrie.blogspot.com

 

©2014 PTOA Orientation Segment 5

 

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