The tragic explosion at the West Fertilizer plant in Texas has raised many questions about chemical safety. While a fertilizer plant would not normally fall under our typical clientele, it is important to take this opportunity to discuss the need for caution and protection in the petrochemical industry.

Any time that combustible or explosive materials are present, safety must be priority number one. For example, some of the most dangerous situations can occur when a unit is being drained or taken down for maintenance. Planning ahead and taking the appropriate amount of time to prepare carefully can ensure the well-being of your employees and your business. Planning ahead can also help avoid any miscommunications or gaps in the turnaround process. If everyone knows their roll in the procedure then there is less risk that a problem will go unnoticed or an important step will be neglected.

Proper ventilation is also an important aspect of the turnaround process. When a plant is undergoing repairs, cars and trucks may be parked where they normally would not be. Exhaust fumes from a running truck can cause serious complications if they are accidentally taken in with the air supply. A simple way to avoid this is to plan safe parking places for vehicles that are far enough away from workers, equipment, trailers, and plant traffic.

Besides the obvious chemical dangers and blast risks, the warmer weather can also put your employees in danger. Surprisingly, spring weather has a high potential for causing heat stroke due to quick escalations in temperature. The human body generally needs a few days to adjust to hot weather, but in the springtime the thermometer can jump 20 degrees within a day. Providing shade and/or shelter is an easy way to protect your workers. Everyone should be alerted of the warning signs of heat stroke and how to prevent it.

Experience is the best teacher of all, and if you do something long enough, you’ll eventually get good at it. So we’ve learned a thing or two over the years from working with our customers.

We have a policy that our customers are always right, and there’s nothing we won’t try to do to satisfy their requests — within reason, of course. But sometimes, we’ve found, a customer will get a little confused about how to best proceed with a company offering logistics services. So here are a few tips to help guide you in meeting the logistical needs of your plant turnaround.

1.  Whoever you use as a supplier, make sure they are basically capable of whatever product or service you are looking for. Check out the supplier’s website and follow up on the phone with a customer service rep.
2.  Plan ahead for whatever services or equipment you need. Don’t wait till the last day to place an order. Typically, it will take a supplier a day to round up the people and equipment you need for a function and another day to set everything up.
3.  You should always take into consideration the placement of temporary facilities, whether they are tents or office trailers or sanitation units. If you situate temporary equipment in a place where it will interfere with another business activity in the interim, you’ll have to add an additional cost to your invoice by asking the supplier to come back and move the temporary equipment. Try to know exactly where things should go beforehand.

The best piece of advice we can give you when it comes to your turnaround needs is: Think things through and plan ahead. (That holds true for a lot of problems.) And please feel free to contact us for any other questions you have when you’re doing your planning. That’s what we’re here for.