The Christmas and holiday break period is always a great time for Aussie business owners to conduct some routine site and equipment maintenance without disrupting daily operations or creating workplace hazards that threaten safety in the workplace.
Thankfully, the ISO Standards actually include valuable frameworks for implementing infrastructure and equipment maintenance that must be conducted during operational shutdown periods, be they planned shutdowns or emergency shutdowns – though we can all agree that planned maintenance is always preferred.
If you’re looking to utilise this upcoming holiday break to implement shutdown maintenance procedures for your enterprise, then be sure to follow these tips for optimising shutdown processes, as compiled by our dedicated ISO consultants here at S & J Auditing & Consulting.
What is Shutdown Maintenance?
Shutdown maintenance refers to the management of facility shutdowns in order to conduct planned machinery, equipment, or infrastructure maintenance.
Whilst maintenance can either be planned or unplanned (i.e. emergency troubleshooting), shutdown maintenance generally involves the proactive scheduling of downtime designed to maximise the reliability and usable lifespan of equipment and machinery and support operational efficiency over the long term.
The focus on proactive planning makes shutdown maintenance a vital component of any preventative maintenance processes.
What Industries Benefit from Shutdown Maintenance?
Shutdown maintenance procedures can be beneficial for organisations operating across all sectors, from office environments inspecting and/or replacing computer equipment before the Christmas break, to farmers cleaning and upgrading machinery and components like milling heads for tractors.
Here are just some of the different sectors and industry environments in Australia that utilise shutdown maintenance:
Manufacturing
Scheduled, proactive factory shutdowns support Australian manufacturers in keeping worksites safe and optimised year-round. Planned shutdown periods also provide ample opportunities for facility managers to replace or repair machinery or equipment that are used frequently to support daily operations.
Energy Plants
In oil/gas or electricity plants, shutdown maintenance allows technicians full access to machinery and equipment components with reduced risks of electrical faults or even injuries resulting from working around live electrical systems.
Laboratory Facilities
For facilities certified to ISO 17025 and other calibration, testing, and laboratory standards, shutdown maintenance procedures help ensure that all technical equipment and components like turbines, generators and other laboratory equipment are kept in good working order.
Shutdown periods should also be designed to provide ample time for facility managers to prepare for repairs and/or source replacement parts for any damaged or suboptimal machinery/components.
Examples of Tasks to Complete During Shutdown Maintenance
Some examples of tasks or activities that can be carried out during shutdown maintenance periods include:
- Cleaning, repairing, and upgrading of site machinery and equipment
- Routine inspections of machinery and equipment for proactive maintenance
- Cleaning, repairing, and upgrading site safety essentials (i.e. signage, non-slip mats, kitchen facilities, access control features like swipe card access doors, etc.)
- Routine inspections of appliances (i.e. test and tagging)
- Disposing of waste, chemicals, or other hazardous substances on-site
Shutdown Maintenance Strategies: Tips for Efficiency
Keeping your shutdown maintenance procedures fully ISO compliant requires a structured, multi-phase approach for thorough inspection, replacement, and repair processes.
Here are our top tried and tested strategies for developing shutdown maintenance procedures that optimise shutdown periods, reducing downtime rates and supporting productivity and efficiency throughout the rest of the year.
Plan a Realistic Master Timeline
Defining the scope and timing of your shutdown period is essential to making sure your schedule ticks all regulatory boxes, and also aligns with your business objectives. For example, you don’t want your shutdown period to be scheduled for a peak sales period or to fall smack bang in the middle of a production cycle. You can make sure this doesn’t happen by securing approval of your shutdown schedule with your staff and stakeholders before the period commences.
For organisations with an extensive checklist for shutdown periods, we recommend you start planning at least 6 months in advance to ensure ample time to secure feedback from all relevant staff and stakeholders. Raising and reviewing your proposed shutdown timeline in a management review may also be beneficial to provide a formal forum for gathering feedback.
Implement a CMMS for Tech Transformation
A CMMS (or ‘Computerised Maintenance Management System’) can be used to track the progress of shutdown maintenance tasks in real-time, ensuring systematically that all process components are adhered to and that related policies (i.e. safety procedures) are followed in full.
For organisations with dedicated compliance officers or digital transformation officers, consider discussing a CMMS investment with these personnel, or secure expert insights from dedicated ISO consultants like our team at S & J Auditing & Consulting.
Apply Critical Path Method (CPM) Scheduling
In much the same way that you would categorise between critical and low-priority risks in a risk assessment matrix, your shutdown maintenance schedule should also prioritise critical tasks over non-critical tasks wherever possible.
You can simplify prioritisation of your shutdown maintenance timeline by applying a Critical path Method (CPM) scheduling framework. This involves identifying ‘dependent’ tasks (i.e. tasks that directly affect your shutdown timeline), and taking measures to ensure no conflicting tasks are scheduled simultaneously. This approach to strategising your timeline helps to identify the ‘critical path’ that facilitates minimum duration for your shutdown.
Pro tip: you can use a CMMS to automate CPM scheduling for your organisation, as data-driven CPM scheduling helps ensure organisations can accurately identify critical vs. non-critical tasks and prepare a shutdown schedule that follows an optimised critical path.
Optimise Resource Allocation
Conducting an internal audit prior to shutdown maintenance can help your organisation better identify what resources are available to support your maintenance processes. Some resources you should consider utilising include:
- Man hours from compliance teams (i.e. internal auditors, compliance officers, etc.)
- Man hours for technicians and other skilled staff to conduct maintenance tasks
- CMMS solutions and other software (i.e. management software for overseeing completion of assigned tasks)
- Availability of spare parts, tools and equipment to conduct maintenance tasks
Include Comprehensive Safety Procedures
Shutdown maintenance typically involves some high-risk activities, like handling heavy equipment or machinery, cleaning with harsh chemicals, or handling other hazardous materials. As a result, it’s imperative that your organisation adheres to all the safety process as outlined in your OH&S Management System.
If you don’t have an established OH&S Management System, then you will need to develop a system specifically for your shutdown maintenance processes. These systems can be developed, implemented, and reinforced with support from our dedicated ISO consultants here at S & J Auditing & Consulting.
Develop Robust Monitoring & Communications Processes
Real-time monitoring is essential for keeping your shutdown maintenance schedule as efficient as possible. Not only will robust communications processes help reduce risks of your team wasting time by treading the same ground, but unified monitoring and transparency surrounding your shutdown schedule will also help support on-site safety for all personnel involved.
Using technologies like wearable tech to track staff movements during shutdown schedules can be beneficial for supporting site safety, as can holding regular meetings and utilising centralised data solutions to ensure findings like non-conformance reports are accessible to all teams.
Factor in Time for a Post Shutdown Audit & Review
Finally, if some maintenance tasks may not have been able to be completed during your shutdown period for whatever reason, details of these pending tasks should be shared with your maintenance team in the form of a post shutdown audit and review. With a post shutdown audit in place, your team can be better positioned to understand any corrective actions that may be required following the shutdown period.
Strengthen your System Maintenance Processes with S & J Auditing & Consulting
To ensure your shutdown maintenance schedule is carried out effectively and efficiently, your organisation will need to invest in:
- Robust planning
- Skilled personnel (i.e. technicians, analysts, etc.)
- Detailed safe operating procedures
- Real-time monitoring and reporting
- ISO and regulatory compliance considerations
- Continuous process improvements
If you feel your organisation would benefit from tailored support during the implementation of your shutdown maintenance processes, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with our experts at S & J Auditing & Consulting.
Call 0409 933 447 to speak with one of our ISO consultants today, or fill out our online enquiry form to receive a response directly in your preferred inbox.
