The construction industry has to plan rigorously before taking in any project. Of course, as the work progresses, many changes take place, but the initial planning is of utmost importance.

If you are reading this blog, there is a high chance that you are related to the construction industry and know how vital the pre-commissioning and commissioning stages are. Additionally, safety during the pre-commissioning and commissioning phases need extra attention.

We know the predefined safety measures for the commissioning and pre-commissioning stages of construction. But let us look closely at the hazards involved during these stages and whether these hazards require updating the existing safety measures.

What Happens During the Commissioning and Pre-Commissioning Stages?

During the pre-commissioning stage, teams must test all machines and equipment to ensure they are functioning correctly. They should be appropriately & comprehensively checked for damages, and all the features must work properly to start operations smoothly. The competent staff reviews the entire setup to ensure that everything from documentation to equipment is in safe and proper condition. Similarly, in the commissioning stage, the team checks whether all the tasks, documentation, and equipment are ready for processes to start.

Possible Hazards During the Commissioning and Pre-Commissioning Stages

Safety is everyone’s responsibility when it comes to managing tasks at a workplace. And the same goes for the pre-commissioning and commissioning stages of the construction sector.

For example, even if the equipment has been doubly checked, the user must ensure that they are safe to work on/with, read the manual, and personally inspect the equipment’s functioning.

Remember, human and machine errors are always possible and can be avoided if the worker is vigilant, alert, and responsible.

Let us discuss team-wise roles, responsibilities, possible hazards, and solutions during the commissioning and pre-commissioning stages.

Construction Team

The construction team is responsible for managing the safety aspects of heavy civil equipment, moving pieces of large equipment and all the related construction safety aspects.

An incident is likely to occur if the construction team does not set the correct barriers and boundaries at the worksites. They need to keep an eye out that the place is accessed by the required & trained professionals only.

Additionally, the construction team should stay within their workplace boundary and complete the work dedicated to them.

Health, Environment and Safety Team (HSE)

The HSE team has to work closely with the commissioning team of all the departments to know their work properly. From equipment working to technical details of the project, the HSE team needs to know the details to ensure the project execution is compliant in all forms.

The hazards possible by the HSE team are not looking at the technical details and equipment used straightforwardly. Because if anything is not compliant with the environment or green belt safety measures, the project can be stayed, creating innumerable problems. 

Operating Team

These include the PTW and LOTO teams. The operating team ensures that the machinery works per the defined rules described in the commissioning and pre-commissioning period. 

The PTW authorities need to ensure that operational, maintenance, scheduled and unscheduled works are in sync with the plans.

The LOTO team should know how to manage resources, eliminate human error & increase information availability. 

This team is responsible for switching off and on all the equipment and giving permissions to the equipment operator. Thus, if things go array, the company may have to bear a huge loss if the equipment breaks or the equipment operator gets injured. 

Emergency Response Team

The name itself has an emergency, so apart from being vigilant, they must ensure they are the “Mr know it all.” They should be able to take over the emergency situation, quickly resolve the issues and deal with any incident. This team should have an effective Emergency Preparedness & Response Planning, ensuring that employers and workers have the necessary equipment, know where to go, and know how to keep themselves safe when an emergency occurs.

Conclusion

The pre-commissioning and commissioning stages are critical to the project’s success. All the respective teams should pay attention, vigilantly check for hazards and take appropriate actions to tackle them. Right from ensuring that proper wearables are available to wearing the situationally appropriate ones, whenever necessary, every minute safety detail must be followed.

As the saying goes, “well begun is half done.”

Therefore, if the safety and successful execution of the above steps is ensured, the project will run smoothly with minimum hurdles.