Plant Shutdown / Turnaround Coordination SWMS
SWMS template for plant shutdown / turnaround coordination. Covers Refinery/mine shutdown coordination, SIMOPS management.. 8-state AU coverage, CIH-reviewed editable DOCX, available as an instant download.
SWMS variants reference your state’s WHS legislation. Instant download after payment.
Plant shutdown and turnaround coordination involves the planned de-energisation, isolation, inspection, maintenance and re-commissioning of major process facilities such as refineries, mineral processing plants, gas plants and power stations. These events compress thousands of high-risk tasks into compressed windows of 14 to 60 days, with multiple contractors working simultaneously across confined spaces, elevated structures, live and isolated systems. The simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) profile, combined with stored hazardous energy, residual hydrocarbons and tight schedule pressure, makes turnaround coordination one of the highest-consequence activities in Australian heavy industry. Under WHS Regulation 2011 r291 and equivalent state provisions, a SWMS is mandatory because the work constitutes High Risk Construction Work involving energy sources, confined spaces, working at heights above two metres, and demolition or dismantling of structural plant. A coordinated SWMS is the legal mechanism for managing PCBU interface duties under WHS Act s46 and ensuring overlapping work activities do not create uncontrolled risk.
Hazards identified
7 hazards covered, sorted by priority.
Severe burns, crush injuries or fatality from pressurised fluid, electrical arc flash or stored mechanical energy release
Fire, explosion, asphyxiation or fatal multi-casualty event from incompatible concurrent activities in the same hazard zone
Permit errors, missed isolations and breach of WHS Act s19 duty leading to serious injury or prosecution
Acute toxic inhalation, chemical pneumonitis or sudden ignition causing fatality or long-term occupational illness
Fatal head or torso injury to workers below, particularly during night-shift lifts with reduced visibility
Missed hazard communication, isolation errors and incident likelihood increase of 30-40 percent after hour ten
Pedestrian struck-by injuries, crush events between vehicles and structures, or rollover on temporary surfaces
Control measures
Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.
- 1Elimination — Sequence incompatible SIMOPS activities into separate time windows via the integrated turnaround schedule so hot work and confined space entry never overlap in adjacent zones.
- 2Elimination — Remove redundant plant sections from scope through pre-shutdown engineering review, eliminating unnecessary entries, lifts and isolations before the event window opens.
- 3Substitution — Replace solvent-based cleaning and manual sludge removal with high-pressure water blasting or chemical decontamination circulation to substitute lower-risk methodologies per AS 4801 risk hierarchy.
- 4Substitution — Use cordless intrinsically safe tools rated Ex ia in lieu of compressed-air or fuel-powered equivalents in classified hazardous zones per AS/NZS 60079 series.
- 5Engineering — Apply double block and bleed isolation with verified zero-energy state, lock-out tag-out per AS 4024.1603, and independent isolation verification by a second authorised person.
- 6Engineering — Deploy continuous atmospheric monitoring with telemetry, mechanical ventilation, and engineered drop-zone barricades extending 1.5 times the working height per AS/NZS 1891.4.
- 7Administrative — Operate a single integrated permit-to-work system with daily SIMOPS coordination meetings, conflict matrix review, and shutdown control room authorisation for every cross-zone activity.
- 8Administrative — Enforce fatigue management limits of maximum 14 consecutive shifts, mandatory 12-hour breaks, and structured shift-handover using written turnover sheets per AS/NZS ISO 45001 clause 8.1.
- 9PPE — Issue FR-rated coveralls to AS/NZS 4824, full-face air-purifying respirators with appropriate cartridges for residual hydrocarbon exposure, and impact gloves rated to EN 388 level 4.
- 10PPE — Provide H2S-rated supplied-air breathing apparatus to AS/NZS 1715 for vessel entry, dual-lanyard fall arrest harnesses to AS/NZS 1891.1, and Class E hard hats with chinstraps for elevated work.
Applicable Codes of Practice
Mandates a SWMS before HRCW commences; turnaround work triggers multiple HRCW categories including energy, confined space and structural work above two metres
Provides the management system framework for SIMOPS coordination, permit-to-work governance and consultation obligations across multiple PCBUs on one site
Specifies isolation, lock-out tag-out and stored energy dissipation requirements directly applicable to plant de-energisation during shutdown isolation activities
Governs atmospheric testing, entry permits, standby personnel and rescue arrangements for vessel and column entries that dominate turnaround scope
High-Risk Construction Work triggered
Turnaround coordination involves isolation, testing and re-energisation of medium and high-voltage switchgear, motor control centres and instrument loops across multiple trade interfaces
Vessel, column, exchanger and tank entries are central to shutdown scope, requiring permits, atmospheric monitoring and standby rescue under coordinated multi-trade access
Scaffold erection, tower and column external work, structural dismantling and elevated piping access routinely exceed two metres throughout the turnaround footprint
PCBU must prepare, consult workers on, and retain the SWMS for two years (or duration of incident investigation) under WHS Reg r291; penalties for failure are substantial and indexed, with the current maximum following the prevailing WHS schedule
Who this is for
- →Turnaround managers on refinery and gas plant shutdowns
- →SIMOPS coordinators on mineral processing maintenance events
- →Principal contractors delivering brownfield plant outages
- →HSE leads coordinating multi-trade shutdown interfaces
What you receive
- ✓Editable DOCX template — Microsoft Word compatible
- ✓State-specific WHS legislation schedule (NSW/VIC/QLD/SA/WA/TAS/NT/ACT)
- ✓Hazard register with risk ratings + hierarchy-of-control mapping
- ✓Worker sign-on register, pre-start checklist, and incident escalation flow
Worked example
At a regional alumina refinery turnaround, the shutdown coordinator opens the morning pre-start brief at 0530 with 180 contractors across mechanical, electrical, scaffold and inspection trades assembled in the muster marquee. The Plant Shutdown / Turnaround Coordination SWMS is projected on the briefing screen alongside the day's SIMOPS conflict matrix. The coordinator walks through hazard line 2 — incompatible concurrent activities — and identifies that a planned hot tap on the digestion line at grid reference D-14 conflicts with a confined space entry into the adjacent flash tank scheduled for the same window. Using the control measure 'sequence incompatible SIMOPS activities', the entry is deferred to the night shift after hot work completes and atmospheric clearance is reverified. A scaffold supervisor flags an additional dropped-object risk because a 20-tonne crane lift is now scheduled above the relocated entry crew. The coordinator applies the engineered drop-zone barricade control, extending exclusion to 1.5 times the lift height, and updates the daily permit pack. Workers sign on to the SWMS acknowledging the revised sequencing and the additional PPE requirement for full-face respirators during scale removal. At 1400, atmospheric monitoring telemetry alerts the control room to a rising LEL reading inside the tank; under the SWMS escalation protocol, work stops, ventilation is increased, the area is cleared, and re-entry is authorised only after written reverification — demonstrating the SWMS functioning as a live operational document rather than a filed compliance record.
Related legislation
- WHS Act 2011 (model)
- WHS Regulation 2025
- Construction Work CoP