EEI POSS Practice Test 15

Passing the Watch: Shift Turnover

¹Many plant incidents can be traced to information lost at a change of shift. An operator coming on duty inherits equipment in a particular condition: some pumps are running, some are out of service, some valves are tagged for maintenance, and some readings are drifting. If the incoming operator does not learn about these conditions, a correct action based on a wrong picture of the plant can still cause harm.

²A good turnover has two parts. The incoming operator arrives early enough to read the logs and the written turnover sheet first. The two operators then talk face to face, ideally at the control panel or beside the equipment, where they can point to what they are discussing. Written notes alone can miss the reasons behind a condition, and a conversation alone is easily forgotten, so the two methods are used together.

³The turnover should cover abnormal conditions, equipment out of service, open tags and work permits, maintenance in progress, alarms that are active or expected, and tests scheduled for the coming shift. It should also cover anything the outgoing operator was watching, such as a temperature that is slowly rising. The outgoing operator should mention any event that was expected but did not happen, such as a pump that was supposed to start automatically.

⁴Responsibility does not pass at a set time on the clock. It passes when the incoming operator has asked any questions and states that they accept the watch. If the plant is in the middle of a startup or an upset at shift change, the turnover is delayed. The outgoing operator keeps control until the plant is stable or until the incoming operator fully understands what is happening.

⁵The incoming operator's first round of the plant confirms what was reported at turnover. Any difference between what was reported and what is found, such as a valve in the wrong position, is reported to the shift supervisor at once.