Effective Planning for Utilization of Contractor API Inspectors

The use of contractor inspectors for turnarounds has increased in recent years. Mergers with reductions in staff personnel for major oil and chemical companies have fueled this growth. Still, we hear “horror” stories about problems that occur during turnarounds involving contractor inspectors. Some examples of of these accounts are :

1. Inspectors not reporting for the turnaround after initial confirmation they would work.
2. Bad attitudes during the turnaround regarding work hours; shift, lodging, salary, etc.
3. Safety problems related to improper or lack of safety training.
4. Inspectors leaving the turnaround early to pursue other turnaround activities.

The items listed above are only part of the issues I will address during this series of articles. I will share some ways, based on decades of experience, on how to eliminate these problems and/or improve in these areas as I detail the various Turnaround phases. The keys to eliminating many of these problems are:

1. Improving communication between client, contractor, and inspector.
2. Paying attention to details. I will explain as we work our way through the various turnaround inspection phases.