What is your view, how are you working when it comes to checking the construction build is satisfactory for the commissioning team and on-going operations? Are you a team that just wait for construction to say it’s finished and then check, or are you a team that is engaged and out in the field observing the building of your plant and making suggestions to correct defects as they occur?

It is entirely your call, but the latter is a much more effective method of tracking progress and making suggestions to correct and change as installation progresses.

Punch listing early can cause confrontation as construction will be wanting some licence to install, so commissioning must fully support that. So if you see long bolts and or temporary gaskets as installed to aid efficient and cost effective hydro testing, for sure back off and let construction do their job. The focus here must be on valves installed in the wrong direction for flow, equipment that is damaged or in jeopardy of being damaged due to neglect, items installed in the wrong location, ill supported permanent pipework and then the loose or long bolts after the hydro test.

The emphasis here is getting our commissioning teams in the field checking, being involved and engaging with our construction colleagues. All project teams should hold as their goal a safe and effective plant start-up, reducing time = cost and schedule success and early identification and remediation of faults or defects in inherent to a successful commissioning and start-up phase.

Safe and successful commissioning always…