Shutdown and Start-up Risks

Why shutdown and start-up are critical

During plant holidays, seasonal downtime or the abandonment of parts of an operation, production-specific risks disappear, but new hazards emerge: early fire detection by staff cannot be expected, since nobody is continuously present, while arson, theft and vandalism find additional targets. Restarting process plant sees a disproportionate share of incidents, because equipment conditions deviate from normal-operation baselines and staff perform unfamiliar tasks under time pressure.

Protective measures

Before a shutdown, ignition sources and combustible loading should be minimised, all protection systems confirmed operational, and the insurer notified of the planned measure so the risk assessment can be reviewed. The shut-down site should be patrolled and inspected regularly. Before restart, a pre-startup safety review confirms that equipment condition, protection systems and documentation match the approved target state before the process resumes.

Relevance for insurance

Property insurers require early notification and adapted safety measures for planned extended shutdowns, since unguarded, shut-down premises and uncontrolled restarts disproportionately lead to major losses.