For refineries across the country, completing a successful turnaround is a challenging and all-encompassing task. The process is regimented, requires extensive planning and takes several teams working together with one unified plan. Here are three ways including blast-resistant modules (BRMs) in your planning process can improve your next turnaround.
1. BRMs provide guaranteed protection for workers in high-risk areas. To perform their jobs, your employees may need to work close to the refinery or plant. To keep your workforce safe and productive in blast zones, there are many different types of permanent or temporary space solutions. A thorough site analysis is recommended before ordering additional buildings for your turnaround projects.
To accommodate staff who work in zone 1, which is closest to the blast area, BRMs are a necessary addition to your project. These buildings are designed and engineered to resist the effects of a blast or explosion and keep employees safe inside. With guaranteed protection against forces as strong as 8 psi and 200 ms in duration, BRMs from Satellite Shelters will keep your staff out of danger on highrisk jobsites.
2. BRMs are versatile enough to work for turnarounds of all sizes and levels of complexity. We understand that every turnaround has different requirements. BRMs are adaptable, and Satellite is prepared to handle projects of all sizes ranging from a single stock module to multiple custom complexes. We can provide standard BRMs with protection from 1 to 8 psi that come in a variety of sizes and configurations.
Stock BRM units are readily available from each of our 17 branch locations across the country. A standard BRM from Satellite is 12-feet-by-40-feet with an open floorplan for increased flexibility. Modules can also be stacked vertically to further maximize usable space. If your project requires something different than stock units, we also provide custom- built BRMs to fulfill your unique requirements.
3. BRMs offer flexible space so you're able to adapt to dynamically changing environments. This past year brought challenges to the industry that even the most organized and experienced turnaround teams could not plan for. Satellite Shelters recently had the opportunity to speak with Donnie, a turnaround maintenance supervisor at a U.S. refinery, about how he manages to keep his turnarounds on track in such a challenging and uncertain environment.
COVID-19 is affecting turnaround plans across the country. Donnie agreed and said, "COVID-19 is having a big impact. With the social distancing guidelines, we require much more housing for office staff, break areas for workers, etc." In fact, he named real estate as one of the top challenges, even before COVID-19 became part of the equation:
"Temporary housing, parking, crane and other equipment space that it takes to support the turnaround work is a challenge," he said.
As a full-circle provider of BRMs and other safe space solutions for refineries and plants across the U.S., Satellite Shelters is fulfilling today's need for extra space to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Satellite Shelters can supply blast-resistant buildings, blast-resistant tool cribs, mobile offices, modular buildings, storage containers, and all the products and services in between. Additional products and services we can provide for your project include furniture, portable restrooms, delivery and pickup, setup and tear down, and design/build services.
While refineries can't always predict what future challenges they'll encounter during turnarounds, Donnie believes that planning, organization and teamwork are paramount in setting up the turnaround team for success. "Plan the work and work the plan," he said.
For more information about BRMs from Satellite Shelters, visit www.satelliteco.com/products/blast-resistant-modules or call (800) 453-1299 to speak with a local expert about how BRMs can improve your next turnaround.
