Shutdowns and major outages compress weeks of work into days. When workforce planning is late or unclear, the cost shows up fast: lost schedule, safety exposure, and rework.
This guide gives you a practical timeline and checklist you can use to plan labour needs, mobilisation, and “site-ready” onboarding.
Shutdowns and major outages services: Shutdowns and Major Outages
Key takeaways
- Start with a clear role plan (numbers, dates, rosters, mandatory tickets).
- Define “site-ready” and protect onboarding capacity (inductions, medicals, D&A if required).
- Plan fatigue and supervision coverage early (it’s a safety and productivity lever).
- Run daily KPIs during shutdown (starts vs plan, gaps, onboarding delays, safety).
What makes shutdown workforce planning different?
Shutdowns usually have:
- High headcount swings (rapid ramp up and down)
- Safety-critical tasks and permit dependencies
- Tight windows and limited tolerance for delays
- Travel/accommodation constraints
- A need for consistent supervision and fatigue management
The planning timeline (copy/paste)
12–8 weeks out: define scope and peak demand
- Confirm scope and critical path tasks.
- Build the role plan: role titles and numbers, start dates and peak days, roster pattern and shift times, mandatory tickets/licences.
- Confirm constraints: access windows/permits/shutdown sequence, accommodation capacity, onboarding capacity (inductions, medicals, D&A testing if required).
- Lock the governance: who approves roles and numbers, daily reporting cadence during shutdown.
8–4 weeks out: build the labour pipeline
- Start sourcing longest lead-time roles first.
- Standardise role profiles so suppliers don’t guess requirements.
- Pre-qualify a bench (tickets verified, availability confirmed).
- Confirm supervisors/leads and ratios.
- Finalise logistics: travel, accommodation, muster points, PPE requirements.
4–2 weeks out: make people “site-ready”
- Run compliance checks: right-to-work verification, ticket/licence verification, medical/fitness requirements (if applicable).
- Schedule and complete inductions.
- Confirm start details: location, time, supervisor contact, what to bring.
- Finalise fatigue management plan: breaks, max hours, shift handovers, escalation process.
2 weeks → start: confirm the plan and remove bottlenecks
- Validate headcount vs schedule daily.
- Confirm onboarding throughput (avoid a queue on day 1).
- Set up timekeeping, cost codes, and reporting.
- Brief supervisors on scope priorities, safety expectations, and escalation paths.
During shutdown: manage to KPIs (daily)
Track:
- Attendance and starts vs plan
- Onboarding issues and delays
- Safety observations and incidents
- Critical role gaps and replacements
Run a daily rhythm: pre-start, progress review, next-day workforce confirmation.
Post-shutdown (week after): retain learnings and reduce churn
- Capture: what caused delays (and fix the top 2), role profiles that were hard to fill, suppliers that performed well/poorly.
- Decide redeployment/stand-down strategy to retain the best workers where possible.
The shutdown workforce checklist (use this as your QA gate)
Work scope and schedule
- Critical path tasks identified and resourced
- Daily plan matches role plan (by shift)
Roles and competency
- Role profiles defined (title, tasks, tickets, supervision requirements)
- Competency verification process defined (who checks what)
Mobilisation and onboarding
- Induction plan (dates, capacity, materials)
- Right-to-work and licence verification completed
- Medical/fitness and D&A process confirmed (if applicable)
- PPE requirements and supply confirmed
- Travel/accommodation confirmed (if applicable)
Safety and fatigue
- Supervisor coverage and ratios set
- Fatigue plan documented (max hours, breaks, handover)
- Permit-to-work coordination defined (interfaces, approvals)
- Incident reporting and escalation path clear
Operations and reporting
- Timekeeping and approvals defined
- Cost codes and reporting ready
- Daily reporting template agreed
Where workforce planning fits
If you need a broader forecast beyond a single outage (or you have multiple outages/projects), workforce planning can sit above the shutdown plan: Workforce planning
Related services (often used together)
- Energy and resources overview
- Production and maintenance on hire
- Managed workforce
- Workforce Planning Template (90 Days)
FAQ
How early should we start planning labour for a shutdown?
Start as soon as the window and scope are known. Long lead-time roles (and onboarding capacity) are usually the limiting factor.
What’s the most common shutdown workforce failure point?
People arriving not “site-ready” (tickets, inductions, medicals) or approvals slowing down mobilisation.
Next step
If you need help sourcing and mobilising shutdown labour safely and quickly: Shutdowns and Major Outages
General information only: this article provides general information and is not legal advice.
