Reading time: 4 minutes
How do you ensure safe and efficient access to an industrial site for 900 additional people? That was one of the questions asked by Turnaround Manager Martin Walhout during the recent maintenance shut-down at the Yara Sluiskil ammonia plant.
Mobile turnstiles, sliding gates for vehicles and XL units with gatehouses were deployed to allow large numbers of people access to the site. Smart software enabled the additional employees to pre-register, saving valuable time. Thanks to our cooperation with IQ-Pass, we can do the registration process in advance, which prevents long queues at the gatehouse.”
Seamless information exchange
Yara Sluiskil carries out a turnaround every year. Walhout: “We suddenly have 900 people arriving on site who have never been here before, including staff from abroad. In the past, we used to have a lot of problems exchanging information with these contractors. We have our own in-house software, but during turnarounds we completely switch over to the IQ-Pass software.”
Certificates and access requirements
The online portal allows staff to register in advance and upload the required documents. The system automatically checks whether they fulfil the requirements needed to work. If anything is missing, this is immediately communicated back to the company concerned. Walhout: “Suppose you have a list of 4,000 people. If one person isn’t in compliance, you see a red flag immediately. And you can advise the relevant company about what they need. This means you can let someone from, let’s say, Italy know that they still need to get a certain certificate to carry out work here.”
Multilingual software for smoother processes
“The IQ-Pass software is available in several languages, which makes it all run much more smoothly. We can access the database of information at any time,” says Walhout. Access permission is specified in the software, for example whether someone can enter by car or through a turnstile. When they arrive on site, employees receive a personal pass with the appropriate access rights.
More than just access control
After each turnaround, Walhout uses the data analysis functionality available in the software. “That gives you some valuable insight. For example, you can clearly see the differences between weekdays and weekends. Very interesting information for facilities planning.” Yara also uses the time registration feature. “At the end, you can see exactly how many hours have been worked and which company has put in the most hours.” The site also has facilities such as a tent where staff can eat and change clothes. “These times are all recorded so we know if people have had enough rest and are observing the break times.”
We suddenly have 900 people arriving on site who have never been here before. That is why during turnarounds we completely switch over to IQ-Pass software
Long-term collaboration
Yara is now using the IQ-Pass equipment for the fifth time. Walhout: “Our collaboration with IQ-Pass is very good and it all runs smoothly. The nice thing about the software is that since it is so powerful, it doesn’t require a lot of interaction. If there’s a problem, communication is always immediate. Or if it’s something software-related, it’s usually resolved within an hour so we can keep working.” Senior Account Manager IQ-Pass Patrick Rollman reviews each turnaround with Yara to see how the collaboration can be further optimised. Rollman: “The turnarounds are different every year and you look at how we can best support each other. We are now several years down the line and the cooperation is going very smoothly.”
Access control for every turnaround
IQ-Pass provides security, access control and person registration to protect employees, environment and assets. We help set up temporary surveillance and access control safely and easily. This way, unauthorised persons no longer have a chance at construction sites, factory premises or events.