The Definition of Non-Routine Task

Definition of Non-Routine Task

A non-routine task is any work that is not part of a worker's normal, day-to-day duties. It may be done only occasionally, such as an annual shutdown job, or for the first time, such as commissioning new equipment. Non-routine tasks also include unplanned work like emergency repairs, troubleshooting a breakdown or responding to a process upset.

Non-routine work carries higher risk than everyday tasks. Workers are less familiar with the hazards, written procedures may be missing or out of date, the equipment may be in an unusual state, and time pressure is often high because production is stopped. Investigations by bodies such as the U.S. Chemical Safety Board have found that many serious incidents in process industries happen during maintenance, start-up, shutdown and other non-routine operations rather than during normal running.

Many safety regulations and management systems treat non-routine work as a trigger for extra planning. For example, OSHA's Process Safety Management standard requires safe work practices for non-routine work such as opening process equipment, and ISO 45001 expects organizations to consider non-routine activities when identifying hazards.

Examples of Non-Routine Tasks

• Planned shutdowns, turnarounds and major overhauls.
• Cleaning tanks, vessels or pits that are entered only occasionally.
• Clearing blockages and jams in equipment.
• Breakdown repairs and troubleshooting, especially at night or on weekends.
• Installing, commissioning or decommissioning equipment.
• Working on roofs, high structures or rarely visited areas.
• Tasks done by contractors who are new to the site.
• Temporary workarounds while normal equipment is out of service.

Managing Non-Routine Tasks Safely

Recognize the task as non-routine

The first step is simply noticing that a job is different. Supervisors and workers should pause when a task is new, unusual, or being done in a different way, and treat it as a reason to plan rather than improvise.

Plan and assess the hazards

Use a job hazard analysis or pre-task plan to break the job into steps, identify hazards at each step and agree on controls. Include people who have done the task before, as well as those who will do it now. See hazard identification.

Use permits and energy control

Many non-routine tasks need a permit-to-work, such as hot work, confined space entry, line breaking or work at height. Equipment should be isolated with lockout/tagout before anyone works on it.

Manage changes

If a non-routine job involves changing equipment, materials, procedures or staffing, run it through management of change so new hazards are reviewed before the change is made.

Brief, supervise and stop when needed

• Hold a pre-job briefing to review the plan, hazards, roles and emergency arrangements.
• Provide closer supervision than for routine work.
• Reassess if conditions change or the job does not go as planned.
• Make sure everyone knows they can use stop work authority.

Capture lessons

After the job, record what went well and what did not, and update procedures so the next team starts with better information.

Example of Non-Routine Task

A bottling plant's filler line jammed late on a Friday night. The maintenance technician on duty had never cleared a jam in that section of the machine. Wanting to restart quickly, he planned to reach in with the line in standby mode, as an operator suggested. Before starting, he called the on-call supervisor, who recognized the job as non-routine and asked him to stop.

Together they walked through the steps by phone, identified that the star wheel could move in standby, and agreed to fully lock out the filler, release stored air pressure and verify zero energy first. The jam was cleared safely in about 40 minutes. On Monday, the plant wrote a jam-clearing procedure for that section and added it to technician training.

Frequently Asked Questions: Non-Routine Task

Why are non-routine tasks more dangerous?

Workers are less familiar with the hazards, procedures may be missing, equipment may be in an unusual state and there is often pressure to finish quickly.

Does every non-routine task need a permit?

Not every one, but many do, such as hot work and confined space entry. Every non-routine task should at least have a hazard assessment and pre-job briefing.

Who should plan a non-routine task?

The people doing the work, their supervisor and anyone with experience of the task or equipment should plan it together, with safety specialists involved for higher-risk work.