Shutdown survey planning checklist

Planning a survey scope into a shutdown is the difference between walking out with the data your reliability and projects teams actually need, and discovering three weeks later that the one critical baseline was never captured while the plant was cold and accessible. This checklist gives maintenance planners, shutdown coordinators and operations teams a step-by-step way to scope, schedule, permit and verify precision surveying inside a turnaround window — so the measurement work lands on the critical path deliberately, not by accident. Use it during the T-minus planning cycle, lock the survey scope at the same gate as your major mechanical work packages, and treat the surveyor as a trade with access dependencies, not a same-day call-out.

Key takeaways

• Lock the survey scope at the T-12-week gate, not in shutdown week. Every survey deliverable depends on a specific asset being de-energised, drained, cleaned or dismantled, and those access windows are negotiated months out — a baseline you decide on during the outage almost always misses its window.
• Tie every measurement to GDA2020 / MGA2020 horizontal and AHD vertical datums through a verified control network. Without a re-validated control reference (ICSM SP1-aligned), data captured this shutdown cannot be reliably compared with the last one — the whole value of periodic measurement collapses.
• Match the tool to the tolerance. A FARO or Leica RTC360 scanner captures as-built geometry to a few millimetres for clash and as-builts; a Leica TS16/MS60 or Trimble total station holds sub-millimetre to low-millimetre on alignment and monitoring; a DJI M350 RTK handles stockpile volumes and elevated structures from the air — and UAV flights need CASA CASR Part 101 compliance.
• Budget realistically. A focused 1-2 day shutdown survey scope typically runs $3,500-$12,000 plus travel; a multi-asset turnaround capture across a process plant or refinery commonly lands at $15,000-$60,000+, with FIFO and remote mobilisation adding 25-100%.
• Plan deliverable lead time, not just field time. Registered point clouds, deformation reports and alignment certificates take days to weeks to process — agree the format (E57, RCP, PDF report, GDA2020 coordinates) and the turnaround before the crew demobilises.

Why shutdown timing dictates the whole scope

Most precision surveying on an operating plant is impossible, unsafe or simply inaccurate while the asset is live, hot, spinning or full. A conveyor cannot be checked for stringer straightness under load; a kiln cannot be surveyed for shell ovality or tyre migration at temperature; vessel internals cannot be scanned full of product; crane rails cannot be measured with the crane energised and parked over your tripod. The shutdown is frequently the only window where the geometry can be measured cold, clean and accessible — which is exactly why the survey scope must be planned with the same rigour as a major mechanical work package.

That has two consequences for the planner. First, survey tasks have hard access dependencies: a scan of a vessel interior cannot start until the manway is open, the vessel is gas-tested and entry-permitted, and scaffold (if needed) is up. Second, survey tasks compete for the same congested space and the same isolation windows as your fitters, boilermakers and riggers. If the surveyor is not in the daily shutdown coordination meeting and on the lookahead schedule, they will be standing at the bottom of a structure waiting for an EWP that three other crews also booked.

The fix is to treat surveying as a sequenced trade. Each deliverable maps to a state the asset must be in, a permit, an access method and a measurable duration — and that mapping is the core of the checklist below.

The shutdown survey planning checklist

Work through these phases in order during your T-minus countdown. The phase headings line up with a typical major-turnaround planning cycle; adjust the timing to your shutdown duration.

Phase 1 — Scope definition (T-12 weeks)

• List every asset that can only be surveyed cold/accessible this shutdown (kilns, mills, vessels, conveyor structures, crane rails, baseplates, anchor bolts, flange faces).
• For each asset, define the deliverable: baseline alignment, as-built point cloud, deformation/settlement comparison, ovality, clash model for a tie-in, or dimensional control for a new install.
• State the tolerance and standard for each (e.g. ±1-2 mm shaft alignment; kiln tyre/shell to OEM spec; crane rail span and level to the AS 1418 family; as-built geometry to AS/NZS-relevant tolerances for the structure).
• Confirm whether this is a first baseline or a repeat that must compare to prior data — if repeat, locate the previous control and report.
• Identify which deliverables are on the critical path (a tie-in clash model that gates fabrication) versus reference-only.

Phase 2 — Control and datum (T-10 weeks)

• Confirm the site control network exists, is documented, and is on GDA2020 / MGA2020 (horizontal) and AHD (vertical).
• Schedule re-validation of control marks before capture — settlement and works since the last survey can move marks; ICSM SP1 gives the uncertainty framework.
• Decide whether new monitoring prisms or reference targets need installing before the outage (so they are bedded in and stable).
• Confirm coordinate system and units for all deliverables in writing to avoid a GDA94/GDA2020 transformation error later.

Phase 3 — Equipment and method (T-8 weeks)

• Match instruments to tolerances (see the equipment table below) and confirm availability for the dates.
• If UAV capture is planned (stockpiles, roofs, flare stacks, elevated structures), confirm CASA CASR Part 101 compliance, RePL/ReOC where required, and any controlled-airspace or site no-fly constraints.
• Plan scan station coverage and registration strategy (targets vs cloud-to-cloud) for any laser scanning so the point cloud meets accuracy without re-scans.
• Confirm data backup and on-site QA so a registration failure is caught before demob, not in the office.

Phase 4 — Access, permits and safety (T-6 weeks)

• Book access equipment (EWP/boom lift, scaffold, scissor lift) against the same windows as the survey tasks — this is the single most common delay.
• Initiate confined-space entry permits and gas testing for any internal scans (vessels, bins, ducts, silos).
• Confirm isolation and de-energisation (LOTO) for any asset surveyed at height or under/over moving plant, including crane runways.
• Complete site inductions, JSAs/SWMS, and high-risk work permits (working at height, hot work near live plant) for the survey crew ahead of mobilisation.
• Verify insurance, white card, and any site-specific competencies are current.

Phase 5 — Schedule integration (T-4 weeks)

• Place every survey task on the shutdown lookahead with predecessors (asset state, permit, access) explicit.
• Add the surveyor to the daily shutdown coordination meeting for the relevant days.
• Build in contingency for slipped predecessors — surveys often sit late in the sequence behind dismantling and cleaning.
• Define a go/no-go decision for weather-dependent UAV work with a fallback window.

Phase 6 — Execution and verification (shutdown week)

• Confirm the asset is in the required state (cold, drained, cleaned, open, isolated) before the crew climbs or enters.
• Capture against the validated control; run field QA checks on alignment closures and scan registration before leaving each asset.
• Photograph and log conditions for the report.
• Hold a partial-data review mid-outage if any result could trigger extra rectification work (e.g. a crane rail out of tolerance needing shimming before restart).

Phase 7 — Deliverables and close-out (post-shutdown)

• Agree the deliverable formats in advance: registered point cloud (E57/RCP/RCS), 2D/3D as-builts, alignment certificate, deformation report, GDA2020 coordinate schedule.
• Confirm processing turnaround and who signs off accuracy.
• Archive the dataset and control as the baseline for the next shutdown comparison.
• Capture lessons learned (access delays, missed scope) into the next turnaround's planning pack.

Matching equipment and tolerance to the asset

The right instrument is set by the tolerance the deliverable demands, the access available, and whether you need a single geometry or a comparison over time. Over-specifying gear wastes budget; under-specifying it produces data that cannot answer the question.

A practical rule: if the deliverable is "is it within tolerance and has it moved", you need a total station and a verified control network; if it is "what does it actually look like for design, clash or as-built", you need a laser scanner; if it is "how much is there or what does the top of it look like", you need a UAV. Many shutdown scopes need two of the three, captured in one mobilisation. ISS routinely combines these methods within a single turnaround — see our shutdown surveys service for how the scope is sequenced against your isolation windows.

Budgeting and cost drivers

Indicative 2026 guide pricing for shutdown surveying in Australia, excluding GST and travel, for metropolitan and near-regional sites:

The cost movers are predictable: remoteness (a Pilbara, Bowen Basin or remote refinery job adds 25-100% for FIFO, accommodation and mobilisation before a single point is captured), access at height (EWP/scaffold time and at-height working dominate field days), permit-heavy confined-space work, and deliverable complexity (a quick coordinate schedule is cheap; a fully registered, modelled and reported deliverable is not). The instrument itself is rarely the dominant cost — labour, access and processing are.

Common planning failures to avoid

The recurring mistakes are not technical, they are scheduling and scope mistakes. The biggest is deciding the survey scope too late — once isolation plans and access bookings are locked, adding a survey task means competing for windows that are already full. The second is forgetting control re-validation, which quietly invalidates any comparison to prior data. The third is booking field time but not processing time, then being surprised that a registered point cloud and deformation report take a week, not a day. The fourth is treating UAV flights as casual — without CASA CASR Part 101 compliance and ground control, the imagery is neither legal nor accurate enough to act on. A planner who closes out the seven-phase checklist above avoids all four.

Frequently asked questions

How far ahead should I bring the surveyor into shutdown planning?

At the T-12-week scope gate, the same time you lock major mechanical work packages. The survey deliverables depend on asset states, isolations, permits and access that are negotiated months out. Calling a surveyor in shutdown week means competing for windows that are already committed, and it is the most common reason a critical baseline gets missed.

Do we really need control re-validation every shutdown?

If you want to compare this shutdown's data to the last — for settlement, deformation, tyre migration or alignment drift — then yes. Site control marks move with settlement, traffic and works. Re-validating them against GDA2020/MGA2020 and AHD under an ICSM SP1 uncertainty framework is what makes a comparison defensible. A one-off as-built with no future comparison can use a simpler local control, but most shutdown data is captured precisely because it will be compared later.

Can a drone replace ground survey during a shutdown?

For stockpile volumes, roof condition, flare stacks and elevated structures, a DJI M350 RTK with ground control is excellent and fast. It does not replace a total station for alignment or a laser scanner for internal as-builts and clash detection. UAV work also requires CASA CASR Part 101 compliance, which constrains where and when you can fly on a congested operating site. Plan it as a complementary method, not a substitute.

What deliverable formats should I specify upfront?

State them in the scope so there are no surprises: registered point cloud (E57, RCP/RCS), 2D drawings or a 3D model, an alignment or deformation report as signed PDF, and a coordinate schedule in GDA2020/MGA2020 with AHD heights. Also agree the processing turnaround and who certifies accuracy, so the data is usable the moment the plant restarts.

How do we keep the survey off the critical path while still getting it done?

Sequence it deliberately. Identify which deliverables genuinely gate other work (a tie-in clash model that releases fabrication) and prioritise those; treat reference-only captures as fillers that flex around them. Put every survey task on the lookahead with its predecessors explicit, build contingency for slipped dismantling, and keep the surveyor in the daily coordination meeting so access is reallocated in real time rather than lost.

Talk to ISS

If you are scoping surveying into an upcoming turnaround and want it sequenced correctly against your isolation and access windows, talk to Industrial Spatial Solutions before your T-12-week gate. We will help you define deliverables, set tolerances, plan control re-validation and lock realistic field and processing time so nothing critical is missed while the plant is cold. Call 0407 057 015 or contact our team to plan your shutdown survey scope, and see our shut-down surveys and mechanical surveys services for the full range of capabilities we mobilise inside a shutdown.