Estimated Read Time: 3 - 5 minutes

APM Canada mobilized a small crew for setup on October 19th, 2022 and officially started the TransAlta Sarnia outage on October 28th until demobilization on November 30th. The job scope included an Alton 11N2-C Inspection with Gen Bearing Inspections. Even with a grand total of 7,627 manhours, APM Canada completed the job ahead of schedule with zero safety or quality incidents!

Several planning sessions, along with having an experienced team across both leadership and craft, were key to the success of this outage. Although the Alton 11N2 was a difficult unit, the crew had experience with the site and with APM on their side. In fact, the whole crew had just completed a previous job together and came over with APM to the TransAlta outage, so they had experience working together and knew APM’s practices and policies. The crew also had experience with the site and the unit that prepared them for a successful outage.

Leadership consisted of long-term APM Superintendents, Foremen, and EHS representatives that were familiar with APM processes and procedures. This experience, along with their diligence to safety, contributed to their stellar work in identifying hazards to eliminate and mitigate before they became incidents by using the STOP Work Process. Identifying, correcting, and communicating the issues when found saved hours of rework and eliminated potentially serious safety incidents from occurring. The combined experience between the Superintendents, Foreman, EHS reps, and crew meant that the team was able to accomplish an outstanding outage.

We want to recognize the APM Superintendents – John Whitelaw, Jari Plesowicz, and Deryk Swayze – for their flawlessly executed STOP moments and guidance on APM procedures. Additionally, we appreciate the APM Foremen – Pete Lowery and Blake Mackinlay – for their experience and knowledge of this site and Alstom 11N2 Unit. We also want to thank the APM EHS representatives – Ron Dunbar and Meaghan Heins – for their work with the team throughout the outage in addressing and mitigating safety issues, coaching, and ensuring that all EHS requirements were addressed in a timely manner. Finally, a special commendation to our millwright craft crew! Thank you all for the experience and dedication to safety that delivered a successful outage ahead of schedule!