Sectors
Chemical and petrochemical resourcing for safety-critical plant.
Process, EC&I and turnaround people for COMAH sites and petrochemical complexes — where hazardous-area competence and process safety evidence are the entry requirement, not a preference.
Market context
What’s driving demand in Chemical
The UK chemical estate is concentrated — Teesside, the Humber, Grangemouth, Runcorn, Severnside — and much of it is COMAH-regulated upper tier. That regulatory status changes the resourcing problem entirely: process safety competence is a legal expectation, and clients audit the evidence behind it.
Turnarounds dominate the demand curve. A major shutdown compresses months of work into a fixed window with hundreds of extra people on site, and the planning, permitting and supervision capacity around it is usually scarcer than the trades themselves. Turnaround managers and planners are booked out years ahead on the largest complexes.
Decarbonisation is now layered on top. Carbon capture at Teesside and the Humber, hydrogen production and fuel switching projects are drawing process engineers into new-build work at the same time as existing plant needs integrity, HAZOP and functional safety support — with one candidate pool serving both.
- COMAH 2015
- The regulations classifying major accident hazard sites and setting their competence expectations
- IEC 61511
- The functional safety standard governing safety instrumented systems on process plant
- Years ahead
- Typical booking horizon for experienced turnaround managers and planners on major complexes
Sector context only — publicly stated policy targets, regulatory regimes and industry cycles. These are not NE Project Solutions performance figures.
Disciplines
Roles we typically place
A representative sample rather than a limit — if the discipline sits inside a chemical scope, we can usually resource it.
- Process Engineer
- EC&I Engineer
- HAZOP Chair / Facilitator
- Functional Safety Engineer (TÜV)
- Turnaround Manager
- Mechanical Integrity Engineer
- COMAH Compliance Specialist
- DCS Plant Operator
Tickets & compliance
What has to be in place before day one
We verify certification, clearance and right-to-work status before a candidate reaches your shortlist — and track expiry dates so a lapsed ticket never stops a shift.
COMAH regime
Upper and lower tier duties under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015.
CompEx EX01–EX12
Hazardous-area competence across electrical, instrumentation and mechanical units.
IEC 61511 / 61508
Functional safety competence for SIL determination, verification and safety instrumented systems.
HAZOP & LOPA
Demonstrable study leadership experience, not just attendance, for chair and facilitator roles.
CCNSG Safety Passport
National safety passport, plus site-specific induction for each COMAH establishment.
Confined space & BA
Entry and breathing apparatus competence for vessel entry during turnarounds.
How we help
Three ways we support Chemical programmes
Workforce Solutions
Process, EC&I and integrity engineers with CompEx currency and documented process safety experience appropriate to a COMAH site.
Workforce Solutions for ChemicalManaged Project Services
Managed turnaround support — planning, permitting, supervision and trade packages — resourced for the window and demobilised cleanly afterwards.
Managed Project Services for ChemicalConsultancy Services
Turnaround workforce strategy: how many, from where, with what tickets, and what the local market can realistically absorb.
Consultancy Services for ChemicalOther sectors we work in
The same disciplines and tickets travel further than people expect — many of our contractors move between these markets.
Ready when you are
Resourcing a chemical project?
Tell us the scope, the tickets and the window. We’ll come back with people who can actually mobilise to it.