Shift handover is the point where one shift passes information and responsibility for the plant to the next. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) describes effective handover in three parts: the outgoing shift prepares, both shifts exchange the information, and the incoming shift cross-checks it as they take responsibility. HSE also says handover should be face to face and two-way, using both spoken and written communication.
This free checklist is for control rooms and 24/7 operations in energy, power, oil and gas, utilities and the process industries. Use it at each handover, or to review how handover works on your site.
We recommend an electronic logbook and handover system such as Opralog. Every entry is timestamped and searchable, open items carry forward from shift to shift, tasks have an owner and a due date, and handovers are built in real time from what was actually recorded, rather than rushed at the end of the shift. Each shift is signed off, and changes are recorded in a full audit trail.
But software is only part of the answer. Good handover depends on clear procedures, enough time and a shared understanding of what must be passed on. Opralog helps teams follow those procedures, shift after shift, but the basics need to be right first. This checklist is a starting point to get them right.
01 / How to use it
A good handover has three parts. The outgoing shift prepares. Both shifts talk it through, face to face. Then the incoming shift checks what they have been told before taking responsibility. Use this checklist at each handover, or to review how handover works on your site.
Adapt it to your site and agree changes through your local procedure. For each item, enter C (checked), N/A (not applicable) or F (follow-up). Checked means the information has been reviewed and understood, not that the work is complete. Record each F in the handover record with an owner and next action.
Record at each handover: date, shift, area or unit, handover record reference, who handed over and who accepted.
Agree the extra checks and support, involving the supervisor where required.
Sources: HSE HSG48, HSE HSG256 and the Energy Institute.02 / The checklist
Eight sections, in the order a handover happens. Mark each item C (checked), N/A or F (follow-up) as you go, or download the PDF to print.
If safety-critical information is missing, conflicting or not understood, escalate to the supervisor before accepting, and follow your procedure on who stays in control. Handover sign-off does not authorise work to restart, an isolation to be removed or equipment to return to service.
| Name | Signature | Date and time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handed over by | |||
| Accepted by |
03 / Why it matters
The higher-risk handovers above come from HSE and Energy Institute guidance. Two major incidents show what can happen when information is lost at shift change.
The Cullen Report found that failure of information transmission at shift handover was one of many factors (HSE).
The US Chemical Safety Board found no policy for shift communication or shift turnover. An instruction given by phone was not in the logbook, and operators had worked 12-hour shifts for 29 or more days in a row.
General guidance only. It does not replace your site’s procedures, permit-to-work system or legal duties.
04 / Questions
Short answers about using the checklist.
Download the PDF ↓Shift handover is the point where one shift passes information and responsibility for the plant to the next. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) describes effective handover in three parts: the outgoing shift prepares, both shifts exchange the information, and the incoming shift cross-checks it as they take responsibility. HSE also says handover should be face to face and two-way, using both spoken and written communication.
Preparation by the outgoing shift; plant status and equipment out of service; permits, isolations, overrides and alarms; open actions and tasks; deviations, incidents and abnormal events; environmental and compliance items; the handover conversation itself; and checks by the incoming shift before they accept responsibility, with a record of who handed over, who accepted and when.
HSE guidance (HSG48 and HSG256) and the Energy Institute identify higher-risk handovers: when maintenance or permit work runs over the shift change, when safety systems have been overridden or inhibited, when the plant is starting up, shutting down or running outside normal conditions, when someone is returning after a long absence, and when an experienced person is handing over to someone less experienced. Allow more time and write more detail for these.
Yes. It’s free to use and download as a PDF, with no sign-up. Not every item applies on every site. Cross out what does not apply, add your own, and follow your site procedures.
No. Hand over face to face where you can and go through the written record together, so what is said and what is written match. The incoming shift should ask questions and repeat back the key points. If face to face is not possible, talk by phone or radio and still go through the written record.
05 / Going digital
Opralog builds the handover from the logbook entries your teams record during the shift, keeps open actions in view and records who handed over and who accepted. You can build your own version of this checklist into it.
