What this is
What is a pre-commissioning checklist?
What is a pre-commissioning checklist?
It is the record confirming a new installation is complete and safe before it is energised or run for the first time. It covers installation quality, connected services, safety guarding and hygienic design, and it is built against ISO 55001 cl.8.1.
What is a 'knockout item' on a commissioning checklist?
It is a checklist item serious enough that a No answer should stop the whole sign-off, regardless of how well everything else scored. Guarding, interlocks, isolation points and the risk assessment reference are the knockout items on this template.
What does 'Safe To Energise' actually certify?
It certifies that engineering and maintenance judge the installation ready for first power based on everything above it in the form. It does not, by itself, guarantee that every punch-list item has been closed — that is tracked as a separate field and needs checking on its own terms.
Scope
When is a pre-commissioning checklist required?
This checklist is one step in the Capital Projects and Commissioning programme. Used for equipment that is already running, or for testing that belongs to a supplier's site or an earlier stage, it produces a record that does not match what it was meant to prove.
Use this template when
- A new installation is complete and awaiting first start, before power or product ever reaches it
- A new record is needed for a distinct installation; each one gets its own ID in the form PCC-2026-000
- The Capital Projects and Commissioning programme is being run and this is the pre-start gate within it
- A linked record needs this one to exist — links Asset, Vendor — before the asset register can treat the equipment as live
- Punch-list items from a Factory or Site Acceptance Test need a final on-site confirmation before energising
Do not use it for
- Factory Acceptance Test Record, which tests the equipment at the supplier's site before it ever ships.
- Site Acceptance Test Record, which tests the equipment once installed but is a distinct, typically vendor-witnessed, test from this pre-start gate.
- Capital Project Safety Review, which covers the design-stage risk decisions, not the as-built condition checked here.
- Installation Progress Record, which tracks work still in progress, not the completed, ready-to-energise state.
- Anything outside KnowMaintain, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 55001 cl.8.1 requirements does this satisfy?
ISO 55001 cl.8.1 sets the operational planning and control requirement this checklist exists to satisfy for new assets entering service. Every citation below sits at that clause level; the structure beneath it is this template's own, not numbered sub-clauses of the standard.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | The installed asset matches its approved design and drawings before being brought into service | Installation |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Access for future operation, maintenance and cleaning is confirmed adequate, not assumed | Installation |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Services — electrical, isolation, air, water, drainage — are connected, correct and verified | Services |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Guarding, interlocks and emergency stops are fitted and a machine risk assessment exists before first start | Safety |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Product-contact surfaces meet hygienic design before the asset touches product | Hygienic design |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | The overall result, punch list and authorisation to proceed are recorded against a completeness measure, not a score alone | Result |
| ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | The asset and its installing vendor are identified and traceable back to their own registers | Header |
What it does not cover
- Safe To Energise marked Yes while Punch List Items is above zero, which treats an open defect list as compatible with a clean start.
- Completeness Percent well below full with no explanation logged, which means the score band on offer cannot be trusted as a genuine pass.
- Access For Maintenance marked Marginal or Poor and left unresolved, which converts a one-off installation fix into decades of repeated difficulty on every job.
- No Risk ID entered against a required machine risk assessment, which leaves the safety sign-off without the document it is supposed to be based on.
- Hygienic design fields ticked Yes without Fasteners Cleanable Type being checked, which is exactly the detail that turns into an unclosable cleaning finding later.
Global
Pre-Commissioning Checklist requirements by country
ISO 55001 governs the asset-management framework this checklist sits inside, but the guarding, isolation and energisation questions inside it answer to machinery-safety law that varies sharply by jurisdiction.
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), reg. 11
Guards and protective devices must be suitable and in place before work equipment is put into service — a duty on the employer, not just the equipment supplier
this checklist is the record that discharges that duty at the point of handover
29 CFR 1910.212 (machine guarding) and 29 CFR 1910.147 (control of hazardous energy)
OSHA treats missing guarding and uncontrolled hazardous energy as separate, independently citable violations
the Safety section's guard, interlock and energy-control fields map onto two distinct enforcement regimes, not one general safety tick
ISO 12100 (machinery safety, risk assessment), read alongside ISO 55001 cl.8.1
ISO 12100 supplies the risk-assessment method that ISO 55001's operational-control clause assumes has already been carried out
the Risk ID field only means something if a genuine ISO 12100-style assessment sits behind it, not a generic template
How to complete it
How to complete a pre-commissioning checklist, step by step
The checklist can be fully ticked and still not defend the decision to energise. These are the calls that decide whether it does.
Completeness Percent and Score Percent are deliberately separate fields. A high pass rate on a checklist that is only 60% answered is a weaker claim than a genuine full pass, and the record should say which one it is making.
Compressed air, water and drainage all carry a Not Applicable option scored the same as Yes. That is correct for equipment that genuinely does not need the service, and a way to hide an unverified connection if nobody is checking which is true.
Nothing in the form itself stops Safe To Energise being set to Yes alongside a non-zero Punch List Items count. That has to be a rule the site enforces, not something the template assumes.
A Risk ID copied from a similar asset's generic assessment satisfies the field without satisfying the requirement behind it — the guarding and interlock questions above it are only as good as that document.
What auditors find
Most common pre-commissioning checklist findings
These are the gaps that show up when a pre-commissioning record is checked against what actually happened on the line.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Safe To Energise is Yes but Punch List Items shows outstanding items | ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Make Safe To Energise conditional on Punch List Items being zero, or require a documented risk acceptance for each open item before it can be set to Yes. |
| Access For Maintenance marked Marginal with no corrective action raised | ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Route any Marginal or Poor access answer straight to an Action Required entry — this is the field with the longest-running cost if left unaddressed. |
| Compressed air and water services marked Not Applicable without confirming the asset genuinely has no connection | ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Require a one-line note whenever a service is marked Not Applicable, so it is distinguishable from a service nobody checked. |
| Machine Risk Assessment Completed is ticked Yes with no Risk ID entered | ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Make Risk ID mandatory whenever Machine Risk Assessment Completed is Yes, so the sign-off always traces to a specific document. |
| Fasteners Cleanable Type and Welds Ground And Polished skipped while other hygienic design fields are ticked Yes | ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Treat the hygienic design section as a set, not a pick-list — a partial hygienic sign-off is not a hygienic sign-off. |
| SAT Authorised To Proceed ticked Yes with no linked Site Acceptance Test record referenced anywhere | ISO 55001 cl.8.1 | Cross-reference the Site Acceptance Test Record ID against this checklist so the two records cannot drift apart on the same asset. |
Case in point
Case in point: the punch list that became a permanent fixture
A new filling line was commissioned against a fixed go-live date. The checklist showed Completeness Percent at 78%, six punch-list items open, and Safe To Energise ticked Yes anyway — the schedule had already been communicated to the plant.
Two of those six items were guarding gaps around the infeed conveyor. Eighteen months later they were still open, now logged as a maintenance backlog item rather than a commissioning defect, because nothing in the record had ever forced them to be closed before first start.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
6 sections
- Reference
- MNT-067
- Archetype
- Checklist
- Record ID
- PCC-2026-000
- Scoring
- Complete with knockout items
- Direction
- High is good
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- ISO 55001 cl.8.1
- Links
- Links Asset, Vendor
- Tags
- Commissioning, Lifecycle
- Sections
- 6
- Fields
- 54
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 5
Header
14 fieldsChecklist ID*
Auto sequence. Format PCC-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Raised By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Area
The area within the site.
Exact Location
Drop a pin for anything hard to find.
Asset*
Asset ID*
Format AST-0000.
Links to FDN-002 Asset ID
Project Reference
Installation Contractor
Vendor ID
Links to FDN-005 Vendor ID
Before It Is Energised
This is the last point at which mistakes are cheap. Once the machine runs, everything found becomes a modification rather than a correction.
Installation
6 fieldsInstalled To Drawing*
- Yes3 pts
- Minor deviations1 pt
- Significant0 pts
Levelled And Aligned*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Foundations And Fixings Secure*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Access For Operation Adequate*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Access For Maintenance Adequate*
Maintenance access designed out at installation costs hours on every job for the next twenty years.
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- Poor0 pts
Access For Cleaning Adequate*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- Poor0 pts
Services
6 fieldsElectrical Supply Correct*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Earthing And Bonding Verified*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Isolation Points Installed And Labelled*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Compressed Air Connected And Filtered
- Yes3 pts
- Not applicable3 pts
- No0 pts
Water Connected With Backflow Prevention
- Yes3 pts
- Not applicable3 pts
- No0 pts
Drainage Connected Correctly
- Yes3 pts
- Not applicable3 pts
- No0 pts
Safety
6 fieldsGuards Fitted As Designed*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Interlocks Installed*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Emergency Stops Positioned Correctly*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Machine Risk Assessment Completed*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Risk ID
Links to FDN-012 Risk ID
Energy Control Procedure Written*
- Yes3 pts
- Generic only1 pt
- No0 pts
Hygienic design
6 fieldsProduct Contact Materials Certified*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
No Dead Legs Or Crevices*
- Confirmed3 pts
- Some present1 pt
- Many0 pts
Surfaces Drain Freely*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Welds Ground And Polished
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Fasteners Cleanable Type*
Hex head bolts and open threads in product zones are a cleaning problem you can never solve later.
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Cleaning Method Agreed*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Result
16 fieldsItems Assessed*
Excludes anything marked N/A.
Items Failed*
Score Percent*
Calculated on submission. High is good. N/A items leave the denominator.
Result Band*
- Pass3 pts
- Caution1 pt
- Fail0 pts
Completeness Percent*
How much of the template was actually answered. A high score on a half completed form is not a high score.
Punch List Items*
Safe To Energise*
- Yes3 pts
- With conditions1 pt
- No0 pts
SAT Authorised To Proceed*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Engineering*
Signature*
Safety Lead*
Second Signature*
MNT-067 · record IDs look like PCC-2026-000 · Links Asset, Vendor
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The form is the easy part. Chasing the punch list to zero, keeping the risk assessment current and tying the record back to the right asset is the work that actually slips.
Holds the pre-commissioning record against the Asset register, keeps the punch list visible until every item is closed, and will not let a gap go quiet.
Tracks the guarding, interlock and risk-assessment fields against the site's live risk register, so a Marginal or No answer surfaces as an open safety item, not just a form field.
Keeps the installation contractor and vendor reference tied to this record, so a recurring installation defect follows the contractor across projects, not just this one asset.
Coordinates the crew, rolls completion and exceptions into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowMaintain — asset maintenance. Work orders, planned maintenance, calibration, reliability and shutdowns.
Meet KnowMaintain→Glossary
Pre-Commissioning Checklist definitions and key terms
- Knockout item
- A checklist item serious enough that a No answer should stop the whole sign-off, regardless of how well everything else scored — guarding and isolation are the classic examples on a commissioning record.
- Punch list
- The list of outstanding defects or incomplete items identified during commissioning that need closing out, distinct from the checklist's pass/fail score.
- Energy control procedure
- The documented method for isolating a machine's stored and supplied energy — electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, gravitational — before anyone works on it.
- Dead leg
- A section of pipework where product or cleaning fluid can pool and stagnate because it is not in the main flow path, a common hygienic-design defect on new installations.
- Hazardous energy isolation
- Confirming all sources of energy to a machine, not just electrical, are positively isolated before guards are removed or work begins.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about pre-commissioning checklist
What is a pre-commissioning checklist?+
It confirms a newly installed asset is complete and safe before it is energised or run, covering installation quality, services, safety guarding and hygienic design, signed off by engineering and maintenance under ISO 55001 cl.8.1.
How is this different from a Factory or Site Acceptance Test?+
A Factory Acceptance Test happens at the supplier's premises before shipping; a Site Acceptance Test is the vendor-witnessed test once installed. This checklist is the site's own final gate immediately before first power, independent of either.
What counts as a 'knockout' item on this checklist?+
Guarding, interlocks, isolation points and the risk assessment reference are treated as knockout items — a No answer on any of these should stop the sign-off regardless of the overall score.
Why does the checklist track Completeness Percent separately from Score Percent?+
Because a high pass rate on a form that is only half answered is a materially weaker claim than a genuine full pass. The template deliberately will not let one number stand in for the other.
What happens to open punch-list items after the asset is energised?+
Nothing in the form stops that from happening, which is exactly the risk. Once the machine runs, every open item becomes a modification carried out under production pressure instead of a pre-start correction.
Is this raised once per asset or repeated?+
It is raised at the point in the process it protects, every time that process runs — each new installation or major capital project gets its own record, tied to its own asset and vendor IDs.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Capital Projects and Commissioning
Management of Change
Makes sure a change to equipment, materials, people or process is assessed before it happens rather than after
Factory Acceptance Test Record
Records testing of new equipment at the supplier's site before it ships
Site Acceptance Test Record
Records testing of new equipment once installed at your site
Shutdown Plan
Plans a planned outage, covering scope, sequence, resources, permits and restart
Capital Project Safety Review
Reviews a capital project at each stage for safety, hygienic design, access and maintainability before money is committed
Equipment Specification Record
Holds the specification a new machine must meet, covering performance, safety, hygiene, energy and maintenance access
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- ISO 55001:2014 — Asset management systems, cl.8.1 (Operational planning and control)
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (UK), reg. 11
- 29 CFR 1910.212 — Machine guarding (US OSHA)
- 29 CFR 1910.147 — The control of hazardous energy, lockout/tagout (US OSHA)
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.