Fact Sheet
Maintenance Issues
Maintenance is vital to any facility if it is to operate in a safe and
effective manner. Maintenance can be a costly element of facility operations
in terms of dollars and impact on operations. Maintenance can also be a
potential workplace safety issue if not properly addressed.
There are three common types of maintenance:
- emergency repairs when something breaks
- preventative maintenance, which is carried out on a piece of equipment at a
certain interval and
- predictive maintenance, which is carried out when tests indicate that
maintenance is needed.
Regardless of the type of maintenance, a number of important activities must
take place if the maintenance is to be carried out in a safe manner:
- Equipment selected to have maintenance carried out must be isolated. This
includes insuring that all sources of electrical power to the equipment are
disconnected and tagged "OFF" (The power source should be tagged "OFF — UNIT
UNDER REPAIR" with date and signature of person authorizing the procedure.)
so someone does not turn the power on until work is completed. The equipment
must also be isolated from the other equipment in the same system.
- Maintenance procedures must be developed for all equipment. These
procedures should follow the manufacturer's recommendations and include all
instructions, drawings and list of parts needed.
- Maintenance activities must be planned, even emergency repairs. The time it
takes to plan a job, read the maintenance procedures and get the needed
safety equipment will be made up in the safety of the job and the ease in
completing the job. A little planning goes a long way in doing safe
maintenance. To rush into an emergency repair is to invite disaster.
- Maintenance personnel must be trained on the equipment. The proper
equipment must be used to safely carry out maintenance. Proper safety
equipment such as gloves, eye protection and hard hats should always be
used.
- Any safety devices or shields removed during maintenance MUST be
reinstalled prior to completion of maintenance. Any shields and safety
devices originally installed on a piece of equipment must not be left off to
"make it easier to fix the next time."
- Prior to returning the equipment to service, a supervisor who is familiar
with the equipment and the maintenance, should check the equipment to insure
that the maintenance is complete, the equipment is properly reassembled, all
safety equipment and any tools used in the maintenance have been removed.
Recommendations
Have a plan for every maintenance activity. This plan should include the
safety procedures for isolating the equipment, the equipment needed for the
maintenance including safety equipment, identification of who will do the
maintenance including qualification and identification of the supervisor to
sign off when the job is finished and the equipment restored to ?ready for
operation? status. If the maintenance is carried out repeatedly, this plan
can be reused. If it is an emergency or one time repair, the plan should be
made up before maintenance is started.
Resources
Manufacturer's recommendations
Use an Internet search engine, such as Google or Yahoo or Dog Pile to find
the homepage of the manufacturer. Search for downloadable maintenance
instructions or a phone number to call. Have the details of the device,
serial number, model number before making contact.
Maintenance Issues Checklist
Floor Maintenance and Repair
Roof Maintenance and Repair
Water Leakage and Mold
Storage, Care and Repair of Tools
