SERMINAR ON PRODUCTION MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE

DANGOTE SINOTRUK WEST AFRICA LIMITED A TRAINING ON MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE BY ENGR. ELIJAH OSE MAINTENANCE PERSONEL AT WORK IN A WORKSHOP CONTENT PART ONE: MAINTENANCE AND ITS PROCESS WHAT IS MAINTENANCE MOST COMMON TYPES OF MAINTENANCE ROUTINE/PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE KEY COMPONENT OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PLAN MAINTENANCE CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE TYPES OF CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES PREDITIVE MAINTENANCE PREVENTIVE MAINTEANCE VS CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE VS PREDICTIVE MAINTEANCE THE PROS AND CONS OF MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE VS REPAIR MAINTENANCE REPAIRS MAINTENANCE PRACTICES IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY RISK ASSOCIATED WITH MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT FIVE RULES FOR SAFE MAINTENANCE CONCLUSION PART TWO: OVERHEAD CRANE SAFETY DURING MAINTENACE DEFINITION OF CRANE TYPES OF OVERHEAD CRANE MODIFICATION INITIAL CRANE INSPECTION VISUAL CRANE INSPECTION FREQUENT INSPECTION PERIODIC INSPECTION CRANE MAINTENANCE RULES TO NOTE BEFORE MOVING A LOAD WHAT TO AVOID DURING CRANE OPERATION OPERATION PREAMBLE Many companies have equipment used in production and testing that needs to be regularly maintained or replaced. Sinotruk as an automobile industry has many advanced pieces of production equipment that support its operations. These pieces of production equipment operate in conjunction with support equipment. Breakdowns usually occurs during production and these can cause variety of issues. In some cases, they occur in support equipment when the production equipment is not in use. Maintenance of these equipment are very vital to ensuring production continuity. Lead times in obtaining replacement parts or extended repair time can cause outages that delay production, and result in missed deadlines. These can have severe impacts in the short term for lost award money from current contracts, and in the long-term will reduce the number of contracts and production targets. This seminar is all about maintenance processes and management. It is divided into two parts i.e maintenance and its process, and overhead crane safety operation during production. PART ONE: MAINTENANCE AND ITS PROCESS WHAT IS MAINTENANCE? Maintenance, otherwise known as technical maintenance, refers to a set of processes and practices which aim to ensure the continuous and efficient operation of machinery, equipment, and other types of assets typically used in production industry/business. The goal of maintenance is to make repairs unnecessary. From the time a business acquires an asset, they should already have a maintenance plan ready for implementation. Routine maintenance techniques like cleaning and regular inspections are often done on a weekly, monthly, and sometimes even daily basis. Cleaning, monitoring and inspecting can be done quickly and often at no cost while still contributing to an asset’s overall health and longevity. To avoid disrupting services and productivity, maintenance activities are often scheduled on off days. For businesses who operate around the clock, planned maintenance for machine assets can be scheduled in sequence to ensure that productivity doesn’t halt and the expected output is still met. Through special monitoring tools, businesses can also practice predictive maintenance techniques; using data gathered from asset performance and condition, they can gain insights as to when eventual wear-and-tear will need corrective maintenance to avoid unexpected machine breakdowns. NOTE Diligence in implementing an effective maintenance program is essential to the successful performance and longevity of machinery, assets, facilities, and entire businesses. MOST COMMON TYPES OF MAINTENANCE There are different types of maintenance work, each designed for specific scenarios. Knowing the differences between maintenance types helps people determine which ones are the most suitable for their purposes. ROUTINE/PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE This type of maintenance, also referred to as preventive maintenance, is a systematic approach to maintaining equipment, systems, and assets to prevent unexpected breakdowns and extend their lifespan. Is implemented on a fixed schedule and typically includes activities such as inspecting, cleaning, washing, replacing, and checking. It is typically performed in the downtime between shifts or on weekends to avoid affecting productivity goals. Routine maintenance has two objectives; 1. To identify existing issues so they can be corrected ASAP and 2. To prevent possible issues from becoming a reality through consistent care. KEY COMPONENTS OF PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE The key components of preventive maintenance typically include the following: 1. Maintenance Schedule: - Establish a regular maintenance schedule based on equipment manufacturer recommendations, industry standards, and historical performance data. 2. Maintenance Checklist: - Develop a comprehensive checklist of maintenance tasks that need to be performed during each maintenance cycle. 3. Asset Identification: - Clearly identify and label all assets and equipment that require preventive maintenance. 4. Equipment History and Records: - Maintain detailed records of each asset, including its maintenance history, performance data, and any issues encountered during previous maintenance cycles. 5. Spare Parts Inventory: - Maintain an inventory of spare parts, tools, and supplies necessary for maintenance activities to reduce downtime. 6. Task Assignment: - Assign responsibilities to specific personnel for each maintenance task, ensuring that they are trained and qualified for the work. 7. Safety Procedures: - Develop and communicate safety procedures to be followed during maintenance activities to protect both personnel and equipment 8. Inspection and Testing: - Conduct regular inspections and testing to identify early signs of wear, damage, or malfunction. 9. Lubrication: - Ensure that moving parts are properly lubricated at specified intervals to reduce friction and wear. 10. Cleaning and Calibration: - Cleaning components and calibration of instruments to maintain equipment accuracy and reliability. 11. Component Replacement: - Identify components that have reached the end of their useful life and replace them before they fail. 12. Predictive Maintenance: - Implement predictive maintenance techniques, such as vibration analysis, thermography, or oil analysis, to detect and address issues before they become critical. 13. Documentation and Reporting: - Document all maintenance activities, including the date, tasks performed, parts replaced, and any issues encountered. Create reports for analysis and future reference. 14. Software and Tools: - Utilize computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) or specialized maintenance software to streamline the management of preventive maintenance tasks and data 15. Budgeting and Cost Estimation: - Allocate budget resources for preventive maintenance activities and estimate the cost of labour, parts, and tools. 16. Training and Skill Development: - Ensure that maintenance personnel receive proper training and ongoing skill development to stay updated on best practices and emerging technologies. 17. Feedback and Continuous Improvement: - Encourage feedback from maintenance staff and use it to continuously improve the preventive maintenance program. 18. Regulatory Compliance: - Ensure that maintenance activities adhere to industry regulations, safety standards, and environmental requirements. 19. Emergency Preparedness: - Develop contingency plans for addressing maintenance needs during emergency situations and for maintaining critical systems. These key components collectively form a robust preventive maintenance program that helps organizations minimize downtime, increase asset reliability, and optimize the lifespan of equipment and systems. It is essential to tailor your preventive maintenance plan to the specific needs and characteristics of your equipment and industry. PLANNED MAINTENANCE Where routine maintenance may happen on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, planned maintenance may be scheduled once per year or as needed. This is because planned maintenance is more time-consuming, expensive, and thorough—often requiring the services of a specialist. For example, when maintaining an air-conditioning unit, routine maintenance is taking out and washing the filters once per month, while planned maintenance is hiring an HVAC professional to check refrigerant levels, possible leaks, and measure airflow through the evaporator coil. CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE Corrective maintenance pertains to the repairs and replacements necessary to get an asset back up and running at full power and optimal condition. It is a reactive maintenance strategy that involves repairing or restoring equipment or systems to their normal operating condition after they have experienced a failure or malfunction. There are several types of corrective maintenance, each with its own characteristics and purposes. For example, if during your routine maintenance inspection of a car you discover signs of severe wear-and-tear, then you need to perform corrective maintenance. When computer or gauge readings for a machine show unusual, possibly hazardous anomalies, corrective maintenance has to be performed. TYPES OF CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE 1. Emergency Corrective Maintenance: Emergency maintenance is performed immediately after a critical failure occurs. The primary goal is to quickly address the issue and restore the system or equipment to normal operation. This type of maintenance is often used for safety-critical systems or when failure poses a significant risk. 2. Immediate Corrective Maintenance: Immediate corrective maintenance is carried out as soon as possible after the failure is detected. It aims to minimize downtime and prevent further damage or disruptions. While it is not as urgent as emergency maintenance, it is still a high-priority response. 3. Deferred Corrective Maintenance: In some cases, corrective maintenance may be deferred to a more convenient time, such as during scheduled shutdowns or maintenance windows. This approach is often taken when the failure does not immediately impact operations or when resources are limited. 4. Conditional Corrective Maintenance: Conditional maintenance is based on monitoring and assessing the condition of equipment. Maintenance is performed when certain condition indicators, such as vibration levels or temperature, fall outside acceptable ranges, indicating potential issues. This approach is often used for predictive maintenance, but it can also be considered a form of corrective maintenance when issues are detected. 5. Run-to-Failure Maintenance: This is a strategy where equipment is allowed to run until it fails, and maintenance is only performed when the failure occurs. It is typically employed for non-critical or easily replaceable equipment, where the cost of preventive or proactive maintenance outweighs the cost of replacement. 6. Reactive Corrective Maintenance: Reactive maintenance is a more general term for all forms of maintenance performed in response to a failure or malfunction. It encompasses emergency, immediate, deferred, and conditional maintenance. The choice of which type of corrective maintenance to use depends on factors such as the criticality of the equipment or system, the impact of downtime, available resources, and the maintenance strategy of the organization. It's important to note that while corrective maintenance is necessary to address failures, proactive maintenance strategies like preventive and predictive maintenance are typically more cost-effective in the long run as they aim to prevent failures from occurring in the first place. CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES Corrective maintenance procedures involve a structured set of steps to diagnose, repair, and restore equipment or systems to their operational state after a failure or malfunction. Here are the general procedures you can follow for corrective maintenance: 1. Initial Assessment: - Upon receiving a maintenance request or noticing a malfunction, conduct an initial assessment to understand the nature of the problem. 2. Safety Precautions: - Prioritize safety. Ensure the equipment is safely shut down and follow safety protocols, such as lockout/tagout (LOTO) procedures. 3. Isolation of the Problem: - Identify the specific equipment or component that is causing the issue. 4. Documentation: - Record details about the malfunction, including the location, time, and initial observations. This documentation is crucial for tracking and analysis. 5. Gather Resources: - Collect the necessary tools, spare parts, and equipment required for the repair. 6. Root Cause Analysis: - Investigate and determine the root cause of the problem. Use techniques like the 5 Whys, fault tree analysis, or fishbone diagrams to dig deeper. 7. Repair Planning: - Develop a repair plan that outlines the tasks, required resources, and a timeline for completing the corrective maintenance. 8. Disassembly and Access: - If necessary, disassemble or access the faulty component or equipment to reach the problem area. Follow proper procedures and safety guidelines. 9. Repair or Replacement: - Repair the faulty component or replace it with a new one. Follow manufacturer guidelines and best practices for the specific equipment. 10. Testing and Verification: - After the repair, test the equipment to ensure that it functions correctly. Verify that the issue has been resolved. 11. Functional Testing: - Conduct functional tests to confirm that the equipment or system is working as expected and that no new issues have arisen during the repair process. 12. Reassembly: - If parts were disassembled, reassemble the equipment following proper procedures. 13. Cleanup: - Clean the work area and ensure that no debris or waste is left behind. 14. Documentation and Reporting: - Update maintenance records with details of the corrective maintenance performed, including the repairs made, replacement parts used, and any additional recommendations. 15. Post-Maintenance Review: - Hold a review meeting to discuss the corrective maintenance process, lessons learned, and any changes or improvements that should be made to prevent similar issues in the future. 16. Return to Service: - If the equipment is in working order, return it to service. Ensure proper communication with relevant personnel and departments. 17. Spare Parts and Inventory Management: - Replenish any spare parts used during the corrective maintenance and update inventory records. 18. Continuous Improvement: - Analyze the root cause and develop strategies to prevent similar failures in the future. This might involve implementing preventive maintenance or system improvements. Note: The specific procedures and the complexity of the process can vary significantly depending on the type of equipment, industry, and organization. Proper documentation, safety protocols, and a focus on root cause analysis are crucial aspects of an effective corrective maintenance procedure. PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE Predictive maintenance focuses on techniques used to determine the appropriate schedule for planned and corrective maintenance. Its primary goal is to predict, through a variety of testing methods, when a machine will start experiencing severe wear and tear so corrective maintenance can be scheduled without affecting productivity goals and before the machine breaks down. This is a process that is used to determine the maintenance requirements of any physical asset in its operating context. It is a process to ensure that assets continue to do what their users require in their present operating context. Prioritizing maintenance efforts based on equipment’s importance to operations, its downtime cost in revenue and customer loss, its impact on safety, and its cost of repair PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE VS CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE Preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance are two distinct approaches to maintaining equipment, machinery, and infrastructure. Each has its own purpose and advantages. Here's an overview of both: S/N CRITERIA 1 PURPOSE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE Preventive maintenance aims to prevent equipment failure and minimize unplanned downtime by conducting routine inspections and maintenance tasks at scheduled intervals. CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE Corrective maintenance is performed in response to equipment failures or malfunctions. Its purpose is to restore the equipment to working condition as quickly as possible. 2 3 4 Scheduled: It is performed on a regular, predetermined basis, such as daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. Planned: Maintenance Reduces Downtime: By activities are addressing potential problems planned in advance, and before they lead to failures, resources, spare parts, and preventive maintenance helps avoid labour are allocated unexpected downtime. KEY accordingly. Extends Equipment Life: Regular CHARACTERISTICS Routine Inspections: maintenance can extend the Scheduled inspections are lifespan of equipment and reduce conducted to identify and the need for replacements. address potential issues before Improved Safety: Ensures that they lead to failures. equipment operates safely, Replacement of reducing the risk of accidents. Consumables: Items like filters, belts, and lubricants are changed as part of scheduled maintenance. Reduces Downtime: By Reduced Maintenance Costs: addressing potential problems Only maintenance is performed, before they lead to failures, when necessary, which can be preventive maintenance helps more cost-effective than routine avoid unexpected downtime. maintenance for some types of Extends Equipment Life: equipment. ADVANTAGES Regular maintenance can Efficient Resource Allocation: extend the lifespan of Resources are allocated as needed, equipment and reduce the and maintenance personnel are not need for replacements. tied up with routine tasks. Improved Safety: Ensures that equipment operates safely, reducing the risk of accidents. Cost: It can be expensive to Downtime: Corrective conduct maintenance often routine maintenance, leads to unplanned downtime, especially when it includes which can be costly and disruptive. replacing parts that still have Reduced Equipment Life: some life left. Frequent corrective maintenance CHALLENGES Not Always Effective: It may can lead to premature wear and not catch all potential failures, tear, reducing the overall lifespan of especially those that are hard to equipment. predict. Safety Concerns: There can be safety risks associated with equipment failures, especially in critical systems. In practice, organizations often use a combination of preventive and corrective maintenance, along with other strategies like predictive maintenance. The choice between the two depends on factors such as equipment criticality, cost considerations, safety implications, and the organization's overall maintenance strategy. Corrective maintenance is generally more suitable for non-critical equipment, while preventive maintenance is preferred for critical equipment where avoiding downtime is crucial . PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE VS PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE 1. TIMING: Preventive maintenance is performed at scheduled intervals, regardless of the equipment's current condition. 2. TIME-BASED: It is often timebased, with activities conducted on a predetermined calendar or usage basis. 3. MAINTENANCE TRIGGERS: Maintenance activities are triggered by time, operating hours, or other predefined criteria, not by real-time equipment data. 4. PROACTIVE: Preventive maintenance is a proactive approach in that it aims to address potential issues before they become critical, but it may also lead to unnecessary maintenance. 5. COST EFFICIENCY: It can be less efficient in terms of cost because it may result in unnecessary maintenance if the equipment is in good condition. 6. CHALLENGES: It may lead to overmaintenance or under-maintenance and may not detect hidden issues that arise between scheduled maintenance events. 7. EXAMPLES: Regularly scheduled oil changes for vehicles, annual HVAC system inspections, or quarterly equipment calibrations. 1. TIMING: Predictive maintenance is performed based on real-time data and analysis, with maintenance activities initiated as needed. 2. DATA-DRIVEN: It relies on data from sensors, IoT devices, and other monitoring systems to predict when maintenance is required. 3. MAINTENANCE TRIGGERS: Maintenance activities are triggered by specific conditions, such as abnormal vibrations, temperature changes, or other indicators of impending failure. 4. PROACTIVE: It is a highly proactive approach, addressing issues just before they become critical. 5. COST EFFICIENCY: Predictive maintenance can be cost-effective as it minimizes unnecessary maintenance and maximizes asset uptime. 6. CHALLENGES: It requires sophisticated data analysis tools and expertise, as well as a substantial initial investment in sensor technology. 7. EXAMPLES: Condition-based monitoring in manufacturing, vibration analysis for rotating machinery, and oil analysis for engines. THE PROS AND CONS OF MAINTENANCE In general, businesses benefit from good maintenance practices. However, several factors need to be considered before you can determine if maintenance is helping, or hurting, your operation. Below are some of the pros and cons of maintenance. THE PROS Increase longevity of assets One of the most common reasons businesses should bother with maintenance practices is to maximize the longevity of assets. Having the patience and dedication to regularly inspect, clean, and care for an expensive asset helps operations maximize productivity and cut costs by preventing expensive repairs and replacements. Optimize asset performance A well-maintained asset operates at maximum capacity, positively affecting business ROI (return on investment) through efficiency and consistency. Avoid unscheduled downtimes Unexpected breakdowns can cause significant problems for any business. Financial losses, unhappy customers, and a disrupted operation can snowball into bigger issues where fallout is inevitable and costly to resolve. Diligent maintenance can help businesses avoid unexpected outages, ensuring operations run smoothly and without any hiccups. Minimize costs Most industrial machines used for business operations cost a small fortune to begin with, so it only makes sense to diligently maintain these assets in order to get the most out of them. Failure to implement good maintenance practices will lead to machine breakdown, costing the business more money through avoidable repairs and replacements, as well as lost productivity. THE CONS Additional expenses Though good maintenance practices are often more beneficial than not, the bottom-line is they still cost money to implement. It is important for businesses to know when to perform maintenance activities in order to avoid needless expenditure through over maintenance. Lost productivity Planned maintenance often requires assets to be shut down completely and be inoperative for a set period of time. Lost productivity translates to financial losses and possible disruption of operations if the necessary contingencies were not prepared in advance. Possible safety risk Failure to follow proper maintenance protocols such as ensuring that machine assets have been completely depowered before maintenance can cause serious injuries and even fatalities to personnel. MAINTENANCE VS. REPAIR Maintenance and repair work have the same goals, and that is to keep your business running efficiently as designed. Knowing their fundamental differences, however, will help you determine when to utilize maintenance techniques over repairs and vice versa to keep your business productive and profitable without issue. MAINTENANCE The goal of maintenance is to make repairs unnecessary. From the time a business acquires an asset, they should already have a maintenance plan ready for implementation. Routine maintenance techniques like cleaning and regular inspections are often done on a weekly, monthly, and sometimes even daily basis. Cleaning, monitoring and inspecting can be done quickly and often at no cost while still contributing to an asset’s overall health and longevity. To avoid disrupting services and productivity, maintenance activities are often scheduled on off days. For businesses who operate around the clock, planned maintenance for machine assets can be scheduled in sequence to ensure that productivity doesn’t halt and the expected output is still met. Through special monitoring tools, businesses can also practice predictive maintenance techniques; using data gathered from asset performance and condition, they can gain insights as to when eventual wear-and-tear will need corrective maintenance to avoid unexpected machine breakdowns. REPAIRS Even with the best maintenance plan and personnel, the possibility of unexpected machine breakdown can never be completely eliminated. When this happens, businesses need to rely on swift repairs to get their assets back up and running ASAP before losses become insurmountable. Aside from financial losses due to lost productivity, repairs often cost more than regular maintenance, requiring businesses to pay a huge sum up front for new parts, installation, and the services of a specialist. As much as businesses need to invest in a good maintenance program, they must have contingencies in place for unexpected downtimes since there is no way to completely prevent them from happening. MAINTENANCE PRACTICES IN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY Good maintenance programs benefit virtually all businesses across different industries; the only difference is how they apply maintenance techniques to achieve their business goals. Companies in the manufacturing industry utilize heavy-duty machinery for mass production. To prevent machine breakdowns that disrupt operations, good machine maintenance protocols must be implemented. Below are how manufacturing industries apply maintenance practices to maximize their operation Machine Maintenance To ensure that machinery and equipment are always operating at optimal levels, maintenance technicians perform visual inspections and produce OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) Reports. The OEE Report outlines equipment and machine availability, performance, and output quality to gain insight on possible process improvements and identify corrections that need to be made on the equipment. Factory Maintenance Aside from maintaining the machines used for production, the work areas and surfaces of factories must also be maintained to minimize slip and trip hazards and increase work efficiency by removing physical obstructions that interfere with work. Factory maintenance personnel conduct 5S audits to improve cleanliness, orderliness, safety, and efficiency while also eliminating waste and preventable work hazards. HVAC Maintenance Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems must have a regular maintenance schedule to identify and address critical wear and malfunctions. Preventive maintenance for HVAC systems are usually done bi-annually or before peak usage seasons. Aside from preventing unscheduled downtimes, HVAC maintenance practices aim to lower utility bills by ensuring that units are running efficiently and air quality meets regulatory standards. Store Maintenance Sweeping and mopping floors, dusting shelves, and regularly sorting products on display are part of all good store maintenance programs. In food retail, store employees perform walkthrough inspections to check if displayed products are still within “consume by” dates, and monitor chiller and refrigerator temperatures in meat and vegetable sections to make sure they are consistently cooled at recommended set points. Condition Survey A condition survey is a comprehensive assessment of a commercial, residential, or industrial building’s physical condition. In the event of factory building failure, Construction professionals perform a walkthrough inspection to check for structural damage, failure, and wear/tear before providing recommendations for repairs and augmentations. Factory Building Maintenance Where a condition survey focuses on the building’s structural integrity, building maintenance pertains to the practices employed to ensure that the building fulfills its function as a working space. These include aspects such as HVAC maintenance, electrical maintenance, and plumbing maintenance. Elevator Maintenance in factories where elevators are present, good elevator maintenance practices are important not only for the safety of workers, but for the safety of other building occupants. It is also a standard compliance requirement for building codes and regulations. Professional elevator inspectors check button functions and ventilation, as well as assess the wear-and-tear of cables and suspension gears to determine if any replacements are necessary to ensure safety. Generator Maintenance Regular generator maintenance inspections are recommended to ensure that they can perform at peak condition when unplanned power outages occur. Standard generator maintenance involves visual checks of the diesel generator; leakage checks of the engine, exhaust, cooling, and fuel; and battery testing. Landscape Maintenance Also referred to as groundskeeping, landscape maintenance pertains to cleaning, weeding, and pruning activities to keep lawns, gardens, and other decorative spaces outside of buildings in pristine condition. Diligent landscape maintenance helps leave a good impression on potential customers and buyers, improving business reputation and branding. CCTV Maintenance Proper CCTV Maintenance helps factory owners identify unit defects and blind spots before they become a problem. Regular CCTV maintenance is important to ensure security data is recorded and uncompromised. RISK ASSOCIATED WITH MAINTENANCE Maintenance is a high-risk activity because it often requires working alongside a running process and in close contact with machinery. During normal production operations, automation typically diminishes the likelihood of human error that can lead to accidents. However, in maintenance activities, contrary to normal operation, direct contact between the worker and machine cannot be reduced substantially, as maintenance is an activity where workers need to be in close contact with processes and machinery. Maintenance often involves unusual work, non-routine tasks, and it is often performed in exceptional conditions, such as in confined spaces, for example. Maintenance operations typically include both disassembly and reassembly, often involving complicated machinery. This can be associated with a greater risk of human error, increasing the accident risk. Working under time pressure is also typical for maintenance operations, especially when shutdowns or high-priority repairs are involved. As a result, there is a high risk of accidents related to maintenance activities. Here are some of the most common: • Crushing by moving machinery or unexpected machine start-up • Falls from heights or accidents involving falling objects • Electrocution, electrical shocks or burns • Confined spaces resulting in asphyxiation • Explosions and fire. MAINTENANCE MAMNAGEMENT Maintenance is often poorly performed in many manufacturing industries and businesses in developing countries. Tasks are not done correctly, at the right time, or completely ignored altogether. industries operate under a crisis management approach, hurrying from one repair to the next, never really getting ahead of the problems. The result is frequent outages, high repair and rehabilitation costs, and a poor level of production service. In the end, intended benefits are diminished and scarce investment resources wasted. There are many reasons for poor maintenance performance. Common problems include limited financial resources, poor or inappropriate technical designs, lack of key parts, supplies or tools, insufficient and/or undertrained staff, poor institutional organizations, low salaries and incentives for good work, and poor management of the maintenance function. This seminar is only defining maintenance management, which encompasses most of the above subjects, at least to some extent. For maintenance to be successful, maintenance managers, and other maintenance workers in medium-sized to large manufacturing industries like DSWAL must understand maintenance management in practical ways. Thus, maintenance management system (MMS) is a series of techniques for planning, organizing, directing, controlling, monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on maintenance activities to ensure maximum program effectiveness at minimum cost. It is not a set of new technical procedures for performing maintenance tasks in a better way, but a means of getting organized so that the correct activities are scheduled and performed at the right time in an efficient and cost-effective manner. It is a way of making maximum use of personnel materials to provide the best possible level of service at the lowest possible cost. The benefits of MMS can be summarized as follows: • increased reliability of equipment. • minimized service interruptions and downtime. • increased plant performance through better overall equipment condition and reliability. • minimized large repairs. • better utilization of staff through planning and scheduling. • increased productivity of staff. • improved worker safety. • reduced maintenance costs. • controlled maintenance costs. • accurate records on work performed and costs incurred. • accurate records on equipment performance. • data for more effective financial and capital improvement planning. • more, reliable supply of parts, supplies, equipment, and tools. FIVE BASIC RULES FOR SAFE MAINTENANCE. In order to mitigate the risk to maintenance personnel, there are five basic rules for safe maintenance. 1. Planning. Maintenance must start with proper planning. A risk assessment must be carried out and workers should be involved in this process. Issues to be covered at the planning stage are: a) The scope of the task – what needs to be done, and how it will affect other workers and activities in the workplace. b) Risk assessment – potential hazards have to be identified (e.g., dangerous substances, confined spaces, moving parts of machinery, chemical substances or dust in the air), and measures need to be developed to eliminate or minimize the risks. c) Permits to work and lock-out systems. d) The time and resources that the activity will require. e) Communication between maintenance and production staff, and all other parties concerned. f) Competence of the employees and adequate training. Employers need to ensure that workers have the skills that they need to carry out the necessary tasks, are informed about safe work procedures, and know what to do when a situation exceeds their competence. 2. Making the Workplace Safe. The work area needs to be secured by preventing unauthorized access, by using barriers and signs, for example. The area also needs to be kept clean and safe, with power locked-out, moving parts of machinery secured, temporary ventilation installed, and safe routes established for workers to enter and exit the work area. Warning cards should be attached to machinery, with the date and time of lock-out, as well as the name of the person authorized to remove the lock. This way, the safety of the worker performing the maintenance on the machine will not be jeopardized by another worker inadvertently starting it up. If possible, guards should be designed so as to allow minor maintenance on the machines without removing them. If the guards must be removed or deactivated, then lock-out procedures should be followed. Maintenance workers must be trained on how, and under which conditions, safeguards may be removed. 3. Use Of Appropriate Equipment. Workers involved in maintenance tasks should have the appropriate tools and equipment, which may be different from those that they normally use. Considering that they may be working in areas that are not designed to have people working in them, and that they may be exposed to a variety of hazards, they must also have appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). With respect to the equipment and tools to be used, employers should ensure that: • the right tools and equipment for the job are available (together with instructions in using them, if required) • they are in an appropriate condition • they are suitable for the work environment (e.g., no sparking tools in flammable atmospheres), and • they have an ergonomic design. All personal protective equipment must: • be appropriate for the risks involved, without the equipment itself leading to any increased risk • correspond to existing conditions at the workplace • take account of ergonomic requirements and the worker’s state of health • fit the wearer correctly after any necessary adjustment. 4. Working as Planned. Safe work procedures have to be communicated and understood by workers and supervisors, and applied correctly. The work should be monitored so that the agreed safe systems of work and jobsite rules are observed. Maintenance is often carried out under pressure – for example, when a fault has brought the production process to a standstill. Safe procedures need to be followed, even when there is time pressure. Shortcuts could be very costly if they lead to accidents, injuries or damage to property. Procedures need to be in place for unexpected events. Part of the safe system of work should be to stop work when faced with an unforeseen problem or a problem exceeding one’s own competence. It is very important to remember that exceeding the scope of one’s own skills and competence may result in accidents. 5. Final Check. The maintenance process needs to end with checks to make sure that the task has been completed, that the machine under maintenance is in a safe condition, and that all waste material that has been generated during the maintenance process has been cleaned away. When all is checked and declared safe, then the task can be signed off, and supervisors and other workers can be notified. This final step also involves completing a report, describing the work that has been performed and including comments on any difficulties that have been encountered, together with recommendations for improvement. Ideally, this should also be discussed at a staff meeting where the workers involved in the process – as well as those working around them – can comment on the maintenance activity and come up with suitable suggestions to improve the process. CONCLUSION The old adage goes, “to make money, you have to spend money.” This advice does not apply exclusively to a company’s initial setup stage where spending money to invest on equipment, a workspace, and employees are a given. For a business to thrive in today’s competitive landscape, business owners must also be willing to invest money, time, and resources on good maintenance practices. Please Note that Statistics shows that around 15% to 20% (depending on the province) of all accidents and 10% to 15% of all fatal accidents are related to maintenance operations. Maintenance workers, please be safe! THANK YOU QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS