Planned Maintenance
Maintenance is an important aspect of ensuring an asset remains in a workable and safe condition. This can apply to almost any asset from a handheld electric drill right up to sophisticated technology in a laboratory. Maintenance involves all activities relating to providing an adequate level of service and limiting down time of that asset. The ultimate goal of maintenance is reliability and safety. But it can and does save valuable time and money from potential breakdowns or failures.
Categories of maintenance
Maintenance includes but is not limited to the following activities:
- Cleaning
- Inspection
- Service
- Calibration
- Repair
- Software updating
- Refurbishment
- Performance monitoring
Preventative and corrective maintenance
Preventive maintenance is scheduled according to the type of equipment, obviously the more complicated the device or machine the more maintenance will be involved. A risk assessment will assess the key factors involved in maintaining an asset. Corrective maintenance should be reduced if there is an effective preventative maintenance strategy. Unfortunately faults or failures will occur with almost any type of asset, it is essential that when these events occur that they are corrected effectively and efficiently.
Maintenance scheduling
Maintenance should be considered even before purchasing equipment to ensure that once in use it stays in optimum working condition, and this should include appropriate finance to cover the costs. Manufacturers may provide suggested maintenance activities and programs. Legislation or regulations may encompass maintenance, such as electrical safety testing, and it is your responsibility to comply with them. A maintenance schedule should show who, what, and when maintenance is carried out.