49 Recording Equipment Failures

Michael Hrycay

Learning Objectives

 Summarize details to record equipment failures and corrective actions.

Records are at the core of a successful maintenance program.  Records document maintenance and calibration activities to plan future activities and equipment replacement.

Preventative Maintenance and Callibration Program (PMC)

A written PMC Program includes:

  • The person responsible for each task
  • Layout, blueprint or floor plan of plant showing locations of equipment and infrastructure (e.g. boiler rooms and compressors)
  • Manufacturer’s documentation such as manuals, drawings and parts lists
  • Description of maintenance activities such as lubrication, cleaning, or changing filters
  • Description of calibration activities such as calibrating scales, and sensors
  • SOPs to be followed for each activity
  • Order in which activities are to be performed
  • Materials or chemicals to be used such as lubricant or solvent
  • Records to be kept
  • How to prevent cross-contamination
  • Corrective actions for deviations
  • Activity frequency
  • Recording system

For calibration, the program should also identify:

  • The maximum error allowed before corrective action (e.g. ±1 g; ±5°C)
  • Corrective action to be taken when instrument does not meet specification
  • Calibration methods based on approved standards

Record-keeping

Records are essential to the PMC program.  Records can:

  • Be based on records for each piece of equipment
  • Be based on work orders and activities
  • Software can be used to track activities

Your employer will have its own specific recording system for you to follow.

Record-keeping for Maintenance Activities

For regular maintenance, records need to indicate:

  • Work order numbers
  • Reason for the maintenance
  • Equipment identification
  • Maintenance activity (e.g. equipment inspection, adjustment and part replacement)
  • Dates
  • Person in charge

Record-keeping for Calibration Activities

When recording calibration activities, the following needs to be recorded:

  • Instrument calibrated
  • Date
  • Person doing calibration
  • Reason for calibration
  • Findings from calibration
  • Corrective action taken

Value of Good PMC Records

Good record-keeping allows planning for:

  • Future maintenance activities
  • Equipment retirement and purchase
  • Provides evidence of due diligence in the case of failure

Recording a Failure

When maintenance requirement arises, a form similar to the following may be used by your employer to record the event.

License

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Recording Equipment Failures Copyright © 2022 by Michael Hrycay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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