Preventive Maintenance

The primary function of preventive maintenance is to keep physical equipment in top operating condition. We should catch breakdowns before they happen. Our maintenance program must be one of preventive maintenance. Too often, repairs are made after the breakdown occurs. This costs money and can cause injuries.

When a condition warns of future breakdown, don't wait for the breakdown, report it to your supervisor immediately.

As you know, routine maintenance involves a variety of things-machine lubrication, disposal of scrap, inspection of tools, general clean-up, minor repairs of machines and equipment due to wear and other similar work.

But, the fact that maintenance is routine in nature does not detract from its importance. Let's not forget that production cannot be kept up without maintenance, and accidents cannot be prevented without maintenance. Your job is important. A good maintenance program goes a long way in making everyone more efficient and making this a safe place to work.

Work control is necessary for an efficient and safe maintenance operation. Work control involves planning, scheduling, and follow-up of the job. A smooth-flowing paper work system will help to control each job all the way.

Work plans should indicate the nature of each job, how it is to be done, the material needed and the safety precautions required. Records are important and must be kept current. The type of records that should be kept will depend on the type of equipment used.

You should list potential trouble points on maintenance records. Then, inspections should be scheduled based on these potential trouble points. The schedule for these inspections can be determined by the reports turned in by inspectors and members of the maintenance crews. These inspections of potential trouble points are essential to preventive maintenance.

Handle only maintenance and repairs that you are authorized to take care of. Refer other problems to your supervisor.

Your job is important. When maintenance is properly planned and organized, it is a major factor in controlling accidents.