What is a preventive maintenance checklist?

A preventive maintenance checklist pertains to a list of materials or equipment that inspecting officers need to check for safety purposes. In workplaces, there are a lot of equipment and technological devices that need regular check-up in order to make sure that they are still working and are providing the service that they are intended to do, and that they are not malfunctioning in a way that is hurting employees that are handling them. Preventive maintenance is a process in which companies see to it that injuries and risks and preemptively stopped before they can accrue for the betterment of workers. This is something to be done regularly, since these devices are things that workers use by a daily basis. Overlooking their respective inspection may result to detriments to workers themselves, and will certainly not do the company any good. This inspection checklist guides inspectors in order for them to have a clear list of the things that they need to assess.

Key Elements of a Preventive Maintenance Checklist

A preventive maintenance checklist has to be holistic and complete in a sense that all important information are being embodied. With that being said, this checklist has key elements that are really needed for inspectors to be able to do their job well, and comply with the goal of not overlooking any bullet point containing vital equipment or devices that ultimately need to be checked up on. There are also parts of the preventive maintenance checklist that are needed in order for it to become a legitimate and credible document, which is why the following pieces of information are integral in making one, or in modifying a checklist in order to truly tailor-fit it into the format that is required by your company. These are the key elements of a preventive maintenance checklist.

Inspector or Technician : It is required for the assigned inspector, or a licensed technician to conduct the inspection for the procedure to even be considered as one that is real and legitimate. Of course, it is important for the inspectors to be people of authority, those that have the expertise on the field, and those that have extensive knowledge regarding the issue at hand. This is to make sure that these people know when there is something wrong with the technicalities of the devices, and perhaps fix the problems if they do not require heavy modification. The person handling the checklist is ultimately checked by supervisors as well to make sure that these are the right people, and also for them to know who to reach out to if they have any further questions or clarifications.Facility : In the primary parts of the checklist, the facility or department being checked should also be indicated. This is required in order for supervisors or management directors to make sure that each department is being kept up to date, and that all of the aspects in the working site are actually being assessed by respective inspectors. Putting the name of the facility also enables supervisors to track needed specific information in the long run, because these things will always be needed for verification by the company itself.Power Supply Validation : When conducting an inspection, like an equipment inspection checklist, for instance, you are aware that the currency of your department is electricity. Because of the prevalence of electricity in your working site, it is essential for you to evaluate your power supply when conducting preventive maintenance inspection. You may do this check up through first unplugging the AC power, and note the time. After that, check and note the battery voltage while setting your timer to 15 minutes, then visually check the sensors for proper mounting, and then check the voltage again when the timer expires before turning on the AC again.Alarm and Panel Reset : Alarms and notifications are important to test since you essentially rely on these to inform you when something is wrong with the devices you have. To check up on the alarm and the panel, you first have to verify if the SCC received the notification of the AC being down. Then, verify if they also received a notification regarding primary and secondary communications, and cabinet tamper. Afterwards, check if all sensors have an open circuit, or a short circuit. Verify the normal operational status succeeding the previous action with the monitoring station guiding you.Balanced Magnetic Switch : The magnetic switch is important in any working station, since we use these to dictate the turning of power on and off. To check the magnetic switch, you may begin by loosening mounting screws on BMS in order to activate the pry
tamper, and if it is shown to be working well, you may tighten the screws again.
Passive Infrared Sensors : Infrared sensors are essential to protect assets that are of high value to the company. To check the passive infrared sensors, you may commence by removing the sensor cover in order to activate the alarms. Afterwards, you are to enable the walk test lights and clean the parabolic mirrors if necessary for you to assess the device better. If circumstances require you to, you may also adjust the detection zones for them to be able to reach a wider coverage of protection, one that fully covers the assets that are located in such a specific area.Vibration Sensors : While passive infrared sensors detect through vision, the vibration sensors detect motion through sound. This has a similar purpose as the infrared sensors, since these are used to protect assets through setting off alarms. To check vibration sensors, you may begin by using a rubber mallet and strike them on the floor, for instance, and on different locations relatively near the target area in which the sensor is programmed to cover. Make sure that the sensors are uncovered in order for an alarm to set off, assuming that the device is working. After proving itself to be working well, you may replace the cover.Final Testing/Validation : For the final testing and validation, assess the overall system within the area if it is stable and working well, and go over the different aspects of the location that you have checked to make sure that you really have looked into them. Guarantee that the different boxes (whose content varies from checklist to checklist, depending on which facility you are conducting an inspection in) have been checked and thoroughly examined.

How to Conduct a Preventive Maintenance Inspection

After knowing the key elements of a preventive maintenance checklist, it is also essential for us to be familiarized with the whole inspection procedure. Being a preventive maintenance inspector is a crucial job since you have the different assets you own, as well as the lives of the people who are working in the specific site you are assigned to on your hands. This is why it is very important for you to guarantee that all the needed equipment and devices are surely checked up on to verify that these are ultimately safe to use, and are functioning well. With that being said, this is how you can conduct a preventive maintenance inspection.

Step 1: Getting the Right Checklist

There is a plethora of checklists in the world, and each one of them are different from the other. First and foremost, it is important for you to get the right checklist that is intended for the facility that you are assessing. You may ask for one from your department head in order to make sure that the things on the checklist are actually legitimately respective of the things that are present in the working site. Having the right checklist allows you to perform your job better and faster and a lot more accurate, which is why it is an essential first step for you to take.

Step 2: Scheduling and Performing

The schedule for your inspections should be regular. Because the usage of almost all of these devices is every working day, your check-up schedule should also be with respect to that. Some equipment require you to inspect them on a daily basis, especially those that are intended to keep employees safe i.e. descenders, ascenders, and anchor bars. These are equipment which literally hold the lives of the workers themselves, which is why they are an instant priority. For other devices or equipment, they may be inspected at least once a week, depending on the instructions of your direct head. Ultimately, you are to perform the inspection during the assigned schedule, which is usually before employees can use the said equipment and devices in order to make sure that they are safe and secure before they can even use them.

Step 3: Regular Cleaning

Although this may be a task not necessarily done by the inspector themselves, it is still a great part in preventive maintenance. Cleanliness may also be a characteristic beside one of the many boxes the inspector has to tick off in his checklist. Cleanliness is important in order to make sure that the materials that workers are utilizing are actually sanitary, hence, are things that do not harm their health. Aside from devices and equipment being constantly cleaned, buildings, grounds, and assets should also be frequently cleaned for the betterment of every single actor within the working site.

Step 4: Lubricating Moving Parts

Moving parts within the site are essential in many ways. Lubricating them constantly means that we preemptively prevent them from rusting or gathering material that may negatively affect their performance. Moving parts are crucial since they usually carry personnel with them. Lubrication is one of the ways in making sure that they are safe, secure, and well-functioning.

Step 5: Adjusting Controls

The process of adjusting different controls is something that has been discussed in the former parts of the article. This is important because this determines the effectiveness of certain alarms or devices that are needed by the working site for various reasons. Adjusting controls allows you to have optimal performance in the long run, as well as conserve energy when required.

Step 6: Replacing and Removing

When devices and equipment are proven to be defective, the best initiative is to replace them and remove them from service. This is a protective measure that disallows employees to be harmed by these materials. Replacing and removing safeguards the company as well, because that means that they have less liabilities to answer to in the long run. Replacing devices with well-working ones is also an investment by the company.

How important is a preventive maintenance checklist?

Preventive maintenance checklists guides inspectors into the important things that they should be assessing when conducting an inspection. Having an automatic guideline is strategic for companies to have since checklists help avoid the human error of forgetting. This optimizes the inspection process by making sure that the important things to check are ultimately being assessed by the inspector.

What should be recorded in a maintenance report?

In the report, the inspection should be clear about the problems that he or she has spotted within the workplace regarding specific equipment or devices. The type of equipment should then be specified, its respective department, and an overview of the problem. This prompts supervisors or department heads to hire more advanced technicians to fix a few things about the device itself, if it is still redeemable.

What are the five types of maintenance?

The five types of maintenance are condition-based, predictive, predetermined, corrective, and preventive. The condition-based maintenance pertains to the inherent need of certain device to constantly be checked on due to sensitivity, while predictive maintenance pertains to the inspection of a device with the underlying assumption of it having a broken part. Predetermined maintenance, on the other hand, pertains to inspection that is required through a calendar of schedules, meaning that it is something that has already been formulated a long time ago, while corrective maintenance refers to the fixing of devices in the aftermath of being broken. Preventive maintenance talks about the preemptive inspection of devices to make sure that there is nothing wrong with them.

As a way of safeguarding employees, corporations or companies have regular check-ups on their equipment and devices in order to make sure that they are safe, and are working as how they are supposed to. This prevents future injuries and complications to accrue, and ultimately gives a safe space for workers to perform their job in, as well as safe devices to use in order for them to execute their tasks easier. All in all, it is inherently beneficial to have a preventive maintenance checklist in order for you to be thoroughly guided regarding the specific materials you should be assessing as an inspector.