22. Maintenance Work on Plant

plant maintenance is the application of best practices to increase equipment up time in manufacturing facilities. This helps plants avoid unplanned downtime and ensures production stays on schedule.

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Why is maintenance of plant and equipment important?

An effective maintenance programme will make plant and equipment more reliable. Fewer breakdowns will mean less dangerous contact with machinery is required, as well as having the cost benefits of better productivity and efficiency.

Additional hazards can occur when machinery becomes unreliable and develops faults. Maintenance allows these faults to be diagnosed early to manage any risks. However, maintenance needs to be correctly planned and carried out. Unsafe maintenance has caused many fatalities and serious injuries either during the maintenance or to those using the badly maintained or wrongly maintained/repaired equipment.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) require work equipment and plant to be maintained so it remains safe and the maintenance operation is carried out safely.

What do I have to do?

If you are an employer and you provide equipment for use, from hand tools and ladders to electrical power tools and larger plant, you need to demonstrate that you have arrangements in place to make sure they are maintained in a safe condition.

Think about what hazards can occur:

if tools break during use
machinery starts up unexpectedly
there is contact with materials that are normally enclosed within the machine, ie caused by leaks/breakage/ejection etc

Failing to correctly plan and communicate clear instructions and information before starting maintenance can lead to confusion and can cause accidents. This can be a particular problem if maintenance is during normal production work or where there are contractors who are unfamiliar with the site.

[from www.hse.gove.uk]

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Hazard Category	Hazards	Controls
Electrocution	1. Can occur if plant has not been totally de-energized prior to maintenance work and remain isolated for the dutation of the maintenance process	1.No work shall be carried out on live equipment 2. All plant and equipment shall be isolated before work ommences and stay isolated for the duration of the task 3. A ‘Safe System of Work’ shall be implemented and personnel made aware of the sustems and proedures in place 4. Only trained personnel shall arry out manintenance work on plant
Traps and/or Entanglement	1. Can occur if plant has not been totally de-energized prior to maintenance work and remain isolated for the durationof the maintenance process	1. All equipment shall be isolated maintenance work commences and stay isolated for the duration of the work. 2. Tests shall be carried out to ensure that all plant and equipment is totally de-enrgized before work commencement 3. A ‘Safe system of work’ shall be in place for all the maintenace work 4. No work shall be carried out on live equipment
Fire and/or Explosion	1. Can occur during maintenance work if all sources of ignition have not been adequately controlled around plant containing flammable material (i.e. diesel, kerocene and/or retrol etc.)	1. A ‘Safe system of work’ shall be in place for all the maintenance work. 2. All flammable combustible and waste materials shall be removed prior to and during the maintenance work 3. Sufficient fire fighting appliances shall be iocated around the place of work and personnel trained or informed of the use of equipment
Human Error	1. Accident can occur if personnel undertaing the maintenance task are not suitably trained or have suffiient knowledge to enable them to omplete the task safely	1. Only trained and ‘Competent’ Personnel shall carry out maintenance work. 2. Personnel who are not ‘Competent’ shall not be permitted to carry out any maintenance work