Avoiding Landmine Repairs, Part 7

How should a field technician close out a repair? Is it enough just to restore down equipment to service?

Consider this example: The tech responds to a downtime call for a parts feeder that's belt-driven from a 30-hp motor. Due to the smell of burnt windings, the technician replaces the motor. Since the belt has to be removed anyhow, the technician replaces the belt. The technician then aligns the motor, runs the system, conducts a vibration, tells the operator it's fixed, and then goes off to the next trouble call.

The next day, the supervisor visits the feeder and finds the old belt and some greasy rags. The tech did many things right, but left out proper cleanup. And where's the record of the repair? Omitting cleanup can cause safety issues and lead to failure from causes introduced by the tech. Omitting documentation will render the plant engineer’s site failure analysis inaccurate.