Bad Practices, Part 16

Nov. 26, 2013
Don't let these three bad maintenance practices sneak into the way you get things done.

Bad maintenance practices tend to sneak into the way things get done. Here are three more to guard against:

Bad Practice #41 — Assuming the Cause of Deterioration Rather Than Determining the Cause.

In your CMMS, have a list of possible failure causes for each type of equipment (especially cables) and prescribe tests for each one.

Bad Practice #42 — Making Adjustments Without Determining the Root Cause of Performance Deviations.

A process isn’t running smoothly, so you tweak the controller. Does this mask the fact a bearing needs to be replaced before it fails? And if the bearing fails, how long will it take to replace the shaft that’s damaged by the failed bearing?

Bad Practice #43 — Replacing Parts Without Determining the Root Cause of Failure.

Yes, this does save time when equipment is down. A fuse is blown, so you replace it and production resumes. But why did that fuse blow? Was the motor drawing too much current because of voltage loss across a corroded connector? Why was the connector corroded?

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