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Labour and productivity

Keeping equipment working: planning maintenance around the work

By Review.LivePublished 3 min readHow we write

Tuesday, 9:30: the telehandler lifting wall panels to the third floor of a wood-frame co-operative housing building stops, oil running from a split hose on the boom. Eight framers wait on the deck with their panels on the ground. The rental company's mechanic can come at 13:30.

Worn metal gears and bearings inside an exposed machine mechanism.
Photo: stephan de MARANTHI on Unsplash

Know each critical machine's hours and inspection record, act on reported defects the day they are reported, book service into gaps the schedule already has, and keep a fallback for machines the critical work cannot do without. Some breakdowns have warnings: a defect noted on a daily check, or a service skipped because nobody wanted the machine down on a working day. When the machine stops, the crew that depends on it stops too. Recording idle time caused by another party is a separate lesson, standby and idle time.

  1. List the machines the critical work depends on, with unit number, owner, hour-meter reading and next service due.
  2. Make the pre-use check count. Have the operator record and report defects, and have a competent person assess them before use. Keep unresolved unsafe equipment out of service.
  3. Service by the manufacturer's manual, with inspections and repairs performed by competent people. Confirm the rental company's responsibilities before the first shift.
  4. Read the hour meters every Friday against the next service due.
  5. Book service into planned gaps: a Saturday, a rain day, the day after a pour, or a swap arranged with the rental company.
  6. Name a fallback for each critical machine: a second unit, a same-day rental, or another way to lift the material; see single points of failure.

Common mistakes

  • Filing daily check sheets that nobody reads.
  • Putting off a service because the machine is busy, which is when it matters most.
  • Assuming the rental company tracks your machine's hours.

Checklist

Every Friday

  • Hour meters read on every critical machine
  • Next service booked into a planned gap
  • This week's defects assessed; unsafe machines held out of service
  • Rented machines' service agreed
  • A fallback named for each critical machine

Check your understanding

An operator's pre-use check reports a small hydraulic leak on the machine the foreman needs all day for a critical lift. What do you do?

Show the answer
Have a competent person assess the leak before use, and repair, restrict or replace the machine as they decide. Identify unsafe equipment and keep it out of service until made safe. Use the fallback you planned for this; the critical date cannot establish whether the machine is safe.

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