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Recent research has shown that preventative maintenance can greatly improve worker efficiency. Supervisors need to understand the importance of both quality and maintenance, since if they don’t, the company or organization costs will rise.

Poor efficiency affects the quality of an organization’s goods or services. This can lead to an overall negative image which may drive customers away to the competition. These days, more and more companies are realizing that a regular preventive maintenance inspection will improve both quality and efficiency. Preventive maintenance can be applied throughout the company’s operation from the shop floor up to the CEO’s office.

What is a preventive maintenance inspection?

Preventive maintenance is ensuring by maintenance that equipment and facilities are in satisfactory operating condition. This can be achieved by regular inspection, detection and replacement of faulty parts or equipment, before failure occurs, or before faulty equipment turns into major breakdown. Preventive maintenance usually includes testing equipment, parts replacement, adjustments and measurements.

Preventive maintenance inspection goals

Primarily, preventive maintenance inspections save down time and improve efficiency by avoiding the failure of equipment.  This can be done by preventing failure of equipment before it occurs with regular maintenance procedures. This will preserve equipment function by replacing worn components before they cause problems that result in downtime. A good regime should include complete or partial overhauls at regular periods to you loading dock equipment and lift tables. This may involve oil changes and lubrication. In office areas, this might be involve software updates and antivirus scans. The object of preventive maintenance is to prevent breakdown of equipment before it has a chance to occur.

The range of a preventive maintenance inspection

Preventive maintenance ideally should cover all areas of the business operation. It is not just confined to the shop floor. There is no point in having well maintained machinery if the finished goods are transported by faulty vehicles, or orders that cannot be taken because a computer system is down. Transport and office equipment should be included in any regular preventative maintenance program.

Premises too should be covered by a preventive maintenance inspection. Workers cannot perform at their best if light bulbs are not replaced or staff are unable to ventilate their office space because windows are jammed.

Preventive maintenance should be performed right across the board, covering every area of the company’s operation. A good regular preventive maintenance inspection will save and prevent unnecessary downtime and interruption to your business. Downtime can result in lost revenue and lost customers. Preventive maintenance will increase the life of equipment saving early costly replacement of machinery. Above all, it will increase worker efficiency and enhance safety.

Mike Earle

Tags efficiencyemployee safetyMaintenance InspectionPreventative MaintenancePreventative Maintenance Inspectionsafetywarehouse safety