Carrying out preventative planned maintenance on fluid power equipment
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to carry out preventative planned maintenance activities on fluid power equipment, on mobile or static plant, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to carry out the maintenance activities on pneumatic, hydraulic or vacuum equipment. This will involve maintaining a range of equipment and components such as pumps, cylinders, valves, actuators, pipework and hoses, switches and sensors, in order to minimise down time, and to ensure that they perform at optimum level and function to specification.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the planned maintenance activities undertaken, and to report any problems with these activities or with the tools and equipment used that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You must ensure that all the tools, equipment, and materials used in the maintenance activities are removed from the work area on completion of the activities, and that all necessary job/task documentation is completed accurately and legibly.
You will be expected to work with minimal supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions, and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.
Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work, and will provide an informed approach to applying planned maintenance procedures to fluid power equipment. You will understand the process of developing planned maintenance, and its application, and will know about the maintenance criteria in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities safely and effectively, and for ensuring that the system is maintained to the required specification and remains compliant with all standards and regulations. In addition, you will be expected to report where the outcome of the maintenance activity identifies the need for further investigation or maintenance work.
You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the maintenance activities, especially those for isolating the equipment and for taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself and others in the workplace. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety legislation and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- follow the relevant maintenance schedules to carry out the required work
- carry out the maintenance activities within the limits of your personal authority
- carry out the maintenance activities in the specified sequence and in an agreed timescale
- report any instances where the maintenance activities cannot be fully met or where there are identified defects outside the planned schedule
- complete and store all relevant maintenance documentation in accordance with organisational requirements
- dispose of waste materials in accordance with safe working practices and approved procedures and leave the work area in a safe condition
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the health and safety requirements of the area in which the preventative maintenance activity is to take place, and the responsibility these requirements place on you
- the isolation procedures or permit-to-work procedure that applies to the equipment being maintained
- the specific health and safety precautions needed to be applied during the planned maintenance activities, and their effects on others
- the importance of wearing protective clothing and other appropriate safety equipment (PPE) during maintenance activities
- the importance of following the correct de-contamination procedure
- hazards associated with carrying out planned maintenance activities on fluid power equipment (such as handling fluids, stored pressure/force, misuse of tools), and how to minimise these and reduce any risks
- how to make sensory checks by sight, sound, smell, touch
- where to obtain, and how to interpret, drawings, schematic and physical diagrams, specifications, flow charts, manufacturers' manuals, maintenance schedules and other documents required for the maintenance activities
- the various planned maintenance schedules that are generally used (such as condition based maintenance, scheduled maintenance, total preventative maintenance (TPM)), predictive maintenance and the importance of recording any adjustments and modifications on the fluid power documentation, and the implications if this is not carried out
- the schedules and methods to be followed, in compliance with organisational procedures for planned maintenance on fluid power equipment
- the procedure for obtaining consumables to be used during the planned maintenance activity
- the appropriate testing procedures to be adopted during the maintenance activity
- how to make adjustments to components/assemblies to ensure they function to specification
- the functionality of various components, and their interrelationship with other components and assemblies
- how to compile planned maintenance records/logs/reports, which comply with organisational policy and procedures
- the equipment operating and control procedures, and how to apply them in order to carry out planned maintenance
- the problems that can occur whilst carrying out planned maintenance activities, and how they can be avoided
the organisational procedure to be adopted for the safe disposal of waste of all types of materials
the extent of your own authority and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Carry out all of the following during the planned maintenance activities:
- plan and communicate the maintenance activities to cause minimal disruption to normal working
- obtain and use the correct issue of organisational and/or manufacturers' drawings and maintenance documentation
- adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, COSHH, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations and procedures to realise a safe system of work
- adhere to organisational-specific decontamination and control procedures at all times
- ensure the safe isolation of equipment (such as mechanical, electricity, gas, air or fluids)
- provide and maintain safe access and working arrangements for the maintenance area
- carry out the maintenance activities using appropriate techniques and procedures
- functionally test and adjust equipment to specification
- re-connect and return the system to service on completion of the maintenance activities
- dispose of waste materials in accordance with safe working practices and approved procedures and leave the work area in a safe condition
Carry out planned maintenance activities on two of the following types of fluid power equipment:
- pneumatic equipment
- hydraulic equipment
- vacuum equipment
Carry out planned maintenance activities on all of the following:
- pumps
- actuators/cylinders
- switches and sensors
- pipework, hoses/tubing
- valves
- connectors
- motors (where applicable)
- fluid conditioning and storage devices
Follow planned maintenance activities using one of the following types of maintenance schedules:
- condition based maintenance
- scheduled maintenance
- predictive maintenance
- total preventative maintenance (TPM)
Carry out ten of the following planned maintenance activities:
- visual examination and testing of the system against the maintenance schedule
- checking condition of seals, connections, pipework and hoses
- checking operation of all gauges and sensors
- making routine adjustments
- monitoring of component condition/deterioration
- carrying out leak checks on all connections
- making sensory checks (such as sight, sound, smell, touch)
- testing and reviewing system operation
- removing excessive dirt and grime
- replacing `lifed' consumables (such as filters, fluids)
- carrying out system self-analysis checks
- recording the results of the maintenance, and reporting any defects found
Ensure that the maintained equipment/system meets all of the following:
- all maintenance activities have been completed to the required schedule
- equipment remains compliant with appropriate regulations and safety requirements
- equipment operates within acceptable limits for successful continuous operation
- any potential defects are identified and reported for future action
Complete and store all relevant maintenance documentation in accordance with organisational requirements, using one of the following:
- job cards
- organisational-specific documentation
- maintenance log and action report
- permit to work/formal risk assessment and/or sign-on/off procedures
- electronic reports