Carrying out preventative planned maintenance on services systems and equipment
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to carry out preventative planned maintenance activities on services systems and equipment, such as water distribution, waste water, environmental control, refrigeration, heating and ventilation, air conditioning and ventilation, gas distribution including medical gas pipelines, compressed air, process control, and instrumentation and control and medical decontamination equipment. You will need to organise and carry out the maintenance activities to minimise down time, and to ensure that the maintained system performs at optimal level and functions to the required specification
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the maintenance activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the maintenance activities, tools or equipment used that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You must ensure that all 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 services systems and equipment. You will know how the system functions, and the potential problems or defects that may occur. 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 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. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout, and will understand your responsibility for taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself and others in the workplace.
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 maintenance activity is to take place, and the responsibility they place on you
- the isolation and lock-off procedure or permit-to-work procedure that applies to the system being maintained
- the specific health and safety precautions to be applied during the maintenance activity, and their effects on others
- what constitutes a hazardous voltage and how to recognise victims of electric shock
- how to reduce the risks of a phase to earth shock (such as insulated tools, rubber matting and isolating transformers)
- the importance of wearing protective clothing and other appropriate safety equipment (PPE) during the maintenance activities, and where it may be obtained
- hazards associated with carrying out maintenance activities on service systems (such as handling fluids, stored pressure/force, electrical supplies, process controller interface, using damaged or badly maintained tools and equipment, not following laid-down maintenance procedures), and how to minimise these and reduce any risks
- how to obtain and interpret drawings, charts, specifications, manufacturers' manuals, history/maintenance reports and other documents needed in the maintenance process
- a basic understanding of the various planned maintenance schedules that are generally used (such as condition based maintenance, scheduled maintenance, and total preventative maintenance (TPM))
- the basic principles of how the system functions, its operating sequence, the working purpose of individual units/components and how they interact
- the equipment operating and control procedures, and how to apply them along with the planned maintenance procedures
- the testing methods and procedures to be used to check that the system conforms within acceptable limits
- how to make sensory checks (by sight, sound, smell, touch)
- the procedure for obtaining consumables and `lifed' items that will require replacing during the maintenance activity
- organisational policy on the repair/replacement of components during the maintenance process
- methods for checking that components are fit for purpose, and the need to replace `lifed' items (such as filters, seals, gaskets, belts, chains and bearings)
- how to make adjustments to components and assemblies to ensure that they function correctly
- the generation of maintenance documentation and/or reports following the maintenance activity
- the problems that can occur during the planned maintenance activity, and how they can be overcome
the organisational procedure to be adopted for the safe disposal of waste of all types of material
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 maintenance activities:
- plan and communicate the maintenance activities so as to minimise 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
- 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
- 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 services systems and equipment, including two of the following, to sub-assembly or component level:
- fresh water distribution
- refrigeration
- instrumentation and control
- waste water
- compressed air
- medical gas pipelines
- environmental control
- emergency power generation
- decontamination equipment (such as medical)
- process control
- heating and ventilation
- gas distribution
- air conditioning and ventilation
- steam generation
- effluent treatment /disposal
- chemical wash systems
- canteen /laundry equipment
Follow planned maintenance activities, based on one of the following types of maintenance schedule:
- condition based maintenance
- scheduled maintenance
- preventative planned 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 the operation of all gauges and sensors
- removing excessive dirt and grime
- monitoring component condition/deterioration
- checking the condition of belts, bearings, seals, cables
- making sensory checks (such as sight, sound, smell, touch)
- making routine adjustments
- replacing `lifed' consumables (such as filters, fluids)
- carrying out checks on all connections
- carrying out system self-analysis checks
- testing and reviewing the system operation
- 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 operates within acceptable limits for successful continuous operation
- equipment remains compliant with appropriate regulations and safety requirements
- 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 or report
- permit to work/formal risk assessment and/or sign-on/off procedures
- electronic reports