Locating faults in marine electrical and electronic equipment and circuits
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to locate faults in marine electrical and electronic equipment and circuits, in accordance with approved procedures. You will be required to locate faults on a range of marine electrical and electronic equipment such as single, three phase and direct current power supply and control systems, motors and starters, switchgear and distribution panels, lighting and alarm systems, electrical plant, communication equipment and computer control equipment and systems, luminaires and electrically powered domestic equipment. You will be expected to use a variety of methods and procedures to assist in locating the fault, including gathering information from the person who reported the fault, using recognised fault finding techniques and diagnostic aids, measuring, inspecting and operating the equipment.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the fault location activities undertaken and to report any problems with these activities or the tools and equipment used that you cannot personally resolve, or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with either a high level of supervision or as a member of a team. You will take personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out. Where team working is involved, you must demonstrate a significant personal contribution during the team activities in order to satisfy the requirements of the standard and competence in all the areas required by the standard must be demonstrated.
Your underpinning knowledge will be sufficient to provide a sound understanding of your work, and will provide an informed approach to applying fault location procedures to marine electrical and electronic equipment and circuits. You will have an understanding of the basic fault location methods and techniques used and their application. You will also know how to interpret information obtained from fault finding aids and equipment, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities and for identifying and locating the fault.
You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the fault location 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, both ashore and afloat.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- review and use all relevant information on the symptoms and problems associated with the products or assets
- investigate and establish the most likely causes of the faults
- select, use and apply diagnostic techniques, tools and aids to locate faults
- complete the fault diagnosis within the agreed time and inform the appropriate people when this cannot be achieved
- determine the implications of the fault for other work and for safety considerations
- use the evidence gained to draw valid conclusions about the nature and probable cause of the fault
- record details on the extent and location of the faults in an appropriate format
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the health and safety requirements of the area in which the fault location is to take place and the responsibility these requirements place on you
- the isolation and lock-off procedure or permit-to-work procedure that applies in the work area
- the importance of wearing protective clothing and other appropriate safety equipment (PPE) during fault location activities
- hazards associated with carrying out fault location activities on marine electrical equipment (such as live electrical components, stored energy, misuse of tools) and how they can be minimised
- how to recognise and deal with emergencies and the procedures to be followed (such as methods of safely evacuating and closing down compartments in the case of fire or other major incident)
- the precautions to be taken to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage to circuits and sensitive components (such as use of earthed wrist straps)
- 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 procedure to be adopted to establish the background of the fault
- how to use the various diagnostic aids to help identify the location of the fault
- the various fault location techniques that can be used and how they are applied (such as half-split, input-to-output, function testing, unit substitution, and equipment self-diagnostics)
- how to evaluate sensory information (such as by sight, sound, smell, touch)
- how to assess evidence and evaluate the possible causes of faults/problems
- the care, handling and application of electrical test equipment (such as multimeter, portable appliance tester, earth loop impedance tester, insulation resistance tester)
- how to check that electrical test equipment is in calibration and that it is free from damage and defects
- how to use and extract information from drawings, circuit and physical layouts, charts, specifications, manufacturers' manuals, history/maintenance reports, graphical electrical symbols, wiring regulations and other documents needed in the fault location process
- how to carry out currency/issue checks of the specifications you are working with
- the basic principles of how the circuit functions, its operating sequence, the purpose of individual units/components and how they interact
- why tool/equipment control is critical and what to do if a tool or piece of equipment is unaccounted for on completion of the activities
- the problems that can occur during the fault location activity and how they can be minimised
- the importance of completing the correct documentation following the maintenance activity
- the extent of your own authority and whom you should report to if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Carry out all of the following during the fault locating activity:
- plan the fault location methods and procedures in conjunction with others
- use the correct issue of vessel/craft/structure system drawings and maintenance documentation
- adhere to risk assessment, COSHH and other relevant safety standards
- ensure the safe isolation of equipment (such as electricity, mechanical, gas, air or fluids)
- ensure that safe access and working arrangements have been provided for the maintenance area
- carry out the fault location activities, using approved procedures
- identify the fault and consider the appropriate corrective action
- in conjunction with others, take actions to resolve the problem
- dispose of waste items in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner
- leave the work area in a safe and tidy condition
Carry out fault location on one the following types of marine electrical/electronic equipment:
- lighting, alarm, detection and monitoring systems
- domestic electrical equipment
- rotating electrical machines
- power generation and distribution equipment and systems
- navigational equipment
- computer equipment/peripheral devices
- communication equipment
- other type of specific marine electrical equipment
Carry out fault location on one of the following types of supply:
- single-phase power circuits
- three-phase power circuits
- direct current power circuits
plus four of the following types of electrical/electronic components:
4. wiring and cables
5. motors and starters
6. detection devices
7. switches/contactors
8. distribution panels
9. monitoring devices
10. connectors
11. luminaires
12. sensors and actuators
13. overload protection devices
14. alarms
15. mechanical protection devices
16. back-up battery system
17. power supplies
18. sensors
19. software
20. board level components/modules
21. control systems and components
22. other specific component
Use four of the following diagnostic techniques, tools and aids to assist in locating the fault:
- information gathered from the person who reported the fault
- fault finding techniques (such as six point, half-split, input/output, unit substitution, emergent sequence)
- diagnostic aids (such as manuals, flow charts, troubleshooting guides, electronic aids, equipment records, drawings and diagrams, equipment self diagnostics)
- inspecting (such as checking for breakages, wear/deterioration, overheating, missing parts, loose fittings)
- operating (such as manually switching
off' andon', RCD test buttons, running equipment)
Use two of the following types of instruments to assist in locating faults:
- multimeter
- insulation resistance tester
- watt meter
- portable appliance tester
- volt meter
- light meter
- ammeter
- earth-loop impedance tester
- portable appliance tester
- communication analyser
- oscilloscope
- signal generator
- other specific test equipment
Locate faults that have resulted in one of the following breakdown categories:
- intermittent fault
- partial failure or reduced performance
- sustained fault/complete breakdown
Complete one of the following maintenance records and pass it to the appropriate person:
- scheduled maintenance report/log
- corrective maintenance report/log
- job card
- other company-specific report
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
You will be able to apply the appropriate behaviours required in the workplace to meet the job profile and overall company objectives, such as:
- strong work ethic
- positive attitude
- team player
- dependability
- responsibility
- honesty
- integrity
- motivation
- commitment