Maintenance inspections prevent costly breakdowns, maximize equipment lifespan, and safeguard lives. Not just that, they can also help prevent catastrophic accidents.
Consider the Valero McKee Refinery fire that injured several workers and caused damage worth $50 million. An old pipe, not inspected or maintained by the authorities over 15 years, developed cracks and released a cloud of propane vapor, which ignited and caused a fire.
This stark example underscores the vital role of maintenance audits. However, traditional inspection methods rely on paper forms and manual data entry. Hence, they are riddled with challenges, which hinder their effectiveness.
This blog covers inspection and maintenance and their best practices, types, and challenges. It also introduces a potent solution – maintenance inspection and scheduling software like GoAudits.
Maintenance Check Meaning: What is a Maintenance Inspection?
A maintenance check or inspection consists of examining equipment, facilities, or systems to find existing or potential problems. It helps you identify the resources – labor, capital, tools, materials – required to keep the operations running.
With a thorough maintenance audit program, you can
- safeguard your assets,
- increase their longevity, and
- enhance customer satisfaction
What Does a Maintenance Inspection Include?
A maintenance inspection is a systematic review of equipment, facilities, or systems to identify potential issues and ensure everything operates smoothly. It typically includes:
- Visual Checks: Inspecting for wear and tear, leaks, corrosion, or damage to equipment or structures.
- Functional Testing: Verifying that systems and machinery operate correctly, including electrical, mechanical, and safety systems.
- Safety Assessments: Ensuring compliance with safety standards by checking alarms, emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and other safety equipment.
- Performance Monitoring: Analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) like energy efficiency, temperature regulation, or output quality.
- Lubrication and Cleaning: Maintaining moving parts, filters, or surfaces to prevent premature wear and improve efficiency.
- Documentation Review: Checking maintenance logs and updating records for compliance and future planning.
Types of Maintenance Checks
Irrespective of the industry, there are five common maintenance inspection checkups.
1. Predictive Maintenance Inspection
It helps you identify and predict potential failures or performance deviations. Companies employ advanced technologies like vibration analysis, oil analysis, and thermal imaging to detect early signs of wear and tear or impending failures.
Predictive inspection data helps organizations schedule maintenance precisely when needed. It optimizes equipment uptime and reduces unnecessary repairs.
2. Corrective Maintenance Inspection
Corrective maintenance inspections, aka breakdown maintenance checkings, are performed after a problem has occurred.
In case of a breakdown, the maintenance team responds promptly to get the equipment back up and running. Although reactive, corrective maintenance audits are crucial for restoring functionality and avoiding future breakdowns.
However, they are not the optimal inspection type as they can lead to increased expenses and operational interruptions.
3. Planned Maintenance Inspection
Planned maintenance inspection aims to reduce unexpected downtime and restore regular operation after a malfunction. This involves following a predetermined schedule and established protocols.
Types of Planned Maintenance
Planned maintenance and inspection are of two types:
1. Preventive Maintenance Inspection (PMI)
Its purpose is to create a plan to inspect and fix problems before they occur.
For instance, automobile manufacturers recommend a typical oil change every 3,000 miles for optimal performance. A lack of a periodic maintenance inspection schedule can lead to unexpected breakdowns.
2. Planned and Unscheduled Maintenance Inspection
It involves addressing failures as they occur, even though a recovery plan is already in place.
For instance, you might change the oil when the warning light comes on, and you have to respond immediately. Through unscheduled audits, you can reduce maintenance costs by avoiding urgent orders for replacements
4. Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) Inspection
CBM focuses on monitoring specific parameters of an equipment to determine its maintenance needs.
Through these parameters, CBM inspection ensures that maintenance is carried out only when certain conditions occur, thus boosting efficiency and minimizing downtime.
5. Reactive Maintenance Inspection
Reactive inspection and maintenance (“run-to-failure” maintenance audit) involve no planned or preventive actions. It addresses equipment malfunctions only after they occur and require repair.
This approach lacks proactive inspections or preventive measures and can lead to unexpected downtime, higher repair costs, and potential safety hazards.
Maintenance Check-Up Examples in Industries
The above-discussed types of maintenance checks apply to most industries. Here are a few common examples:
- Building Inspection: This can include regular preventive inspections of electrical systems, plumbing, fire alarms, and other critical infrastructure.
- Vehicle Inspection: Planned maintenance includes scheduled oil changes, tire rotations, filter replacements, etc. Corrective maintenance checks may consist of repairing flat tires, replacing worn-out brake pads, and addressing engine malfunctions.
- Machine Inspection: Lubrication for bearings, tension in the belt, and safety interlock are common items in the preventive maintenance and inspection checklist.
- HVAC Inspection: This includes planned maintenance like filter cleaning, coil inspections, etc. Predictive inspections include vibration monitoring for motors and thermal imaging for ductwork leaks.
Importance of Periodic Maintenance Inspections
As per the 2022 Maintenance Manager Report, 39.9% of managers worry about the unreliability of equipment once it starts reaching its operational life expectancy. Through periodic inspection, repair, maintenance, and servicing, you can identify problems early and prevent costly breakdowns.
Performing regular inspections and maintenance ensures your company offers a safe working environment. You can effectively detect and resolve potential safety hazards, provide a secure workplace, and minimize legal risks.
To comply with regulatory standards, industries keep their equipment in good working condition. You can accomplish this with regular maintenance and inspections, which involves regular audits and equipment upkeep.
How Frequently Should You Perform Maintenance Inspections?
Optimal inspection frequency depends on the type of check and the equipment’s criticality. For instance, preventive inspections for low-risk equipment occur monthly, while critical machinery in a manufacturing line requires weekly checks to prevent costly downtime.
Additionally, factors like data availability and budgetary constraints influence the decision. Industry standards, manufacturer recommendations, and professional consultations can help you craft an optimal inspection schedule.
Digital auditor apps, like GoAudits, can further optimize and streamline the routine maintenance and inspection process. You can schedule audits well in advance and assign and track the corrective actions.
Managers can use past data to identify and fix recurring problems. Additionally, they can leverage real-time insights to build effective maintenance strategies.
» Case Study: Discover how Miniclipper Logistics drastically increased audit responsiveness from 65% to 97% with GoAudits.
Challenges of Maintenance Audits
70.6% of managers struggle with planning and scheduling maintenance, which may act as a catalyst for bigger problems. For example, you might skip a bi-weekly pipeline valve inspection that can lead to leaking, causing environmental damage and production shutdown.
To tackle this, managers have started using Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS). However, 55% of users reported difficulty training their staff to use the software.
With an inspection app like GoAudits, you can break down your 180-day maintenance schedule into 30-day, 4-day, and 7-day plans. While selecting inspection software, look for the one that comes with comprehensive training modules. Also, it should adapt to your existing maintenance program.
Maintenance Checks Best Practices
Regular inspection and maintenance tasks are time-consuming, prone to errors, and difficult to analyze. Here are some tips to overcome these challenges:
- Monitor findings, observations, and corrective actions during each audit.
- Prioritize critical equipment and tasks based on urgency. Also, communicate the level of urgency to your team members.
- Automate maintenance inspection reporting and notifications to keep everyone updated without any manual intervention.
- Identify recurring issues and pivot maintenance plans as required.
- Implement standard digital inspection checklists based on the type of inspection, equipment, and location.
- Schedule and notify auditors about the upcoming inspections in advance.
- Integrate your existing CMMS with an efficient inspection and scheduling tool.
Apart from scheduling audits, you can create standardized inspection checklists with a mobile inspection app like GoAudits. Your team members can access them through Android and iOS mobile devices to perform inspections (even without the internet).
You can constantly monitor inspection data to prioritize urgent corrective actions or update your maintenance strategies. With the help of historical data, you can identify and fix the recurring issues, preventing future breakdowns and the consequent downtime.
Routine Maintenance Inspection Checklists
You can start your maintenance self-assessments immediately with FREE maintenance audit checklists from the GoAudits checklist library.
General Maintenance Audit Checklists
Use these free maintenance checklists to audit your equipment and assets:
- General Maintenance, Health & Safety Checklist
- HSE Maintenance Audit Checklist
- HVAC Preventive Maintenance Checklist
- Electrical Monthly Maintenance Check
- Automatic Door Maintenance Checklist
- Machine Preventive Maintenance Checklist
- Conveyor Preventive Maintenance Checklist
Maintenance Audit Checklists For Buildings
Use these free maintenance checklists to audit your buildings and facilities:
- Building Maintenance Inspection Checklist
- Condo Maintenance Checklist
- Facility Management Building Maintenance Checklist
- Building Maintenance Checklist Template – Clubs
- Elevator Maintenance Checklist
- Commercial Kitchen Inspection Checklist
- Gym Daily Maintenance Checklist
- Hotel Maintenance Checklist
- Warehouse Maintenance Checklist
- Sump Pump Maintenance Checklist
- Electrical Panel Maintenance Checklist
- Plumbing Preventive Maintenance Checklist
- Building Exterior Maintenance Checklist
- Hallway Cleaning & Maintenance Checklist
Maintenance Checklists For Vehicles
Use these free maintenance checklists to audit your vehicle fleet and keep a maintenance log:
- Truck Maintenance Checklist Template
- Vehicle Maintenance Log Sheet
- Tractor Maintenance Checklist
- Forklift Preventive Maintenance Checklist
- Automotive Preventative Maintenance Checklist
» Use These Checklists: Sign up with a 14-day free trial to try these checklists.
Steps to Conduct Maintenance Audits
A thorough maintenance checks program is crucial to sustaining equipment at its best for optimal productivity, dependability, and value. Here are five steps to create an enduring scheme for the upkeep:
Step 1: Plan and Prepare for the Inspection
This step consists of selecting the equipment based on factors like its impact on operations, safety, and cost. Here, you prepare a schedule with the inspection dates and names of the inspectors. You also gather the checklists (preferably digital), reference materials, tools, etc.
Step 2: Pre-Inspection Briefing
As a maintenance manager, outline the scope of inspection and areas of focus and discuss the potential hazards and safety protocols. You may also brief your team about the planned workflow and their responsibilities.
Step 3: Conduct the Inspection
The on-site team members follow the checklist, review each point, record observations (preferably digitally), and take photos of potential issues. Based on the industry, auditors may employ specialized techniques like oil analysis, thermography, vibration analysis, etc.
Step 4: Analyze and Report Data
Inspectors analyze the inspection data and suggest corrective actions or further investigations. They also collate their data, findings, and recommendations in clear and concise maintenance audit reports.
Step 5: Close the Loop
Address identified issues promptly to prevent further problems. Adjust the maintenance process based on specific equipment needs and situations.
Perform Maintenance Checks with GoAudits
GoAudits is an effective maintenance inspection tool used in over 70 countries to increase the longevity of assets and prevent costly breakdowns. With GoAudits, you can evaluate the safety, performance, and condition-based metrics.
The following features make GoAudits ideal for maintenance inspections:
- Ready-to-use and customizable maintenance audit checklists
- Scheduling and planning regular and frequent inspections
- Capability to be integrated with your existing CMMS
- Capability to assign and monitor corrective actions
- Instant generation and sharing of inspection data
GoAudits helps you monitor and manage maintenance strategies to respond quickly to problems. Additionally, with the advanced inspection dashboard, you identify recurring patterns, track asset or equipment performance, and make informed decisions.
With a rating of 4.7 stars on Capterra, GoAudits is trusted by some of the biggest names in the industry.
» GoAudits Reviews: Read how organizations leverage GoAudits to build an efficient maintenance system.
