It is important that you inspect all equipment and machinery on a regular basis and perform maintenance as required. An easy way to remember to inspect all of your equipment, tools and machinery is to include it in part of your monthly workplace inspection. Below are some important things to consider when repairing or performing maintenance on your equipment.
Machine guards
Guards must be in place on all moving parts of tools and equipment. Remember: Guards are there to protect the safety of yourself and others. Do not remove or modify any guards. Just because you can remove a guard, does not mean you should; often guards are removable for situations where a repair or cleaning needs to be done. You must replace guards to their original installation before starting up equipment after completing maintenance or repairs.
Locking out energy
Energy from all sources must be locked out of equipment and attachments before performing any maintenance, repairs or working under any part of the equipment. Locking out energy is not just about unplugging equipment. Though equipment must be powered down and not have any residual electrical energy, you must also consider other sources of energy, such as: mechanical energy from unexpected start-up or unexpected energization of equipment, freewheeling parts and energy from springs or other components, gravitational energy when equipment or parts of equipment is elevated or when equipment can roll. For example, an unsupported elevated bucket or equipment parked on an incline. Also consider energy from components and hoses filled with pressurized air, oil or other liquids and hydraulic energy from fluid pressure and fluid loss that can cause a part of the equipment to drop.
Controlling energy
You must determine the best way to control energy sources. You can do this by ensuring equipment and parts of equipment are temporarily supported, blocked, isolated or secured. You can do this by using jack stands and axle stands, wheel chocks, wedges or blocks, locks and/or tags. You can also use chains, pins, fasteners or other hardware, and cylinder locks or props. Some equipment will have removable cylinder locks; ensure they are put in place correctly. If equipment has props, you must ensure they are tightly in place before you begin your work. All sources of electrical power and batteries must be disconnected and locked out before maintenance, and you must relieve the pressure in air, oil or water lines before they are disconnected, repaired or pressure washed.
Damage, wear and tear
Hoses and other components must be inspected for wear and damage. If a leak occurs, and pressure drops during maintenance, it can cause components to fall. This must also be considered when pressure washing equipment. If the high-pressure water does damage to any component, especially hoses and connections, components can fail, and injuries or damage can occur.
Unsafe equipment
If equipment or tools are not safe to use, they must be powered down, keys removed and clearly marked as out of service using tags or signs. Notify your supervisor immediately of damaged or unsafe equipment. Ensure the equipment is fixed and thoroughly inspected for any additional damage before you begin to use that piece of equipment again.
Training
Anyone completing maintenance or repairs on equipment or attachments must understand the hazardous energy involved and the controls that need to be in place. Employees must have hands-on training and be competent to complete the task safely. Training should include topics such as what to look for in damaged equipment, how to lockout/tagout each piece of equipment, the dangers and hazards of completing the repair, what personal protective equipment should be worn, step-by-step instructions on how to perform the maintenance to resolve the issue, or who to call to complete the repair and how to re-inspect the equipment before it gets used again.
