14/10/2016 by Richard
Inspection should be of the utmost importance to anyone who runs industrial machinery for any reason. It is the foundation of several important things, including machine reliability and condition monitoring, which is why we should all schedule regular inspections of our equipment.
Also important is having your machines be ‘inspection ready’ the majority of the time, but certainly before an inspector comes along to pass judgement. Here are our tips for ensuring your equipment does not leave anything to be desired next inspection day:
Start with faults
The first step to getting your equipment ready for inspection should be to identify the kind of faults you would like your inspectors to find. Typically, this will be a list of everything you think could go wrong, with particular emphasis on the things you really do not want to go wrong without an advanced warning, so that you can fix the issue.
It may be a good idea to rank these issues starting with the most important, so that your team can make these a priority.
Purchase the right parts
It may be a cliché, but sometimes you really do have to speculate to accumulate and when it comes to machinery this is often the case. By spending some money on the best parts and modifications for your equipment, you can set yourself up for a perfect inspection, by having everything you need to smartly monitor your machinery.
Keep it clean
As you will no doubt be aware, keeping your machinery clean is a very important factor in its health. This applies to both the inside of the machine, and the environment in which it is kept. One of the biggest issues that can cause machinery to malfunction is plain old dirt, so by keeping surfaces clean, you stand a much better chance of a successful inspection.
Correct labelling
By correctly labelling machinery components, you can cut the risk of misuse and avoid errors in reporting, which could leave an unsafe component in use longer than it should be. Labelling things like installation and maintenance dates can also help to ensure that servicing and checks are conducted in a timely manner.
As you can see, these steps are fairly simple in nature, but they can make all the difference to the health of your equipment, and how successful your next inspection might be. This is why it is well worth implementing them now, and continuing to do so on a regular basis.
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