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July - August 2016
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www.machinerylubrication.com
AS I SEE IT
Figure 3 shows the use of windows for
convenient zone inspections. Also included
are lists of example root causes and faults
that can be visually detected using these
windows. For more information on zone
inspections, see my "Use Zone Inspections
for Early Problem Detection" article at
MachineryLubrication.com.
Inspection 2.0 is a
Nurturing Strategy
Applied tribology is a behavioral science.
This means that in most plants the practice
of tribology and lubrication is people-inten-
sive. I often say that lubricants are what we
buy and lubrication is what we do. The
main reason machines fail prematurely is
the result of what people do or don't do.
Inspection is a subset of tribology (and
lubrication) and likewise is very much a
behavioral science. People have to passion-
ately want to find faults and reportable
conditions. The people I'm referring to are
operators, technicians, lube techs, mill-
wrights, mechanics, etc. It's no longer just
"looking" during the inspection route and
then checking the box on the report.
Instead, it's about intense examining,
probing, digging and searching. The people
factor will make or break any good reli-
ability and maintenance undertaking. This
is perhaps more true with inspection.
People respond to work tasks and chal-
lenges differently. Much of it has to do with
leadership and the maintenance culture. In
my "Remedies for a Bad Maintenance
Culture" article, I stressed that a positive,
nurturing maintenance culture is a critical
plant asset. Consider that when people do
good work, they feel good about themselves
and their job. When people do bad work,
Figure 3. Zone inspections for early problem detection
