Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1032074
M aintenance and Reliabilit y AS I SEE IT Jim Fitch | Noria Corporation Who Should Inspect Your Lubricated Machines? Perhaps you've heard that machine reli- ability is everyone's r e s p on s ibi l it y. I n a general sense, this is very true and needed. We should all keep our eyes alert to issues, large and small. We should propitiate an inspection and proactive mainte- nance culture. Inspection is largely about relentless and purposeful sensory observation. Any compe- tent and responsible person near a machine can and should serve as the inspector of the moment. It's not just about the machine. ere are five inspection operating states, as I discussed in a previous column. Take machine parts, for instance. ey frequently are staged in warehouses or on shelves and pallets near operating machines and other active work areas. Sooner or later these components become an integral part of the machines or machine trains where they are intended to be used. Inspection is a cradle-to-grave process, including all the parts that build to a complete and functioning machine or train. W hatever impaired state or condition the part sustains or is exposed to eventually will be trans- ferred to the operating machine. Even the smallest components that are infected with issues can metastasize and impart hazards and destruction to operating process lines and beyond. It's not the cost of the repair but rather the cost of lost production that matters, often at many multiples of the repair cost. Still, due to the potentia l consequences of failure, inspection requires responsibility and account- ability. I've previously discussed the need for an inspection plan that outlines the role and skills of the inspector. e tasks of inspectors are broad and, in many cases, also difficult. Each task, as defined in the inspection plan, requires a corre- sponding skill set. e skills must match the tasks, not generally but specifically. Each inspector should qualify his or her actual inventory of skills to the required skills defined by the tasks (and procedures). Gaps in these skills must be closed by training or perhaps by means of a staffing change. "Ultimately, you seek skillful and dependable completion of the entire inspection plan by one or more inspectors with the time, skills and resources to perform their tasks." 2 | September - October 2018 | www . machinerylubrication.com