Maintaining efficiency
August 1st 2010 While we may want the latest allsinging, all-dancing machine that is more productive, quicker and more energy efficient that anything we currently have, the reality is that for many companies in the current economic climate ‘new’ is not an option. Instead, we must ensure that existing equipment and processes operate at peak performance and this is where maintenance, for so long the Cinderella department of industry, moves centre stage.
In terms of equipment failure, prevention is always better than cure and the cost of cutting corners can be inordinately high - not just financially but in terms of suffering to employees.
According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EUOSHA), in Europe up to 20% of all workplace accidents are connected with maintenance. It says also that scientific studies show maintenance workers to be more prone to occupational diseases and work-related health problems such as asbestosis, cancer, hearing problems and musculoskeletal disorders Appropriate then that safe maintenance is the theme for EUOSHA’s Healthy Workplaces Campaign 2010/11. Its European Week for Safety and Health, which took place at the end of October, featured conferences, exhibitions and training sessions by EU-OSHA and its partners in 30+ countries. In Ireland, the HSA recently delivered seminars on safe maintenance and IOSH Ireland organised an evening presentation on the subject. There is plenty of help and advice out there.
Times are hard, money’s tight, but cutting back on maintenance is not an option. Maintenance is key to maximising plant availability, avoiding unscheduled breakdowns, boosting energy efficiency and, of course, avoiding human suffering. More articles from IPE Ireland Newsdesk: | 
