INFORMATION SHEET 5.3-2

Maintenance Procedures and Practices

It is important to learn the different procedures and practices in the maintenance of training equipment in order to draw from these and plan the suitable maintenance program for our own organizations.

Maintenance of Tools and Equipment

The proper use of the training tools and equipment is the first and foremost task in the maintenance. They must be able to use them in accordance to the manufacturer’s manuals, as this would evidently extend the life of the equipment and tools. The Manual would indicate the part of the equipment, the functions of each part and the way to maintain it. We must always refer to it for reference. The user’s manuals must be kept handy and within the Trainer or designated area for immediate reference.

Maintenance Procedures and Practices

Maintenance procedures and practices differ from one school or to another. Simple procedures may work in a small organization or in a medium-sized school with organized structure. The more complex an organization, the more complex the system is. Hence, the adoption of computerized system in maintenance is prescribed.

Inventory is initially prepared to check the items that are present, available for use, operational, and adequate for the training activities. As to the presence of the items, the trainer ought to check  if the items such as chemicals, has  not yet expired  or its utilization is before its expiration dates. For equipment, it is advisable to check if all the parts are still functional, i.e. elasticity of rubber, strength of coil, etc. It is best to inspect during the  inventory,  the status of training materials to be indicated in the inventory   as    basis    for    requisition.    The stored training materials and its location/position in the storeroom/tool room, i.e. tools, equipment, extension wires, PPEs, should also be  inspected.  There may be cases where stored oiled seeped in welding gloves which may accidents during its use, electric wires has cuts or open wires after  storage for long periods, chisel or blades have chipped ends due to mishandling.

In the requesting of required training materials, it is essential  to  indicate the complete specifications of the items in order to secure  the  needed items and ensure delivery of quality items. This is important  to prevent accidents, damage or injury caused by the usage or presence of low- quality materials in the workshop area.

The training facilities should also be inspected. For example, in  Plumbing – check the steady supply of water, if there are leaks in pipes, if faucets are in order; in Refrigeration and Air-conditioning, in case of additional equipment, check if the power supply can still accommodate, adequate outlets are available. If the items are not yet ready but it is necessary to run the training program, tagging-out shall be useful. Tagging- out, when properly conducted and reported, will serve as basis for  appropriate action, i.e. repair, purchase of required parts. In this case, a  work order/request or job order form (sample is shown in Template #10) comes in to be submitted by the trainer or in-charge of the facility. In big organization, tagging-out is a major activity and audits are conducted periodically. Others have index or ledger cards to reflect the equipment or facility tagged-out.

Housekeeping Schedules, House Rules, and Operation  Procedures (for equipment or facility), are some of the essential items to be crafted and posted to serve as guides for the trainees to observe. (See previous topics for the sample templates.)

During the training, if case of malfunctioning of equipment or facility breakdown, this is immediately reported to concerned personnel especially if  it will cause damage to people or property, i.e. water pipes burst, industrial

sewing machine is grounded, etc. Normally, an incident or breakdown report is prepared and submitted followed by a work request or job order. In some cases, the breakdown report is with pre and post-inspection report in the same form or sheet. Or, inspection and acceptance report form are further filled-in aside from the incidental report. This will depend on  the  maintenance system or established practices in an organization. A salvage report is further submitted after the repair or  conditioning  of  the equipment.