Bad Practices, Part 16

Bad maintenance practices tend to sneak into the way things get done. Here are three more to guard against:

Bad Practice #41 — Assuming the Cause of Deterioration Rather Than Determining the Cause.

In your CMMS, have a list of possible failure causes for each type of equipment (especially cables) and prescribe tests for each one.

Bad Practice #42 — Making Adjustments Without Determining the Root Cause of Performance Deviations.

A process isn’t running smoothly, so you tweak the controller. Does this mask the fact a bearing needs to be replaced before it fails? And if the bearing fails, how long will it take to replace the shaft that’s damaged by the failed bearing?

Bad Practice #43 — Replacing Parts Without Determining the Root Cause of Failure.

Yes, this does save time when equipment is down. A fuse is blown, so you replace it and production resumes. But why did that fuse blow? Was the motor drawing too much current because of voltage loss across a corroded connector? Why was the connector corroded?