There is always the potential for accidents in any work environment. Properly utilizing OSHA's LockOut/TagOut (LOTO) procedures can help you greatly reduce the risk of injuries while performing maintenance on hazardous machinery.
It's more than simply putting a tag or a lock on the machine that's being worked on, though. Making sure that you know all of the required steps of the LOTO procedures will help you ensure you're creating the safest environment possible for your employees.
Training your team to effectively enact the LOTO procedures is important, but don't forget that it's ultimately up to you to make sure they are being followed properly. To learn how Accupoint Software can help improve your LOTO process, please feel free to contact us. Preventive maintenance refers to the practice of keeping machinery and equipment up-to-date in order to prevent problems before they occur. Preventive maintenance is important in all types of businesses, but particularly in the petroleum industry.
Both the API Spec Q1 & API Spec Q2 standards require a documented preventive maintenance program, specifically section 5.7.8 in both standards. The goal here is to keep all equipment in working order as a means to minimize risk and improve operational efficiency. The best practices for preventive maintenance include creating a preventive maintenance plan and carrying out the plan effectively. Create or Review Your Preventive Maintenance Plan What are the specific preventive maintenance needs of your facility? Take into account your facility size, types of machines used, and other unique factors. If you don't currently have a plan in place, you will need to create one. Existing plans can benefit from periodic reviews. Management should agree on a definition of what preventative maintenance means for your facility before you begin creating or revising a plan. Take an inventory of each machine and its specific maintenance needs. Include both cleaning requirements and upkeep for each machine. Create a schedule for long- and short-term maintenance. Organize your maintenance schedule using computer software. With so many types of machines with different needs, software can help keep everything organized and easy to keep track of. Physical observation of machinery will also be necessary. Schedule walk-through examinations of machines by qualified employees. Keep Employees Informed Employees need to be aware of the preventive maintenance plan, especially those who will be conducting the inspections or performing the maintenance. Emphasize the importance of preventive maintenance and its role in your business's continued success. Keep up with the Plan Ensure employees carry out the plan by keeping up with inspections, cleaning, and other periodic maintenance. Software that creates work orders can make sure the preventive maintenance of your facility is implemented smoothly. Creating or updating your preventive maintenance plan doesn't have to be difficult and time-consuming. The work you do in advance could save you time and money later on. To find out how Accupoint Software can help streamline your preventative maintenance plan, contact us. Safety is essential to the petroleum field operation.
The importance of collecting and analyzing large amounts of data and providing solutions or recommendations based on that data is essential to the oil and gas industry. Accurate analysis is a make or break scenario for field crews and managers alike. Software that automates inspections of existing equipment and throughput while alerting key employees to problems that may arise is the first line of defense for a streamlined oil and gas operation. Oil and Gas: Risky Heavy Industry. The oil and gas industry has to meet stringent federal and state strictures to operate. Environmental, safety and social aspects of field operations cannot be ignored. The regulations can be convoluted in their complexity. Software applications that monitor all aspects of a drilling venture or transfer station simplify all processes while meeting regulatory criteria effortlessly. Even if you don't know how often you should be checking your release valve, the compliance software will, and can perform that task automatically. Safety inspections are the backbone of a field operation. Without them you can be shut down. Whether the shut-down is triggered by an independent inspection that fails, or a faulty mechanism that went unnoticed, the costs associated with a work stoppage are enormous. When you use inspection compliance software you are providing a vanguard against the possibility of failed inspections or machinery. Every aspect of your operation will be monitored and analyzed. Developing problems can be corrected before they turn into a disaster. Inspections can be scheduled according to your circumstances. Software flexibility, a long-term solution. No one wants to pay thousands for inspection compliance software only to have it become outdated within a few months. Regulatory mandates can change overnight; your inspection compliance software needs to respond to those changes just as quickly. Software with a built-in protocol for shifting and adding data blocks effortlessly solves the problem of the ever-changing regulatory atmosphere for the operator. When you can diversify and streamline your software to fit changing needs, you have a flexible application that works with your operation. The four most important tasks of automated inspection software:
Get the help you need. The petroleum industry is filled with complexity and regulatory oversight. Not to mention the dangers associated with field operations. Attempting to run your inspections without the help of compliance software is a one way ticket to failure. When you are ready for more information please contact us. Whether prepping for an audit, updating your company processes with new best practice information, or simply checking up on employee training, gage calibration (or lack thereof) should be taken seriously. Lack of compliance, regardless of which standards is being applied, can bankrupt a company. Gage calibration best practices really consist of 2 main parts, which should be checked periodically:
Of course, keeping on top of gage calibration can be tedious, and easily lost among other, more pressing issues. Having one system set in place that can handle all compliance management efforts streamlines the process and makes it easier for the whole company, as otherwise compliance efforts get split among different individuals and departments. This inevitably leads to something getting lost in translation, or through the cracks. For the best compliance management solutions that optimize your business practices while improving customer satisfaction, contact us today. The API Spec Q1 standard requires that organizations “maintain a documented procedure for the establishment of preventive maintenance for equipment used in product realization." An effective PM program will reduce operating costs, improve product quality, and increase productivity for the company. Our goal is to minimize interruptions that adversely impact productivity. With that in mind, we thought we would take this opportunity to discuss a number of best practices around the preventive maintenance process.
1. Preventive Maintenance factors: Understand that preventive maintenance schedules are based on a variety of inputs, including:
2. Develop an actual plan Most plans can be formed with a triggering mechanism. This means that certain events are slated to occur at a specific interval. The schedule may be developed with a condition-based or company-based protocol. The preventive maintenance schedule should always be assigned to a particular trigger. 3. Form the plan with savings in mind. The plan should be developed with a specific set of savings objectives. Metrics like the maximum manufacturing time available for each machine may be used to create the schedule. There may be some downtime required where minimal lost production opportunity time may be factored into the planning process. There may even be a schedule developed around the concept affecting the quality of products manufactured. 4. Make the system available to others. Once the framework has been constructed, the information should be created in some sort of a computerized maintenance system. The system will be formalized and assigned to key personnel responsible for monitoring the maintenance to be performed. The Accupoint system allows tasks to be automated and scheduled in a manner where work orders are generated on a timetable. 5. Set routine maintenance. Once routine maintenance schedules are established for one system, move on to another critical system. Again, set up maintenance schedules, documenting current conditions for future reference. An effective PM program can extend the asset life and ensures that it can be replaced as a scheduled event, rather than in an emergency situation. 6. Match the cost to the PM protocol developed. It may be more cost-effective to perform a set of repairs simultaneously to a machine. It may also be much more cost-effective to take a reactive approach to maintenance. This approach may be better if this type of repair or maintenance duty doesn’t occur nearly as often. In summary, a combination of inspections, repairs, and testing should be a part of any comprehensive preventive maintenance process. In addition, any credible program should be long-term in nature. To find out how Accupoint can help manage your preventive maintenance management program, call us toll free at 800-563-6250 or visit us at www.accupointsoftware.com. |
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