What Belongs in a Preventive Maintenance Procedure?
A PM checklist that says “inspect, clean, and lubricate” is not a maintenance system. A strong procedure defines the asset, interval, hazards, methods, limits, and response to an unacceptable condition.
1. Equipment identity
Include the asset name, asset ID, location, manufacturer, model, serial number, and criticality. The technician must be able to confirm that the procedure belongs to the equipment in front of them.
2. Trigger and frequency
State whether the PM is calendar-based, runtime-based, cycle-based, or condition-based. Include the interval and the current or due meter when applicable. A monthly PM and a 500-hour PM are not interchangeable.
3. Required skill and estimated duration
Identify whether the work is operator care, mechanical maintenance, qualified electrical work, or OEM/specialist work. Estimated duration helps planners coordinate downtime and labor.
4. Safety and energy control
List PPE, permits, task hazards, shutdown requirements, and the specific energy sources that must be isolated. The procedure should reference the site’s lockout/tagout program rather than inventing an alternative system.
5. Tools, test equipment, parts, and lubricants
Specify sizes, ranges, calibration requirements, grades, part numbers, and quantities. “Use grease” is not adequate when incompatible lubricants can damage a component.
6. Task-level instructions
Each task should define the location, action, method, and sequence. State whether the equipment is stopped or operating and identify any access panels or guards that must be removed.
7. Acceptance criteria
Define what the technician is deciding. Is the item acceptable, does it require follow-up, or must the equipment remain out of service? Use limits for temperature, pressure, torque, clearance, belt tension, vibration, current, or wear when approved values exist.
8. Reading and response fields
Do not ask for measurements without providing a place to record them. Select the response type that matches the task: pass/fail, actual value, initials, completion checkbox, or written observation.
9. Action when failed
Explain what happens after an unacceptable result. The technician may need to correct the condition, open a corrective work order, notify supervision, quarantine the asset, or obtain engineering review.
10. Return to service and closeout
Require guards and covers to be restored, tools and materials removed, personnel cleared, energy restored under the site procedure, and a controlled functional test completed. Capture the technician, date, work order, meter, parts used, and follow-up work.
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