Oil Fields Safety: Preventative Maintenance
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When it comes to working in the oil and gas industry, there are many topics that are pertinent to the industry. It is good to have a general sense of all that is involved within the sector, before specializing in the areas pertinent to your job title.
The oil and gas industry requires working in a diverse range of environments and many hazards that can arise depending on the circumstances. Just some of the safety knowledge required of industry works are:
Confined Spaces
Transportation of Dangerous Goods
Emergency Response
Fall Protection
Fire Safety (Extinguishing)
First Aid
Flag Person Training
Forklift Safety
Gas Detection
Hazard Identification
Hazardous Materials (Hazmat)
Overhead Cranes and Rigging
Respiratory
While these are just some of the areas that require safety training there is another component that can be just as important to a safe workplace: preventative maintenance.
Often times referred to as PM, preventative maintenance is done to extend the life of equipment used on the worksite. While it may seem like a purely mechanical endeavor, ensuring that your equipment runs smoothly can be the difference between life and death.
When machinery breaks down there is the possibility of injury to equipment operators and bystanders. Equipment breakdowns can also result in exposure to hazardous chemicals and physical agents.
Undertaking preventative maintenance is a task that requires tests, measurements and parts replacement to reduce wear and avoid machine failure. This can range from regular inspection, walk-throughs and good house-keeping practices to sophisticated replacement of machine components.
Preventative maintenance should be accompanied by documentation that identifies what requires inspection, who will perform the inspection, the deficiencies found, which repair or replacement work is required and performed and recommendations for future action.
It is also essential that follow ups are done on each case and that the preventative maintenance workflow is reviewed on a regular basis. This will ensure that all of a worksite’s equipment is running safely and not endanger the lives of those who work with the machinery on a daily basis.
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