Inspection and Maintenance
This domain covers the wider maintenance regime beyond the daily check. Understand the difference between operator pre-use checks, routine servicing (by trained fitters), and thorough examination by a competent person at required intervals - critical for lifting equipment. Know that records must be kept and that maintenance must follow the manufacturer's schedule.
Key concepts: isolation and lock-off before maintenance (energy isolation, hydraulic pressure release, support of raised components), correct fluids and parts, and the principle that only competent persons carry out repairs. Understand the role of the thorough examination in confirming the machine remains safe to use, and that any report of defect must be acted upon.
Traps:
- Believing a machine that 'looks fine' needs no examination - intervals are time/use-based, not appearance-based.
- Thinking operators can adjust or repair safety devices - they must not.
- Forgetting that maintenance records are part of the evidence trail after an incident.
- Overlooking that hydraulic systems store pressure even when the engine is off.
- Assuming a new machine needs no examination - it still enters the regime.
Rule of thumb: Before any maintenance, isolate, lock off, release stored pressure, and support anything that could fall. Never work under an unsupported boom or attachment.
Worked example: A fitter needs to replace a boom hose. Correct sequence: park on firm level ground, lower the attachment, isolate and lock off, release hydraulic pressure per the manual, support the boom, then work. Never rely on the hydraulic system alone to hold the boom up.