Maintenance, testing, and surveillance
Maintenance, testing, and surveillance
This domain tests work control from planning through return to service. Questions focus on clearances, independent verification, acceptance criteria, and post-maintenance testing.
Core rules
- Every job needs a work order, risk assessment, and current procedure. Identify safety-related components and their support systems before isolating.
- Lockout and tagout boundaries must be verified, not assumed. Use the plant clearance order, independent verification, and a zero-energy check where required.
- Surveillance tests have prerequisites, acceptance criteria, and required documentation. Record as-found and as-left data; a test that passes without valid conditions is not valid.
- After maintenance, perform post-maintenance testing and restore the lineup. Return to service only when the component, power, cooling, and instrumentation are verified.
Worked example
A safety-related pump is tested for flow. The procedure requires a minimum flow at a stated discharge pressure. The as-found flow is below acceptance. Do not adjust the test to make it pass. Stop, tag the deficiency, evaluate whether the pump is operable, and enter the applicable limiting condition for operation if required. After corrective work, repeat the test and record as-left data.
Traps
Opening a clearance without checking all energy sources; skipping prerequisites because the test is routine; failing to restore a valve after a test; and accepting a post-maintenance run without instrument verification.