PlantOps PreventiveMaintenance

National Grain and Feed Associaton
.....................................................................................................................................
1250 Eye St., N.W., Suite 1003, Washington, D.C. 20005-3922
Phone: (202) 289-0873, FAX: (202) 289-5388, E-Mail: ngfa@ngfa.org, Web Site: www.ngfa.org
Volume 10, Number 2, Nov. 7, 2008
Preventive Maintenance Programs That Work

By David A. Fairfield
Director of Feed Services
National Grain and Feed Association
[Editors Note: This is the first of a series of articles on preventive maintenance at grain handling, feed manufacturing and grain
processing facilities. This article is pertinent to facility management and operations managers whose duties include overseeing the
preventive maintenance function and hiring maintenance personnel. Future editions will focus on particular aspects of successful
preventive maintenance, with the next one focusing on preventive maintenance and the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations
(OSHA) grain handling safety standard. Be sure to route those future articles to operations and maintenance personnel within your
company responsible for this important function.]
Does the preventive maintenance program at your facility work?
As technology evolves, facilities involved in grain handling,
feed manufacturing and grain processing increasingly rely upon
automated systems to produce quality products that satisfy customer needs in a cost-effective manner. By utilizing automated
systems, facilities often become more labor-efficient and operational
costs are reduced. In addition, the work centers within a facility may
become more reliable by utilizing automation, resulting in less
production downtime and improved operating efficiencies. Automated systems also may improve the quality and consistency of
finished products.
Although there may be several benefits associated with using
automated systems, advances in technology also present some
challenges. Automated systems may be a highly complex integration of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic equipment.
These systems, along with other equipment routinely used within
facilities, require an effective preventive maintenance program. An
effective program incorporates methods to maximize equipment life

and minimize unexpected failures. Rather than waiting for a breakdown, an effective program monitors equipment, thereby allowing
facilities to conduct maintenance work on a scheduled basis and at
a lower cost.
The success of all aspects of grain and feed facility operations,
such as quality, safety, housekeeping and customer service, is
affected by the effectiveness of a facilitys preventive maintenance
program making such programs a priority in todays highly
competitive market.
An effective preventive maintenance program typically consists of the following major elements:
Goals or objectives.
Program structure and organization.
Management of the established program.
Preventive Maintenance Goals

Developing goals is the starting point in establishing an effective preventive maintenance program. Most facilities establish
goals for production and/or handling-related activities, such as tons
or bushels per hour and cost per unit. But it also is important to
define goals and expectations for the preventive maintenance program, which provide needed direction and structure for the program
and its activities.

Effective goals or objectives, whether for a maintenance program or other area of facility operations, usually have the following
characteristics.
Copyright 2008 by National Grain and Feed Association. All rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction or transmission by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior written permission from the publisher, and imposes fines of up to $25,000 for violations.
Realistic: A goal that is impossible to attain only discourages those trying to achieve it. Goals should be developed
with high standards, but be within reach. In addition, a goal
is unrealistic if the employees involved have little control
over the outcome.
Measurable: Most goals should be quantifiable, which
means they have numbers or some metrics linked with them.
No one will know if the goal has been accomplished if it is
vague or cannot be assessed.
Time-Specific: Most goals should be associated with
specific time periods. Business results need to occur in a
timely manner. Time-specific goals provide definitive guidelines on when maintenance personnel should complete
assigned projects.
Preventive maintenance goals may relate to several areas in the
facility, such as expenses, safety and productivity. Facility managers may develop specific goals through the use of historical records,
industry standards or computerized models. But every facility is
unique, and managers should develop goals that meet the needs of
their operation. It also is important that managers develop goals
after receiving input of employees working within the maintenance
program. Involving employees in setting goals provides everyone
involved a sense of ownership in the programs outcomes and
success.
Maintain facility maintenance labor and repair/equipment

expenses within facility budget guidelines during the fiscal
year. Managers may choose to develop expense guidelines
by individual cost center on a total-dollar or per-unit basis,
then compare actual expense results against established
guidelines to monitor the results.
Ensure the equipment and facility complies with company
and government safety standards. Routine inspections of
the facilitys equipment, building and grounds are necessary to ensure compliance with safety standards. Typically,
maintenance personnel complete most of these inspections
while performing work assigned in established maintenance
schedules. Since facility safety is a top priority, managers
may choose to establish a goal to help ensure the maintenance crew completes these inspections in a timely and
thorough manner. This type of goal could be measured
using company safety and/or insurance audits.
Limit operation downtime to help achieve facility productivity goals. Consider establishing productivity goals for the
maintenance functions at the facility, just as is done in
measuring operational efficiencies. It can be more difficult
to quantify the efficiency of maintenance programs compared to other cost centers. But an effective maintenance
program is crucial to achieve overall productivity goals, and
establishing goals may help foster an atmosphere of timely
completion of maintenance work.
Some possible examples of maintenance goals are:
Program Structure and Organization

To achieve established goals, an effective preventive maintenance program typically has several key elements, including:
Qualified maintenance personnel.
Equipment data/history records.
Maintenance schedules.
Spare parts and parts-ordering criteria.
Program organization.
Maintenance Personnel: Selecting good maintenance employees can be a management challenge. As with any job, there is no ideal
stereotype for such individuals. Necessary backgrounds and
talents for maintenance positions will vary, depending upon the
management approach and facility requirements. The following are
some characteristics that managers may wish to consider when
selecting employees for performing maintenance:
Mechanical Interest: Maintenance personnel need to enjoy and be challenged by mechanical work. The successful
maintenance employee accepts the demands of maintaining
equipment as a problem-solving exercise, and not as a
drudgery of endless breakdowns and repairs. With this
Plant Operations Bulletin
attitude, maintenance employees will enjoy the challenge of

monitoring and maintaining equipment before it fails, rather
than performing maintenance only as a last resort to keep it
operating.
Self-Starter: Maintenance personnel, unlike most facility
employees, do not perform the same duties each day.
Effective maintenance employees need to have the ambition to plan their work schedule to make the most of available
time and resources. All facility employees need supervision, but maintenance personnel need to be self-motivated
enough to accomplish tasks with minimal prompting. An
effective maintenance employee will bring potential problems to a managers attention, rather than waiting for the
issuance of a work order.
Assertive: The facilitys organizational structure may place
maintenance personnel between the facility manager and
other production employees. This structure may result in
disagreements between maintenance personnel and production employees over the cause of maintenance issues.
In these situations, maintenance employees need to be
November 7, 2008
assertive enough to appropriately assess potential problems and convey them to management for corrective action.
Mechanical Skills: Performing maintenance requires a
variety of mechanical skills. These may include welding,
metal fabrication, plumbing and hydraulics. Maintenance
personnel often not only are required to perform mechanical
duties in these areas, but also must have knowledge and
skills relating to the design aspects of the work they are
performing. Examples could include the ability to read and
understand equipment and building blueprints and schematics, knowledge and understanding of applicable building and equipment codes, a basic understanding of engineering terms and methods, and the ability to perform
necessary mathematical calculations.
Electrical Skills: Many automated systems used by facilities incorporate process-control systems that consist of
programmable logic controllers and related electrical devices for system inputs and outputs. In addition, most
facilities utilize a wide range of electrical systems for their
operations, which may include low-voltage direct current
(DC) and alternating current (AC) control wiring, single- and
three-phase low- and high-voltage DC and AC motor wiring,
and a variety of electrical switchgear and other devices.
Maintenance personnel may need to possess the necessary skills to troubleshoot and repair these electrical systems. These skills may include: 1) the ability to read and
understand electrical schematics and blueprints; 2) the
ability to measure and monitor electrical flow through systems; 3) a basic knowledge and understanding of applicable
electrical codes, such as the National Electric Code; and 4)
a working knowledge of electrical motors and control devices.
Managers should determine the mechanical and electrical system skills they may need in their maintenance personnel, and include
those qualifications in the criteria for hiring. To evaluate whether a
potential employee possesses these necessary skills, it may be
appropriate to develop and administer tests during the hiring process.
Just as with other employees, it may not always be possible to
find all of the desired characteristics within one individual when
selecting maintenance personnel. Generally, when selecting a maintenance person, it may be more beneficial to find an individual who
has a good mechanical interest and is a self-starter and assertive,
rather than an individual simply possessing technical skills. The
former type of individual usually can be trained and develop the
additional required skills to be successful in the position.
Maintenance Job Descriptions: Include a formal job description
for maintenance personnel. Each facility operation is unique, so the
maintenance job description should be tailored for each situation.
The following are some practical job description elements to consider:
November 7, 2008
Maintenance personnel will report to the facility manager.

Maintenance personnel will coordinate with the supervisors of the day and night shifts concerning all maintenance
work to be performed.
Maintenance personnel will make every effort to repair and
maintain equipment in a manner that will minimize production downtime.
Maintenance personnel will conduct and document routine
lubrication and inspection of equipment according to established schedules. Maintenance personnel will document all
major maintenance performed within the facility on repair
logs.
Maintenance personnel are authorized to order or purchase
necessary maintenance repair parts and services up to the
spending limit designated by the manager.
The maintenance supervisor will establish a procedure
whereby requests may be made to perform maintenance
activities on production equipment. If routine maintenance
requests are not performed in a timely manner, such requests
may be made directly to the facility manager for action.
Maintenance personnel are responsible for maintenance of
all equipment present at the facility. This includes facility
rolling stock (e.g., forklifts, tractors, loaders) or any other
type of equipment directly related to the facilitys production operations. Additional duties of maintenance personnel for major equipment are:
Hammermills: Production personnel are responsible

for replacing and rotating hammers, and changing of
hammermill screens. Maintenance personnel are responsible for maintenance on hammermills as outlined
in the maintenance lubrication and inspection schedules. If problems arise concerning hammer wear, screen
damage, leaking doors, etc., it is the responsibility of
maintenance personnel to assist in correcting those
problems.
Pellet Mills: Production personnel are responsible for

routine maintenance of the pellet mill, such as roll
adjustment, roll and mainshaft lubrication, and roll and
die changes. Maintenance personnel are responsible
for the maintenance of pellet mills as outlined in the
maintenance lubrication and inspection schedules.
If production personnel are unable to correct problems
that may arise with either pellet rolls or dies, it is the
responsibility of maintenance personnel to assist in
resolving those problems. During periods of peak production, it may be necessary for maintenance personnel
to assist in changing pellet mill rolls or dies, as directed

by the manager.
It is the responsibility of maintenance personnel to
rebuild pellet mill rolls and repair rolls in a manner that
will ensure availability of rebuilt rolls at all times.
Boilers: Maintenance personnel are responsible for

servicing the boiler water treatment system. The water
treatment will be performed as recommended by the
water treatment supplier representative. Maintenance
personnel will follow recommended blowdown procedures for the boiler.
Air Compressors: Maintenance personnel will perform a daily condensate blowdown of the air compressor
tank. All other air compressor maintenance will be
performed as outlined in the maintenance lubrication
and inspection schedules.
New Equipment: If equipment is added or modified

within the facility, the maintenance supervisor and
manager will determine a maintenance schedule for such
equipment and insert that information into the maintenance lubrication and inspection schedules.
Questionable Assignments: The manager will resolve
assignments of questionable maintenance procedures
between maintenance and production personnel.
A well-defined job description will provide maintenance personnel with a clear understanding of responsibilities. The job description also will establish guidelines for authority, enabling employees
to work freely within established parameters.
Equipment Data/History Records: Eventually, every piece of
equipment at the facility will require maintenance attention. The
various components that comprise each piece of equipment should
be identified before determining a maintenance schedule. The
amount of information required to be identified will depend upon the
complexity of the equipment and what information will be useful. For
some equipment, information about motors, gearboxes, drive belts
and bearings will be adequate. For other machinery, it may be
necessary to collect data on all mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and
pneumatic items associated with the equipment.
Some of the sources of information for creating a data file for each
item of equipment are:
Manufacturers bulletins and manuals.
Facility blueprints.
Purchase records.
Facility walk-through. A facility walk-through probably is
the most effective method for collecting necessary information. It requires an inspection of all equipment and recording
of all the pertinent information.
In addition to having equipment data available, it is essential to

maintain historical repair records on equipment. Equipment history
logs need to be developed and major repair or adjustment work
recorded as maintenance work is completed. Repair logs provide
valuable information for: 1) establishing inspection and lubrication
schedules; 2) determining the need for spare parts; 3) tracking repair
costs; and 4) justifying equipment upgrades or replacement.
Maintenance Schedules: After equipment information is gathered, routine inspection and lubrication schedules need to be
established. Management and maintenance personnel can work
together utilizing their experience and manufacturers recommendations to determine the best maintenance schedule and procedures
for each piece of equipment.
Since a given facility may have considerable duplication of
equipment, similar equipment may be lubricated and inspected
within the same time intervals, such as weekly, monthly or quarterly.
Consolidating equipment inspection and lubrication frequencies
into the same intervals makes it easier to schedule work and manage
the maintenance program.
Along with established frequency, equipment lubrication and
inspection schedules should outline the specific work to be completed. For example, the maintenance schedule procedures for a
machine should outline what to check during the inspection, and
provide information pertaining to the type and quantity of lubricant
required. Again, because of the similarity of equipment within the
facility, the number of documents required to outline maintenance
procedures may be relatively few.
Spare Parts and Parts Ordering: Because of cost and storage
considerations, it is unrealistic to keep a full array of equipment spare
parts onsite. But certain spare parts are essential to keep the facility
operating in an efficient manner. How large of an inventory of spare
parts should be maintained? How often should spare parts be
reordered? Who is responsible for the parts inventory? These are
all questions that need to be addressed within the maintenance
program.
To determine which and how many spare parts are needed for the
facilitys inventory, management and maintenance personnel should
focus especially on equipment associated with critical manufacturing or processing areas. For example, if a problem occurs with the
mixer motor or gearbox of a feed mill, the entire production operation
may cease. Can the facility afford to inventory a spare mixer motor
and gearbox? Are necessary parts readily available from local
suppliers when needed? Or are the parts special orders? By
assessing the cost and availability of those critical items against the
potential cost of downtime, management can decide which spare
parts should be inventoried. Each critical operational area in the
facility should be evaluated in the same manner.
In addition, equipment data and history repair records provide
a good source of information in determining which spare parts
should be in inventory. A review of the equipment data and repair
history will:
November 7, 2008
Show which equipment has required repair parts in the past

and provides an indicator of which parts both by type and
quantity may be necessary in the future.
Help identify common parts among different pieces of
equipment, which can reduce the quantity of spare parts
required in inventory.
Assist in evaluating whether parts and equipment could be
standardized. When planning for the replacement or installation of new equipment, management and maintenance
personnel should evaluate opportunities to install similar
models of equipment within the facility. Standardizing
equipment may provide many advantages in terms of operation, ease of maintenance and spare parts availability.
At many facilities, both management and maintenance personnel are responsible for ordering parts. To establish guidelines in
purchasing authority, management typically determines a monetary
limit to which maintenance personnel may make purchases without
further approval. This allows maintenance personnel to handle
routine jobs without continually consulting management for purchase-order authorization. The purchasing authority granted to
maintenance personnel should be established at a figure high
enough to enhance efficiencies and yet not so great as to create
potential budget overruns during accounting periods.
Guidelines within the maintenance program should specify that
all major repair costs be directed to management for consideration
and approval. Depending upon the size of the facility, the manager
should either place the order or authorize the purchase order. This
control also may eliminate the confusion of double ordering.
Organizing the Maintenance Program

Documents associated with the preventive maintenance program, such as equipment data sheets, equipment history records,
maintenance schedules, equipment manuals, spare parts inventory
and purchase records need to be stored and organized. This system
should provide easy access to information and records, allow
information to be readily updated and provide an effective way to
schedule maintenance work and document required activities.
Two types of systems for organizing preventive maintenance
programs are:
Computerized maintenance systems.
File folder maintenance systems.
Computerized Maintenance Systems: A variety of maintenance
software has been developed to help organize and monitor maintenance programs. Typically, computerized maintenance software
programs include systems for equipment data and repair history,
parts inventory/ordering, preventive/predictive maintenance schedules, maintenance work scheduling and report generation. Frequently, each area within the program is interactive by design; an
example would be that as spare parts are used during maintenance
activities, the spare parts inventory levels are reduced and equipment repair history updated. This type of interaction reduces the
time required to manually update separate records and helps improve recordkeeping accuracy.
Some common features typically found in maintenance software
programs include:
Equipment Data/History Records: Maintenance software
programs provide a database format to record information
about all equipment. Database fields may be present to
enter information, such as the equipment general ledger
number and cost center assignment, equipment spare parts,
November 7, 2008
safety requirements, equipment repair history, service contract information and equipment nameplate information.
Parts Inventory/Ordering: Computerized maintenance programs provide a system to create inventory and order
records for maintenance parts, and then track parts usage
and cost. This system may include features to identify
vendors and manufacturers, a way to record quantities and
reorder points for parts, and the ability to track the transaction history of different parts in the facility. System features
relating to parts ordering may include a way to generate
vendor quotation requests for those parts in inventory that
have reached reorder levels, generation of purchase orders
and the ability to track purchase order history. The parts
inventory/ordering system typically is integrated with the
equipment data/history record system within the maintenance software program. As maintenance work is completed and keyed into the system, parts inventories are
reduced and equipment history information updated. As
parts are received at the facility, inventory levels for equipment are increased and costs applied to the appropriate cost
center.
Preventive/Predictive Maintenance Schedules: Preventive maintenance schedules are developed to help to maximize equipment life and avoid untimely equipment failure.
The frequency of routine maintenance lubrication and
inspection schedules typically is based upon equipment
manufacturers recommendations and experience. To more
accurately predict needed equipment maintenance frequencies, many computerized maintenance programs incorporate statistical predictive maintenance features to identify
trends in equipment repair history and inspection records.
After sufficient equipment history and inspection data have
been accumulated, the maintenance program can produce
certain predictions about the next potential equipment failure. The maintenance program then can generate a report
that alerts personnel to these statistical trends.
Maintenance Work Scheduling: Computerized maintenance programs have the ability to generate work schedules
for routine maintenance lubrication and inspections. These
printed work schedules then may be distributed to maintenance personnel for completion. Details associated with the
equipment may be incorporated into the schedules, too,
such as safety instructions and specialized equipment information and procedures.
Report Generation: Computerized maintenance programs
can generate a wide variety of reports and graphs to help
manage the maintenance program. These reports may include equipment lists, parts inventories, purchase order
histories, maintenance employee records, work schedule
reports, trend analysis and others. Reports usually may be
printed, viewed on screen or exported to other files.
A maintenance software program may provide a very powerful
and comprehensive method for organizing a maintenance program.
However, some commercially available software systems are designed for very large industrial plants and may require more administrative time and effort than acceptable for feed and grain facilities.
When considering a computerized maintenance system, managers
may wish to ask the software vendor about the use of their system
in other feed or grain facility applications, as well as for a list of
references that can provide information about their experience using
the software. Ultimately, the decision on whether to use a maintenance software system needs to be made by comparing the programs
benefits to the costs of purchasing and administering it.
File Folder Maintenance System: Another effective way to organize the maintenance program is to use a file folder system. This type
of system involves: 1) establishing file folders for each piece of
equipment; 2) developing standardized forms to record equipment
data and repair history; 3) making a spare parts list; 4) putting
together routine equipment lubrication and inspection schedule
forms; and 5) providing a method to schedule non-routine maintenance work.
Equipment Data/History Records: Figure 1 (page 8) is an
example of a standard form that can be used to record
equipment data information. The form has headings for
most of the common components associated with equipment to make completing the form easier. Extra space is
provided for specialized equipment information, if necessary, a different form could be developed for those needs.
Figure 2 (page 9) is an example of a form that could be used
to record equipment repair history, and includes space to
document the date and details of equipment repairs. It may
be practical to incorporate both the equipment data form and
the equipment repair history form on the front and back of
one sheet. The equipment data/repair history form may be
placed in a file folder, along with other sources of informa-
tion about the equipment, such as equipment manuals,

purchase orders and vendor information. Each piece of
equipment will have its own information folder. These file
folders may be organized by cost center, beginning with the
receiving department and following the flow of material
through the facility. Folders for support equipment, such as
air compressors, air dryers, boilers, steam condensate tanks/
pumps, motor control center systems, sprinkler systems,
etc., may be placed at the end of the filing system. Equipment file folders may be numbered and named so they are
identifiable.
Spare Parts: With a file folder maintenance system, a spare
parts list showing parts and quantities on hand, along with
parts vendors, may be developed utilizing a word processing or spreadsheet program. This list may be printed and
maintained in a separate file folder for easy access.
Equipment Lubrication and Inspection Schedules: Maintenance procedures for each type of equipment should be
developed that outline what maintenance personnel need to
complete during equipment lubrication and inspection. Figure 3 (page 10) is an example of a document that may be used
to designate specific equipment lubrication and inspection
guidelines. Because of the similarity of equipment, this type
of maintenance procedure form typically may be used for a
variety of equipment. The form lists basic maintenance
functions, required maintenance frequencies and provides
space to check off those functions. If additional functions
are required for special equipment, they may be added at the
bottom of the form; or a different form could be
developed. Once completed, these equipment maintenance
procedures may be printed and placed in a separate maintenance procedure file along with the equipment files.
After establishing equipment maintenance procedures, an
effective way to schedule and document equipment lubrication and inspection is to put on a single list all required work
that falls within the same time interval, such as once per
month. Since specific lubrication and inspection maintenance procedures already are documented, there is no need
to include detailed procedures on the inspection and lubrication checklist. Figure 4 (page 11) is a partial example of
a monthly lubrication and inspection schedule. Using such
a schedule, maintenance personnel may complete equipment lubrication and inspection throughout the month and
sign off that the required activities have been completed.
Additional checklists for equipment lubrication and inspection could be developed for other time intervals, such
as six or 12 months. Completed equipment and lubrication
schedules should be filed along with the other maintenance
documents within the file folder system.
Scheduling Non-Routine Maintenance Work: Using equipment
and lubrication schedules provides maintenance personnel with a
routine work schedule. In addition to these normal work activities,
the maintenance program needs to provide a way to ensure that
November 7, 2008
special or non-routine work is completed. Often a standard work

order form is used to make the maintenance department aware of the
non-routine work that needs to be accomplished. Figure 5 (page 12)
is an example of such a work order form. Typically, the manager or
maintenance supervisor should issue and schedule work orders
with maintenance personnel, as needed. Written work orders provide a good way to assign non-routine work and document its
completion. Copies of written work orders should be filed with other
maintenance records.
Managing the Established Program

After establishing and implementing the maintenance program,
results routinely need to be evaluated against the programs goals.
For example, are facility maintenance and repair costs in line? Does
equipment downtime prevent production goals from being achieved?
Has the maintenance crew completed necessary inspections in a
timely and thorough manner? By periodically reviewing the maintenance programs results compared to the programs goals, areas
needing attention may be identified and plans made for corrective
action. The overall success of the maintenance program relies upon
reviewing results and taking the appropriate action to maintain and
improve the program.
If maintenance costs are too high, a review of equipment repair
history logs may indicate excessive problems with certain equipment. By maintaining accurate equipment repair history logs, it may
be possible to justify upgrading or replacing problem equipment.
High maintenance costs also may be attributable to excessive labor
costs, in which case management may need to reinforce with
maintenance personnel the importance of timeliness in their work. By
establishing and communicating realistic work expectations to maintenance personnel, timely performance may be fostered.
If maintenance activities are not being completed on time or
correctly, a review with maintenance personnel may be needed to
identify causes and to develop a corrective plan. For example, a

review of equipment repair history logs may show an excessive
amount of time being spent on unscheduled maintenance activities
because of breakdowns. If equipment problem areas can be detected and corrected, maintenance personnel will have more time
available to complete necessary maintenance inspections. By monitoring maintenance records and inspection schedules, management
reinforces to maintenance personnel the importance of timely and
accurate completion of these inspections.
When reviewing the maintenance programs results, consider
involving maintenance personnel as much as possible. Maintenance personnel will take more ownership into the program if they
are updated on the progress of the maintenance program and asked
for their ideas on how to make improvements.
Managing the established maintenance program also should
include periodic meetings with maintenance personnel and providing them formal feedback on their job performance. During the
meeting, identify the employees strengths, along with weaknesses.
Enhance employee skills in areas that will benefit the employee and
the facility. Most maintenance personnel want feedback from
supervisors on their job performance and how they can improve their
skills and perform better.
Conclusion
Feed mills and grain-handling and processing facilities will
continue to rely increasingly on automated systems to produce
quality products in a cost-effective manner. These automated
systems, along with routine equipment, require an effective preventive maintenance program. A preventive maintenance program that
works will:
Coming Next:
November 7, 2008
Define specific goals for the program.

Utilize qualified maintenance personnel.
Have an organized and effective system for maintaining
equipment records and scheduling maintenance work.
Include periodic management reviews to evaluate and continually improve the program.
Preventive Maintenance and

OSHAs Grain Handling Safety Standard
Figure 1
Sample Equipment Data Sheet

Equipment Name __________________________ Date Installed _______________________
Model Number
__________________________ Serial Number ______________________
Manufacturer
__________________________ Capacity ___________________________
Equipment Size __________________________ Type ______________________________

Additional Name Plate Data ____________________________________________________
Motor
Gearbox
Make _______________________________ Make ________________________________

Horsepower ___________________________ Model ________________________________
RPM
_______________________________ Size _________________________________
Voltage ______________________________ Ratio ________________________________

Phase _______________________________ Input Shaft ____________________________
Frame _______________________________ Output Shaft ___________________________
Full Load Amps ________________________ Input Sheave/Sprocket ___________________
Code _______________________________ Output Sheave/Sprocket _________________
Shaft
_______________________________ V-Belt Size/Number _____________________
Sheave/Sprocket _______________________ Chain Size/Number _____________________

Coupler
Bearings
Make __________________________ Leg (top) _____________
(bottom) ____________
Model _________________________ Drag (Head) __________
(tail) _______________
Size ___________________________ Auger (Head) _________
(tail) _______________
Misc. Bearings ______________________________

Driven Equipment
Misc. Bearings ______________________________
Driven Shaft ______________________ Misc. Bearings ______________________________

Sheave/Sprocket __________________
Additional Data
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Figure 2
Sample Equipment History / Repair Log

Date
Work Completed
Parts Cost
Labor Cost
Figure 3
Sample Equipment Inspection and Lubrication Checklist

Equipment_____________________________
Weekly
1. Check / Grease Bearings

2. Inspect Gearbox / Check Oil
3. Change Oil
4. Inspect Motor
5. Inspect Drive Chain/Belts
6. Inspect Sprockets / Sheaves
7. Oil Chain
8. Check Belt / Splice / Alignment
9. Check Leg Cups
10. Check Head Pulley
11. Check Trunking Condition
12. Check Drag Chain Tension / Condition
13. Check Drag Flights
14. Check Condition of Safety Switches
15. Check Condition of Conveyor Housing
16. Change Oil Filters
17. Change Air Filters
18. Inspect Coupler and Grease
19. Check Limit Switches
Additional Maintenance:
Monthly
3 Months
6 Months
12 Months
Figure 4
Sample Monthly Equipment Inspection and Lubrication Schedule

Month_______________
Plant Area
Basement
Equipment
Receiving Conveyor
Receiving Leg
Hammermill Feeder
Hammermill
Rollermill
Grinding Conveyor
Grinding Leg
Mixer
Surge Conveyor
Mixing Leg
Pellet Cooler
Crumble Rolls
Pellet Conveyor
Pellet Chip Grinder
Pellet Leg
Molasses Pump
Fat Pump
Condensate Pump
Work Floor
Ingredient Feeder Screws

Premix Dump Hopper
Pellet Mill Feeder
Pellet Mill Conditioner
Pellet Mill
Bagging Conveyor
Bagging Scale
Sewing Conveyor
Sewing Machine
Bag Belt Conveyor
Warehouse
Bag Belt Conveyor

Forklift
Pallet Jack
Date
Completed By
Figure 5
Sample Work Order

Work to be Completed:
By______________________
Date____________________
.....................................................................................................................................
Volume 10, Number 3, Dec. 18, 2008
Preventive Maintenance and OSHAs Grain Handling Standard

[Editors Note: This is the second in a periodic series on various aspects of preventive maintenance programs for grain elevators,
feed mills and grain processing facilities. The first, entitled Preventive Maintenance Programs that Work, was published and enclosed
with the Nov. 6 NGFA Newsletter. You are encouraged to share these publications with those at your facility responsible for preventive
maintenance and safety programs. The next edition will focus on preventive maintenance requirements under the Occupational Safety
and Health Administrations general industry standards.]
M M M
The Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA)
grain handling standard (29 CFR 1910.272) contains several
requirements pertaining to maintenance activities most of which
took effect in March 1988 that apply to grain handling facilities,
including grain elevators, feed mills, flour mills, rice mills, dust
pelletizing plants, dry corn mills, soybean flaking operations and dry
grinding operations of soycake.
Managers and maintenance personnel at effected facilities need
to be aware of both the operational and equipment provisions of the
grain handling standard while performing and authorizing maintenance activities.
The operational requirements of the standard that may pertain
to maintenance activities govern such things as:
hot work procedures;

contractor notification; and
preventive maintenance.
The equipment requirements that may pertain to maintenance

activities include provisions governing:
size openings of grates;

grain stream processing equipment;
monitoring devices for inside-located bucket elevator legs;
grain dryers; and
fabric dust collector filters.
Within the standard, certain requirements apply only to a grain

elevator. The standard defines a grain elevator as a facility
engaged in the receipt, handling, storage and shipment of bulk raw
agricultural commodities, such as corn, wheat, oats, barley, sunflower seeds and soybeans. Importantly, grain elevators also
include the elevator portions of processing and milling facilities,
such as feed and flour mills, and corn and oilseed processing plants.
Operational Requirements
The operational requirements of the OSHA grain handling
standard encompass the following:
Hot Work Procedures: At all grain handling facilities, employers
are required to issue permits for all hot work (electric or gas
welding, cutting, brazing or similar flame-producing operations)
unless one or more of the following three conditions is met:
The employer or its representative (who would otherwise

authorize a permit) is present while the hot work is
performed.
Copyright 2008 by National Grain and Feed Association. All rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction or transmission by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior written permission from the publisher, and imposes fines of up to $25,000 for violations.
The hot work is performed in welding shops

authorized by the employer.
The hot work is performed in employer-designated areas outside the grain-handling structure.
The permit is required to certify that hot work requirements contained in OSHAs general industry standard
[1910.252(d)] have been implemented.
Contractor Notification: At all grain-handling facilities, the standard requires contractors performing work,
including maintenance activities, to be informed by the
employer about known potential fire and explosion
hazards related to the contractors work and work area.
The employer also is required to inform contractors of the
applicable safety rules of the facility, including emergency
procedures.
remove from service, overheated bearings and slipping or

misaligned belts associated with inside bucket elevators. Employers are required to promptly correct dustcollection systems that are malfunctioning or operating
below design efficiency and also are required to implement
procedures for using both locks and tags that will prevent
the inadvertent application of energy or motion to
equipment being repaired, serviced or adjusted which
could result in employee injury. The locks and tags are
to be removed only by the employee installing them, or, if
that person is unavailable, by the employees supervisor.
While not specifically required by OSHA, there are
several options managers may wish to consider including
as part of their preventive maintenance program:
Work Orders: A work order permit is a method

managers can use to ensure that scheduled routine inspections and preventive maintenance or
repair of equipment has been assigned and performed. The work order basically consists of a
form that: 1) assigns inspection or maintenance
tasks to a specific employee(s); and 2) provides
instructions to employee(s) on the type of maintenance to be performed.
OSHAs non-mandatory appendix to the grain

handling standard states that a work order would
be an indication of an effective preventive maintenance program.
Monitoring Equipment: Facility managers may

wish to consider using various motion- or temperature-detection devices (i.e., thermocouples)
on bearings or other equipment to assist in monitoring equipment condition and performance.
However, with the exception of inside-located
bucket elevator legs, these devices are not required by OSHA, and managers instead may wish
to utilize a daily walk-through of the facility as a
means of complying with the OSHA standards
inspection requirements.
Preventive Maintenance: At all grain handling facilities, a preventive maintenance program is to be implemented that consists of:
regularly scheduled inspections of at least the

mechanical and safety control equipment associated with dryers, grain stream processing
equipment, (grain) dust collection equipment
(including filter collectors) and bucket elevators.
lubrication and other appropriate maintenance
in accordance with manufacturers recommendations or as determined necessary by prior
operating records.
A certification record is to be kept of the maintenance performed of each inspection, including the date of
the inspection, name of the person who performed it, and
the serial number (or other identification) of the abovelisted equipment that was inspected.
Employers also are required to promptly correct, or
Equipment Requirements
The equipment-related requirements of the OSHA grain
handling standard encompass the following:
Size Openings of Grates: At all grain handling facilities, receiving pits such as truck and rail dump pits are
required to have a maximum width opening of 2-1/2 inches.
There is no length restriction on grate openings at receiving pits. Facility managers may wish to consider incorporating inspection of the size opening of grates into the
routine activities performed by maintenance personnel.
Grain Stream Processing Equipment: At all grain

handling facilities, grain stream processing equipment is
to be equipped with an effective means of removing
ferrous material from the incoming grain stream.
Importantly, this requirement pertains only to such
processing equipment as hammer mills, grinders and pulverizers. It does not apply to scalpers, screens or other
cleaning equipment used at grain handling facilities.
November 18, 2008
Although the standard does not mandate a specific

means for complying with this requirement, OSHA states
in its non-mandatory appendix that acceptable means for
removal of ferrous material include the use of permanent
or electromagnets. However, the standard does not
prohibit the use of other methods to remove ferrous materials, such as grain cleaners, screeners, gravity tables or
other particle-separating equipment installed on grainprocessing streams.
If facilities choose to utilize permanent or electromagnets as a means to comply with this requirement, managers
may wish to consider incorporating the inspection and
cleaning of these devices into the routine activities performed by maintenance personnel.
Inside Bucket Elevators: For grain elevators only,
several requirements apply to inside bucket elevator
legs [defined as a bucket elevator that has the boot and
more than 20 percent of the total leg height (above grade
or ground level) inside the grain elevator structure].
Other bucket elevators that are not inside are exempt
from the equipment requirements.
Exempt from requirements 2 and 3 listed previously are

facilities having a permanent storage capacity of less
than 1 million bushels, provided a daily visual inspection is
made of the bucket movement and tracking of the belt in
these facilities.
Further, the following requirements apply to all inside bucket elevators in use by grain elevators, regardless
of special equipment or storage capacity:
A means of access is to be provided to allow

inspection of the head pulley, lagging, belt and
discharge throat of the head section.
A means of access is to be provided to allow

cleaning and inspection of the boot section,
pulley and belt.
Jogging of choked inside bucket elevator legs is

prohibited.
Belts and lagging purchased after March 30, 1988

for inside bucket elevators must be conductive.
Such belts shall have a surface electrical resistance not to exceed 300 megohms.
Three major sets of equipment requirements apply to

inside bucket elevators:
1.
Bearings are to be mounted externally to the leg

casing; or be equipped with motion-detection or
temperature-monitoring devices or other means
for monitoring the condition of those bearings
mounted inside or partially inside the leg casing.
2.
Motion-detection devices are to be installed that

shut down the inside bucket elevator when the
belt speed is reduced by no more than 20 percent
of the normal operating speed.
3.
Belt-alignment devices are to be installed that will

initiate an alarm to employees when the belt is not
tracking properly; or provide another means of
keeping the belt tracking properly, such as a
system that provides constant alignment adjustment of belts.
Exempt from all three of these requirements are inside bucket elevators that are equipped with:
operational fire or explosion suppression systems capable of protecting the head and boot
sections; or
pneumatic or other dust control systems that

maintain dust concentrations in the bucket elevator at least 25 percent below the lower explosive
limit for grain dust at all times during operations.
November 18, 2008
Grain Dryers: At grain elevators only, all direct-heat

continuous-flow bulk raw grain dryers are required to be
equipped with automatic controls that:
shut off the fuel supply in case of power or flame

failure or interruption of air movement through
the exhaust fan; and
stop the grain from being fed into the dryer if

excessive temperatures occur in the exhaust of
the drying section.
While not an OSHA requirement, facility managers

may wish to consider incorporating periodic inspection
and testing of the required automatic controls installed on
grain dryers into the routine activities performed by maintenance personnel.
Fabric Dust Collector Filters: At all grain handling
facilities, two equipment-related requirements apply to
fabric filters used to collect fugitive grain dust emissions
(bag house filters).
Existing fabric dust collector filters are to be

equipped with a monitor that indicates the pressure drop across the filter surface.
OSHA does not require the use of a specific type
of monitor. However, monitors commonly used
in the industry and suggested by OSHA as being
acceptable in its non-mandatory appendix are:

photohelic gauges, magnehelic gauges and manometers. OSHA further suggests that checking
the pressure drop across fabric filters periodically, consistent with the manufacturers recommendations, should be part of the facilitys preventive maintenance program. As such, OSHA
indicates that the monitors should be located so
they are accessible and readings can be obtained
as frequently as specified in the facilitys preventive maintenance program.
Importantly, not covered by the OSHA requirement are filter collectors that are part of systems
not designed to collect fugitive grain dust, such
as cyclone filters or filters that collect product (as
opposed to fugitive grain dust).
New fabric dust collector filters installed on or

after March 30, 1988 are to be located:
outside the facility; or
in an area protected by an explosion suppression system; or
in an area separated from the rest of the

facility by a fire wall with at least a one-hour
fire-resistance rating. If this option is chosen, the filters also are to be located adjacent
to an outside wall and be vented to the
outside. Venting and ductwork must be able
to resist rupture caused by an explosion.
Conclusion
These operational and equipment requirements under OSHAs grain-handling safety standard are important elements
to include as part of a facilitys ongoing preventive maintenance program.
Coming Next: Preventive Maintenance

and OSHAs General Industry Standards
November 18, 2008
.....................................................................................................................................
Volume 11, Number 1, January 15, 2009
Preventive Maintenance
and OSHAs General Industry Standards Part 1
[Editors Note: This is the third in a periodic series of articles on various aspects of preventive maintenance programs for
grain elevators, feed mills and grain processing facilities. The first two articles were published on Nov. 7 and Dec. 18, respectively.
This two-part edition focuses on how the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA) general industry
standards pertain to preventive maintenance activities. Each of the two-part series will examine five major provisions a total
of 10 found within the general industry standards frequently cited during OSHA inspections. You are encouraged to share
these publications with those at your facility responsible for preventive maintenance and safety programs.]
M M M
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administrations (OSHA) general industry standards (29 CFR 1910) contain several requirements pertaining to maintenance activities that
apply to grain elevators, feed mills and grain
processing facilities.
The nearby table summarizes frequently
cited federal and state OSHA standards for
inspections that occurred at grain elevators,
feed mills and grain processing facilities from
October 2007 through September 2008. The
table excludes those citations related to OSHAs
grain handling standard (29 CFR 1910.272),
which were addressed in the Dec. 18, 2008 edition of Plant Operations Bulletin.
Managers and maintenance personnel at
affected facilities need to be aware of the provisions of these and other applicable OSHA standards while performing and authorizing maintenance activities.
(Continued on page 2)
OSHA Citations
Grain Elevators, Feed Mills, Grain Processing Facilities
October 2007 September 2008
Standard
Number
Cited
Mechanical power-transmission apparatus
29 CFR 1910.219
41
Guarding floor and wall openings, and holes
29 CFR 1910.23
38
Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
29 CFR 1910.147
35
Wiring methods, components and

equipment for general use
29 CFR 1910.305
34
Powered industrial trucks
29 CFR 1910.178
24
Walking-working surfaces; General requirements
29 CFR 1910.22
19
Fixed ladders
29 CFR 1910.27
19
General requirements all machines
29 CFR 1910.212
13
Abrasive wheel machinery
29 CFR 1910.215
11
Oxygen-fuel gas welding and cutting
29 CFR 1910.253
10
Description
Copyright 2009 by National Grain and Feed Association. All rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction or transmission by any means,
electronic or mechanical, without prior written permission from the publisher, and imposes fines of up to $25,000 for violations.
Maintenance Issues to Consider

Facility managers may wish to consider incorporating
certain activities within the preventive maintenance program to
assist in complying with the requirements found within OSHAs
general industry standards.
Where operating conditions necessitate the feeding of

material into any hatchway or chute opening, protection is
to be provided to prevent a person from falling through the
opening.
The following provides information related to the major

provisions of general industry standards listed in the preceding
table. Managers should consider these requirements when: 1)
installing or modifying equipment or physical structures within
the facility; and 2) developing the facilitys preventive maintenance inspection schedule. [Note: This general information
does not provide a complete description of all requirements
found within each standard. Please refer to the individual
OSHA standard for complete and specific information on how
each standards provisions may apply to a given facility.]
Every flight of stairs having four or more risers is to be

equipped with standard stair railings or standard handrails
as specified.
Mechanical Power-Transmission Apparatus (29 CFR 1910.219):

Major provisions within this standard that addresses power
transmission equipment require:
Specifically, the standard requires employers to develop a

program to lock and tag energy-isolating devices that includes
the following components:
All power-transmission equipment to be inspected at intervals not exceeding 60 days, and to be kept in good working
condition at all times.
Written energy-control procedures that ensure machines

and equipment are isolated and inoperative before any
employee performs service or maintenance on such equipment.
All belts, pulleys, sprockets and chains, flywheels, shafting and shaft projections, gears and couplings, or other
rotating or reciprocating parts within 7 feet of the floor or
working platforms to be effectively guarded in accordance
with the standards specifications.
An employee training program.
Periodic inspections to ensure the procedures are effective.
Projecting shaft ends to present a smooth edge and to not

project more than one-half the diameter of the shaft unless
guarded by nonrotating caps or safety sleeves.
Unused keyways to be filled up or covered.
Couplings with bolts, nuts, or set screws extending beyond the flange of the coupling to be guarded by a safety
sleeve.
Major aspects of the standard that pertain to maintenance

personnel and maintenance activities require:
Guarding Floor and Wall Openings and Holes (29 CFR 1910.23):
This standard contains major provisions related to facility
buildings and structures that require the following:
Control of Hazardous Energy - Lockout/Tagout (29 CFR 1910.147):

This OSHA standard requires employers to establish procedures to isolate machines or equipment from their energy
source, as well as affix appropriate locks or tags to prevent
unexpected energization, startup or release of stored energy
that could injure employees.
Every open-sided floor, platform or runway 4 feet or more

above the adjacent floor or ground level is to be guarded
by a standard railing with toeboard, except where there is
entrance to a ramp, stairway or fixed ladder.
Open-sided floors, walkways, platforms or runways
regardless of height that are located above or adjacent to
dangerous equipment and similar hazards are to be guarded
with a standard railing and toe board.
Employers are to provide specified initial training and

retraining, as necessary, to ensure all employees understand the purpose, function and restrictions of the written
energy control program. All training is to be certified to
include each employees name and the dates the training
occurred.
Retraining is to be provided when:
there is a change in job assignments, machines, equipment or processes that presents a new hazard;
there is a change in the energy-control procedures; or
the required periodic inspection reveals or whenever
the employer has reason to believe that there are
deviations from, or inadequacies in, the employees
knowledge about, or the use of, the energy-control
procedures.
January 15, 2009
Employers are to ensure whenever new equipment or

machines are installed or existing equipment is replaced,
repaired, renovated or modified that all energy-isolating
devices for such machines are lockable.
The only devices used for controlling energy; they

cannot be used for other purposes.
Standardized according to either color, shape or size.
Tagout devices are to be standardized according to
print and format. Tags also are to warn against
hazardous conditions if the machine or equipment is
energized, and are to include a legend, such as the
following: Do Not Start. Do Not Open. Do Not Close.
Do Not Energize. Do Not Operate.
Substantial enough to minimize early or accidental
removal. Tags are not to be reused.
Employers are to evaluate the energy-control procedures
at least annually to ensure that each procedure continues
to be implemented properly and that employees are familiar
with their responsibilities. The employer is to certify that
the periodic inspection has been performed, including the
date of the inspection, the identity of the machine or
equipment on which the energy-control procedure was
used, the employee included in the inspection and the
name of the person conducting the inspection.
For lockout procedures, the periodic inspection is to
include a review between the person conducting the
periodic inspection and each employee authorized to
lock out or tag out machines or equipment to perform
servicing or maintenance of the latter employees
responsibilities under the energy-control procedures
being inspected.
For tagout procedures, a review of the standardspecified limitations of tags also is to be included in the
review between the person conducting the inspection
and each authorized employee, operator or other employee working at the facility, concerning their responsibilities under the energy-control procedures
being inspected.
Wiring Methods, Components, and Equipment for General Use (29
CFR 1910.305): This standard, pertaining to facility electrical
systems, contains major provisions that require the following:
Each disconnecting means required for motors to be legibly marked is to indicate its purpose, unless located and
arranged so that the purpose is evident.
All pull boxes, junction boxes and fittings are to be provided with covers identified for the purpose. Metal covers,
if used, are to be grounded.
Unused openings in cabinets, boxes and fittings are to be

effectively closed with appropriate covers, plugs or plates.
Where live parts of motors or controllers operating at over

150 volts to ground are guarded against accidental contact
only by location and where adjustment or other attendance may be necessary during the operation of the
apparatus suitable insulating mats or platforms are to be
provided so that the attendant cannot readily touch live
parts unless standing on the mats or platforms.
Interior wiring systems are to include effective provisions

that ensure metal parts of electrical raceways, equipment
and enclosures that serve as grounding conductors maintain electrical continuity and the capacity to safely conduct
any fault current likely to be imposed on them.
Motor controller disconnecting means are to be capable of

being locked in the open position or be installed in the
circuit within sight of the motor controller.
Lockout or tagout devices to be:

Singularly identified, indicating the identity of the
employee applying the device(s).
the use of approved cabinets or other forms of approved

enclosures or means.
Live parts of electric equipment operating at 50 volts or

more are to be guarded against accidental contact through
January 15, 2009
Walking-Working Surfaces, General Requirements (29 CFR

1910.22): Major provisions of this standard, pertaining to
walking-working surfaces, require the following:
All places of employment, passageways, storerooms and

service rooms are to be kept clean and orderly, and in a
sanitary condition.
Where mechanical handling equipment is used, sufficient

safe clearances are to be allowed for aisles, at loading
docks, through doorways and wherever turns or passage
are made.
Aisles and passageways are to be kept clear and in good

repair, with no obstruction across or in aisles that could
create a hazard.
Permanent aisles and passageways are to be marked appropriately.
Appropriate covers and/or guardrails are to be provided to

protect personnel from the hazards of open pits, tanks,
equipment, etc.
Conclusion
These requirements under OSHAs general industry standard are important elements to consider when maintenance personnel
install or modify equipment or physical structures within a facility.
Managers also may wish to consider incorporating certain activities within preventive maintenance inspection schedules to
assist in complying with these requirements.

and OSHAs General Industry Standards
Part 2
January 15, 2009
.....................................................................................................................................
Volume 11, Number 2, February 12, 2009
Preventive Maintenance and OSHAs General Industry Standards

Part 2
[Editors Note: This is the fourth in a periodic series on various aspects of preventive maintenance programs for grain elevators, feed
mills and grain processing facilities. The first three articles were published on Nov. 7 and Dec. 18, 2008, and Jan. 15, 2009, respectively.
This edition is the second of two articles that focuses on how the Occupational Safety and Health Administrations (OSHA) general
industry standards pertain to preventive maintenance activities. Each of the two-part series examines five major provisions a total of
10 found within the general industry standards frequently cited during OSHA inspections. You are encouraged to share these
publications with those at your facility responsible for preventive maintenance and safety programs.]
M M M
The Occupational Safety and Health

Administrations (OSHA) general industry standards (29 CFR 1910) contain several requirements
pertaining to maintenance activities that apply to
grain elevators, feed mills and grain processing facilities.
The nearby table summarizes frequently cited
federal and state OSHA standards for inspections
that occurred at grain elevators, feed mills and grain
processing facilities during the 2008 fiscal year (October 2007 through September 2008). The table
excludes those citations related to OSHAs grain
handling standard (29 CFR 1910.272), which were
addressed in the Dec. 18, 2008 edition of Plant
Operations Bulletin.
Managers and maintenance personnel at affected facilities need to be aware of the provisions of
these and other applicable OSHA standards while
performing and authorizing maintenance activities.
(Continued on page 2)
OSHA Citations
Grain Elevators, Feed Mills, Grain Processing Facilities
October 2007 September 2008
Standard
Number
Cited
Mechanical power-transmission apparatus
29 CFR 1910.219
41
Guarding floor and wall openings, and holes
29 CFR 1910.23
38
Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
29 CFR 1910.147
35
Wiring methods, components and

equipment for general use
29 CFR 1910.305
34
Powered industrial trucks
29 CFR 1910.178
24
Walking-working surfaces; General requirements
29 CFR 1910.22
19
Fixed ladders
29 CFR 1910.27
19
General requirements all machines
29 CFR 1910.212
13
Abrasive wheel machinery
29 CFR 1910.215
11
Oxygen-fuel gas welding and cutting
29 CFR 1910.253
10
Description
Maintenance Issues to Consider

Facility managers may wish to consider incorporating certain
activities within their preventive maintenance program to assist in
complying with the requirements found within OSHAs general
industry standards.
The following provides information related to the major provisions of general industry standards listed in the preceding table.
Managers should consider these requirements when: 1) installing
or modifying equipment or physical structures within the facility;
and 2) developing the facilitys preventive maintenance inspection
schedule. [Note: This general information does not provide a
complete description of all requirements found within each standard. Please refer to the individual OSHA standard for complete
and specific information on how each standards provisions may
apply to a given facility.]
Powered Industrial Trucks (29 CFR 1910.178): This OSHA
standard contains safety requirements relating to fire protection,
design, maintenance and use of fork trucks, tractors, platform-lift
trucks, motorized hand trucks, and other specialized industrial
trucks powered by electric motors or internal combustion engines.
Equipment specifications necessary for the types of trucks to

be used in different work environments depending upon the
hazardous nature of the atmosphere.
Operational requirements related to the inspection, maintenance and safety requirements for powered industrial trucks.
Training requirements for employees who may operate a powered industrial truck including maintenance personnel in the
workplace.
Major aspects of the standard that pertain to maintenance

personnel and maintenance activities require that:
Powered industrial trucks bear a label or some other identifying

mark that indicates approval by a nationally recognized testing
laboratory, and that all such truck nameplates and markings are
kept in place and maintained in legible condition.
Safely flush, handle and neutralize spilled electrolyte.
Provide appropriate fire protection.
Protect the battery charger from damage by trucks.
Adequately ventilate fumes from gassing batteries.
Properly handle batteries.
Powered industrial trucks be taken out of service when found

in need of repair, defective or in any way unsafe, or when a leak
in the fuel system is detected.
Repairs on trucks be made only by authorized personnel, and

repairs to fuel and ignition systems be performed only in
locations designated for such repairs and never in Class I, II, and
III locations.
Powered industrial trucks be examined before being placed into

service, and not be placed in service if the examination shows
any condition adversely affecting vehicle safety. Examinations
are to be made at least daily. Industrial trucks used on a roundthe-clock basis are to be examined after each shift. All defects
are to be reported and corrected immediately.
Employers implement a training program and ensure that only

trained drivers who have successfully completed the training
program operate a powered industrial truck. Training is to be
a combination of formal (lecture, video, etc.) and practical
(demonstration and practical exercise), as well as include an
evaluation of operator performance in the workplace.
Specifically, the standard contains provisions for:
If the powered industrial truck is battery-powered, batterycharging be conducted in a designated area within the facility
for such activities. The designated area is to contain the
appropriate equipment to:
Employers are to evaluate an employees performance after

initial training and at least once every three years thereafter.
Refresher training also is to be provided when an operator:
Written approval from the manufacturer of the powered industrial truck prior to making any modifications or additions to the
truck that may affect its capacity or safe operation. If approved
changes are made, capacity, operation and maintenance instruction plates, tags or decals are to be modified accordingly.
Has been observed to operate the truck in an unsafe

manner.
Has been in an accident or a near-miss incident.
Liquid and gaseous fuels used to power the truck be stored and
handled in accordance with NFPA Flammable and Combustible
Liquids Code and NFPA Storage and Handling of Liquefied
Petroleum Gases.
Has received an evaluation that indicated the operator is

not operating the truck safely.
Is assigned to drive a different type of truck.
February 12, 2009
The employer is to certify that each operator has been trained

and evaluated, as required. The certification is to include the: 1)
name of the operator; 2) date of the training; 3) date of the evaluation;
and 4) name of the trainer(s).
Fixed Ladders (29 CFR 1910.27): This standard contains major
provisions related to fixed ladders. It requires that:
The rungs of metal ladders have a minimum diameter of threefourths inch. However, for those ladders located in an atmosphere that causes corrosion and rusting, individual metal
rungs are to have a minimum diameter of 1 inch or are to be
painted or otherwise treated to resist corrosion and rusting.
Rungs of wood ladders are to have a minimum diameter of
1-1/8th inch. The distance between rungs, cleats and steps are
not to exceed 12 inches, and are to be uniform throughout the
length of the ladder. The rungs or cleats of ladders are to have
a minimum clear length of 16 inches.
Cages or wells conforming to required dimensions be provided

on ladders of more than 20 feet to a maximum unbroken length
of 30 feet. Cages are to extend a minimum of 42 inches above
the top of the landing, unless other acceptable protection is
provided. Cages also are to extend down the ladder to a point
not less than 7 feet and not more than 8 feet above the base of
the ladder.
When ladders are used to ascend to heights exceeding 20 feet,

landing platforms be provided for each 30 feet of height.
However, where no cage, well or ladder safety device is provided, landing platforms are to be provided for each 20 feet of
height. Each ladder section is to be offset from adjacent sections.
the operators from having any part of their bodies in the danger
zone during the operating cycle of the machine.
Abrasive Wheel Machinery (29 CFR 1910.215): Major provisions of this standard, pertaining to abrasive wheel machinery,
require:
Work rests on offhand grinding machines be securely clamped

and kept adjusted closely to the wheel, with a maximum opening
of 1/8th inch to prevent the work from being jammed between the
wheel and the rest, which may cause wheel breakage.
All abrasive wheels be mounted between flanges that have a

diameter of not less than one-third the diameter of the wheel.
The employee inspect and sound (ring test) all grinding wheels
immediately before mounting to make sure they have not been
damaged. In addition, the employee is to check the spindle
speed of the machine before mounting of the wheel to be certain
it does not exceed the maximum operating speed marked on the
wheel. To perform the ring test, the employee should tap the
grinding wheel gently with a light nonmetallic implement, such
as the handle of a screwdriver for light wheels, or a wooden
mallet for heavier wheels. If the grinding wheel sounds cracked
(dead), the wheel is not to be used.
Oxygen-Fuel Gas Welding and Cutting (29 CFR 1910.253): This

standard contains major provisions related to oxygen-fuel gas
welding and cutting. It requires that:
Cylinders be stored in designated places, away from sources of

heat. Such assigned storage spaces are to be located where
cylinders will not be knocked over or damaged by passing or
falling objects. Empty cylinders are to have their valves closed.
All ladders be maintained in a safe condition and inspected

regularly, with the intervals between inspections being determined by use and exposure.
General Requirements All Machines (29 CFR 1910.212): This

standard, pertaining to the general requirements for all machines,
contains major provisions that require:
For those cylinders designed to accept a valve-protection cap,

such caps always are to be in place and hand-tightened, except
when cylinders are in use or connected for use.
Oxygen cylinders not be stored near highly combustible material especially oil and grease or near reserve stocks of carbide
and acetylene, or other fuel-gas cylinders, or near any other
substance likely to cause or accelerate fire.
Oxygen cylinders in storage be separated from fuel-gas cylinders or combustible materials (especially oil or grease) at a
minimum distance of 20 feet, or by a noncombustible barrier at
least 5 feet high having a fire-resistance rating of at least onehalf hour.
Cylinder valves be closed before moving cylinders and when

work is finished.
Backflow protection be provided by an approved device that

will prevent oxygen from flowing into the fuel-gas system or fuel
from flowing into the oxygen system.
One or more methods of machine guarding be provided to

protect the operator and other employees in the machine area
from hazards, such as those created by the machine operation,
nip-points, rotating parts and sparks. Examples of guarding
methods are barrier guards, electronic safety devices, etc.
Guards be affixed to the machine where possible, and secured

elsewhere if attachment to the machine is not possible.
The point of operation of machines whose operation may

expose an employee to injury be guarded. OSHA defines the
point of operation as the area on a machine where work is
actually performed upon the material being processed. Such
guarding devices are to be designed and constructed to prevent
February 12, 2009
Conclusion
These requirements under OSHAs general industry standard are important elements to consider when maintenance personnel
install or modify equipment or physical structures within a facility.
Managers also may wish to consider incorporating certain activities within preventive maintenance inspection schedules to
assist in complying with these requirements.

and Infrared Thermography
February 12, 2009
.....................................................................................................................................
Volume 11, Number 3, March 12, 2009
Predictive Maintenance and Use of Infrared Thermography

[Editors Note: This is the fifth in a periodic series on various aspects of preventive maintenance programs for grain elevators,
feed mills and grain processing facilities. The first four articles in this series were published on Nov. 7 and Dec. 18, 2008, and
on Jan. 15 and Feb. 12, 2009. You are encouraged to share these publications with those at your facility responsible for preventive
maintenance and safety programs.]
M M M
Ever wish you knew precisely the right time to perform
equipment maintenance to keep equipment operating efficiently
in a cost-effective way?
Now, theres technology that can provide an assist. Infrared thermography is a predictive maintenance tool that may be
used to measure the temperatures of plant equipment, structures and electrical systems to assist in determining if operating
conditions are within allowable temperature limits.
The term infrared refers to that range of invisible radiation wavelengths just longer than red in the visible spectrum.
The term thermography refers to the use of techniques for
detecting and measuring variations in the heat emitted by
various objects and transforming these indicators into visible
signals. Thus, the term infrared thermography refers to the
detection of infrared radiation to determine the temperature of
an object.
Infrared thermography is termed a predictive maintenance tool because it is used to help determine the condition of
in-service equipment and systems to predict when maintenance
should be performed. The ultimate goal of predictive maintenance is to perform maintenance at a scheduled point in time
when the activity may be accomplished in the most costeffective manner and before the equipment or system loses
optimum performance. This approach may offer cost savings
over routine or time-based preventive maintenance, because
tasks are performed only when warranted.
Through the use of infrared thermography, maintenance
personnel or technicians may detect temperature discrepancies
areas that are hotter or colder than allowable within equipment and systems. This information then can be used to take
corrective action before a costly shutdown, equipment damage
or personal injury occurs.
How Does Infrared Thermography Work?

Infrared thermography equipment works on the principle
that objects having a temperature above absolute zero emit
thermal energy or infrared radiation. The frequency of infrared
radiation emitted from an object is related to its surface temperature. Although infrared radiation has a wavelength longer than
that of visible light, thermographic equipment detects the
radiation and converts it into an electrical signal that can be

displayed in units of temperature or as an image.
Measuring temperature with infrared methods is complicated because three sources of thermal energy can be detected
from any object: energy emitted from the object itself; energy
reflected from the object; and energy transmitted by the object.

Only thermal energy emitted from an object is important for the
purposes of predictive maintenance. Reflected and transmitted
energies may distort infrared data and need to be filtered out to
perform meaningful temperature analysis.
Variations in surface condition, such as paint or other
protective coatings, may affect the amount of thermal energy
emitted as infrared radiation by plant equipment or systems.
These variations may change the surface temperatures and heat
distribution recorded by the thermographic equipment. Main-
tenance personnel and technicians should compensate for

these possible variations when conducting infrared thermography inspections to ensure accurate results.
When using thermographic techniques, maintenance personnel and technicians also need to consider the atmospheric
conditions between the object and the measurement device.
Water vapor and other gases may absorb infrared radiation.
Airborne dust, some types of lighting and other variables also
may distort infrared radiation measurements.
Types of Infrared Thermography Devices

Two general types of devices are used for infrared thermography within predictive maintenance programs: infrared
thermometers and infrared imaging systems.
Infrared Thermometers: Infrared thermometers sometimes

are called laser thermometers if a laser is used to help aim
the thermometer. Or, they may be referred to as noncontact thermometers to describe the devices ability to
measure temperature from a distance. Infrared thermometers provide the actual surface temperature at a single,
relatively small point on a machine or surface. As such,
these devices may be useful for measuring temperature
under circumstances where thermocouples or other probe
type sensors cannot be used or do not produce accurate
data for a variety of reasons. Infrared thermometers are
commercially available and are relatively inexpensive.
Infrared Imaging Systems: Unlike an infrared thermometer,
infrared imaging systems provide the means to scan the
infrared emissions of complete machines, processes or

systems in a very short time. Most imaging systems
function much like a video camera. The user can view the
thermal emission profile of a wide area simply by looking
through the devices view finder. The cost of an infrared
imaging system may be substantial, depending upon the
features of the system. Higher-end devices may feature a
microprocessor-based, color-imaging system. In contrast,
lower-end devices may include features such as black-andwhite images and limited storage capability.
Proper training and experience in the use of an infrared
imaging system is essential to achieve accurate thermographic
results. As previously indicated, several variables may distort
infrared radiation measurements. The operator of the infrared
imaging system should be trained in how to compensate for
such variables to ensure the accuracy and repeatability of
results.
Uses for Infrared Thermography

There are a variety of potential applications for infrared
thermometers and infrared imaging systems to assist in determining the condition of in-service equipment and systems at
grain elevators, feed mills and grain processing facilities.
All mechanical systems generate thermal energy during
normal operations that allows infrared thermography to evaluate the operating condition of the equipment. One of the major
contributors to the failure of mechanical systems can be excessive temperatures. Excessive temperatures may be generated
by friction, cooling degradation, material loss or blockages. An
excessive amount of friction may be caused by wear, misalignment, over or under lubrication, and misuse.
Since most equipment or processes are designed to eliminate thermal energy under normal operation, simply identifying
a thermal pattern does not mean that a problem exists. Maintenance personnel and technicians using infrared thermographic
devices need to be familiar with the mechanical components
being evaluated. Once a normal thermal condition is obtained

and understood, deviations from this normal condition then
may provide evidence that a potential problem is developing.
In mechanical applications, infrared thermal devices often
are more useful for locating a problem area than for indicating
the root cause of the excessive temperature. The temperatures
indicated by the device typically are produced within a component that is not visible directly. The measured heat must
conduct up through the material and present itself on the
surface of the object for the temperature to be displayed by the
thermographic device. Further analysis of the mechanical
system usually is necessary to determine the cause(s) of the
excessive temperature.
The following are some potential uses of infrared thermometers and imaging systems within grain elevators, feed mills and
grain processing facilities:
February 12, 2009
Infrared Thermometers: Within a predictive maintenance

program, maintenance personnel may use infrared thermometers to measure the temperature at critical points on
plant equipment or systems. Some applications may include monitoring the temperatures of bearings, motor
windings, electrical components, steam distribution equipment and processing systems. Infrared thermometers may
be particularly useful in measuring the temperature of
moving objects or where direct contact with the object is
not possible. Infrared thermometers also may be useful
when a fast temperature measurement is required.
one bearing to another working under similar conditions. Overheating conditions are documented as hot
spots within an infrared imaging system.
z
Steam Traps: Steam traps perform an important

function of holding back live steam, while allowing
gases and condensate to pass through. This allows
more energy to be obtained from the steam for processing needs, thus raising the overall efficiency of
the steam system. Steam traps, like any mechanical
device, eventually fail. Most are designed to fail in the
open position to maintain steam system operation.
When they fail in the open position, they blow live
steam. This costs energy dollars for which the steam
trap was installed to save. Occasionally, steam traps
fail in the closed position. This causes condensate
backup in the steam system, which can reduce processing efficiency and produce a variety of other
potential problems. Infrared thermal imaging systems
can identify steam traps that are blowing steam, as well
as those that may fail in a closed position.
Electrical Systems: An infrared imaging system may

be used to inspect the condition of common electrical
components, such as bus bars, controllers, starters,
contactors, relays, fuses, breakers, disconnects, connections and wiring. Typically, thermal imaging performed for electrical inspection purposes is a comparative process. Maintenance personnel or technicians generally do not need a specific temperature
measurement. Instead, they compare similar components under the same load conditions to identify
abnormal conditions. For best results in detecting
potential problems, the electrical equipment should be
under at least 40 percent of nominal load during
thermal inspection. Maximum load conditions are
ideal, if possible. Hot spots identified by the imaging
system within an electrical system may be caused by
several conditions, such as loose, over-tightened or
corroded connections, unbalanced phase loads, electrical overload, and failing components.
Infrared Imaging Systems: An infrared imaging system can

generate useful information concerning the mechanical
condition of many common mechanical and electrical systems present in grain elevators, feed mills and grain processing facilities.
z
Electric Motors: All motors have a normal thermal

pattern, as well as given maximum operating temperature. This temperature usually is stated on the nameplate of the motor and normally is given as a rise in
degrees C above the ambient air temperature. Conditions such as inadequate air flow, partial discharge,
unbalanced voltage, bearing failure, insulation failure
and degradation in the rotor or stator can be identified
with an infrared thermal imaging system. Abnormal
thermal patterns also can identify misalignment in
couplings when these devices are used in conjunction
with motors.
Belts and Pulleys: The friction between a pulley

wheel and belt generates heat. In addition, the continuous tension and compression of the belt causes
internal friction resulting in heat. The temperature rise
generated during both of these processes can be
monitored with an infrared camera. By comparing the
thermal patterns of several pulley belt systems, potential problems can be located.
Bearings: Bearing problems generally are found by

a comparison of surface temperatures comparing
Conclusion
Managers of grain elevators, feed mills and grain processing facilities may wish to consider using infrared thermography as
a component within their preventive maintenance programs to monitor the operating condition of equipment, so that necessary
maintenance procedures may occur in a cost-effective and timely manner.
Coming Next:
Predictive Maintenance and Use of Equipment Vibration Analysis.
March 12, 2009
.....................................................................................................................................
Volume 11, Number 4, June 30, 2009
Predictive Maintenance and Use of Vibration Analysis

[Editors Note: This is the sixth in a periodic series of articles on various aspects of preventive maintenance programs for
grain elevators, feed mills and grain processing facilities. The first five articles in this series were published on Nov. 7 and Dec.
18, 2008, and on Jan. 15, Feb. 12, and March 12, 2009. You are encouraged to share these publications with those at your facility
responsible for preventive maintenance and safety programs.]
M M M
There are a variety of methods that can be used by grain,
feed and grain processing facilities to monitor the operating
conditions of equipment.
One such tool is vibration analysis a predictive maintenance tool that may be used to measure machine vibration to
assist in determining if operating conditions are within normal
limits. By measuring and analyzing the vibration, maintenance
personnel or technicians may detect changes or abnormal
patterns in the machines operating condition, and then use this
information to take corrective action before a costly shutdown,
machine damage or personal injury occurs.
Vibration analysis is characterized as a predictive maintenance tool because it is used to help determine the condition
of in-service equipment and systems to anticipate when maintenance should be performed.
The ultimate goal of predictive maintenance is to perform
maintenance at a scheduled point in time when the activity may
be accomplished in the most cost-effective manner and before
the equipment or system loses optimum performance. This
approach may offer cost savings over routine or time-based
preventive maintenance because tasks are performed only
when warranted.
Machine Vibration
Most machine vibration is attributable to one or more of the
following causes:
Repeating Forces: The term repeating forces refers to

those unbalanced forces that occur over and over again
within a machine to create movement. Repeating forces in
machines are caused mostly by the rotation of imbalanced,
misaligned, worn or improperly driven machine components. Examples of machine conditions that may create a
repeating force include uneven electrical motor windings,
worn fan blades, drive component misalignment, bent
drive shafts and worn drive components, such as bearings,

gears and belts.
Looseness: Machine parts that are loose may cause the

machine to vibrate. If parts become loose, vibration that
normally is acceptable may become excessive and damaging. Looseness often may occur because of improper
mounting of the machine, excessive clearances between
machine parts, inadequate machine foundation and improper tensioning of mounting bolts.
Resonance: Resonance describes the tendency for an

object, such as a machine, to vibrate more when the
frequency of a repeating force matches the objects natural
frequency of vibration. Most machines have at least one
natural frequency of vibration, commonly referred to as
natural oscillation rate. Although a repeating force may be
small and result from the operation of a sound machine
component, such a repeating force potentially may match
the machines natural oscillation rate and create resonance. When such a condition occurs, the effect of the
repeating force may cause excessive and potentially damaging vibration within the machine.
What is Vibration and How Is It Described? One technical

definition for vibration is the mechanical oscillation of an object
about a reference position. The term oscillation describes the
back-and-forth or harmonic motion of an object, typically
measured in the time it takes for the object to move through one
full cycle. Therefore, machine vibration may be defined as the
back-and-forth movement of a machine component as compared to a reference point over a period of time.
Vibration also is described and displayed through two

common graphical means: waveform and spectrum. A waveform display illustrates how vibration changes over time, while
a spectrum display shows the various frequency levels at which
vibration is occurring.
Waveform: Waveform displays graphically depict the

change in velocity of vibration over a period of time. The
value of the information displayed depends upon the
duration and resolution of the waveform. To be meaningful, the duration time of the waveform display should be
long enough to provide a good representation of the
vibration. The resolution of the waveform is important
because it provides a measure of the level of detail associated with how the vibration is displayed graphically.
Spectrum: A spectrum is a display of both the amplitudes

and frequencies at which a machine component is vibrating. Like a waveform display, the value of a spectrum
typically depends on two primary factors: 1) measuring
and displaying an appropriate frequency range; and 2)
using a resolution level that adequately characterizes the
shape of the spectrum.
The two main numerical descriptors of machine vibration

are amplitude and frequency. Amplitude describes the severity
of vibration, while frequency describes the oscillation rate of
vibration.
Amplitude: Amplitude describes the magnitude of machine

movement during vibration. As amplitude increases, so
does machine movement and the likelihood that the machine will experience damage. Generally, amplitude of
vibration relates to: 1) the length of the machine movement;
2) the speed in which the movement occurs; and 3) the force
associated with the movement. In many cases, it is the
speed of the amplitude or amplitude velocity that provides
the most useful indicator about the condition of a machine.
Frequency: The number of times that a machine component

completes a motion cycle during the period of one second
is called frequency. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz),
which describes cycles per second. A machine component
typically vibrates at more than one frequency. This occurs
because a variety of forces generally act upon a machine
component during operation. For example, the component
may experience simultaneous forces from bearing movement, drive component interaction and other mechanical
activity.
How is Machine Vibration Measured?

Vibration is measured by placing a sensor on the machine
that can detect vibration behavior. Various types of vibration
sensors are available. But frequently, a type called an accelerometer is used to collect information for vibration analysis.
An accelerometer is a sensor that produces an electrical signal
proportional to the acceleration of the vibrating component to
which it is placed into contact or attached. The acceleration
measurement provides an indication of how quickly the velocity of the component is changing during vibration.
Maintenance personnel or technicians usually place or
mount accelerometers near machine bearings associated with
rotary mechanisms to obtain vibration measurements. Examples
of machine designs that use rotary mechanisms include motors,
pumps, compressors, fans, belt conveyors and gearboxes. The
bearings that support the rotary mechanisms of such machines
bear the forces associated with rotary motion and vibration. As

such, bearings often are the first place where adverse machine
symptoms may develop and, ultimately, where failure may
occur.
Either hand-held probes or physically mounted accelerometers are used to obtain vibration measurements from machine
components. In either situation, the sensor must be firmly in
contact with the vibrating component to obtain an accurate
measurement. A loose accelerometer may produce a distorted
signal because of its own independent movements. When
obtaining hand-held measurements, it also is important to place
the accelerometer at the same location during each reading to
minimize measurement inconsistencies that may lead to inaccurate results.
June 30, 2009
Various methods are available for physically mounting an

accelerometer to a vibrating machine component. Such methods
may include attaching the accelerometer with a threaded or cemented stud or using a strong magnet. Mounting the accelerometer
to the measuring point in an appropriate manner is one of the most
critical factors in obtaining accurate results from vibration measurements.
The signal produced by an accelerometer depends on the
orientation in which the accelerometer is placed or mounted, since
the amplitude of vibration varies in different directions. The accelerometer should be oriented to meet specific machine situations. For
the purposes of vibration analysis, it often is beneficial to obtain
vibration readings from several axes, such as horizontal, vertical,
axial (the direction of the centerline of a shaft or rotor), and radial (a
direction perpendicular to the centerline of a shaft or rotor).
The acceleration signal produced by the accelerometer is transmitted to an electronic instrument that converts the signal into a
velocity measurement. Typically, the electronic instrument that
receives the accelerometer signal has a variety of adjustable parameters. These parameters specify how the instrument will process the
signal and present information to the user. Parameters that are
adjustable commonly include: 1) how much information is obtained
during the measurement, such as frequency range, duration and
resolution; 2) the number of measurements to be averaged to
produce a result; and 3) how the results will be graphically displayed.
Depending upon the instrument, displays usually take the form of
either a velocity waveform or a velocity spectrum. Generally,
velocity spectrum displays provide the most useful information for
vibration analysis. Such a display supplies information about the
individual frequencies at which a machine component vibrates, as
well as the amplitudes corresponding to those frequencies.
How Are Vibration Measurements Used? Machines seldom fail
without warning. Usually, the signs of an approaching failure are
present long before the breakdown actually occurs. Machine failure
almost always is accompanied by an increased vibration level that
can be measured on an external surface of the machine. By obtaining
and studying vibration measurements, maintenance personnel or
technicians can evaluate the cause of vibration and the condition of
the machine.
Proper training and experience in obtaining vibration measurements and analyzing the results are essential to achieving a meaningful and useful vibration analysis. The operator of the vibration
measurement and analysis equipment should know about the types
of vibration measurements necessary to evaluate the condition of
various machines and the variables that may affect measurements.
The operator also should know how to compensate for such variables to ensure the accuracy and repeatability of results.
Once vibration measurements and analysis are complete, a
basic question that maintenance personnel often need to address is:
What level of vibration is excessive?
June 30, 2009
Generally, experience acquired by monitoring machine vibration over time is the best guide in determining what constitutes an
excessive vibration level for a given machine component.
In the absence of experience, resources are available that
provide guidance on acceptable vibration levels for several classes
of common machines. Information used to compile such resources
includes industry standards, published specifications, manufacturers recommendations and field experience. Generally, the vibration
levels recommended in such resources are economically achievable
and represent values that will allow the machine to achieve a normal
life in service.
How is Excessive Vibration Corrected? Vibration measurement
and analysis provide a means to identify failing machine components. But how can a maintenance program prevent excessive
vibration in the first place?
There are a variety of root causes that may create machine
vibration. Among the potential root causes are:
Machine Component Design Defects: Design defects relate to

the improper sizing or proportioning of the part, or a fundamental structural flaw. Conducting a vibration analysis immediately
after machine startup may help identify design defects.
Manufacturing Defects: Defects in manufacturing may occur

during the casting, machining, heat-treating or assembly of the
machine component. These defects may cause the component
to fail shortly after start-up or at a later point in time. As in the
case of design defects, conducting a vibration analysis at
machine startup may assist in identifying manufacturing defects.
Operational Stress: Operational stress refers to the material

build-up or erosion that may occur within a machine component
as it operates. Such build-up or erosion may change the balance
condition of the machine component, resulting in vibration.
Thermal expansion is another operational stress that may occur
and cause a change in component alignment that may lead to
vibration.
Maintenance Actions: Maintenance actions, or the lack thereof,

may cause vibration and machine failure. Examples of improper
maintenance actions may include excessive belt tensions, shaft
and bearing misalignments, lack of or excessive lubrication,
inappropriate installation (such as hammering a bearing), and
improper tightening of fasteners.
Machine Aging: Long-term machine operation produces aging

effects that can lead to vibration. Over time, structural joints
within a machine may wear and become out-of-tolerance. Shafts,
gears, and other machine components may wear or bend and
become a cause of vibration. An on-going vibration analysis
program can assist in detecting these occurrences.
When Should Vibration Analysis Be Used?

There are a variety of potential applications for the use of
vibration analysis to assist in determining the condition of
machine components within grain elevators, feed mills and
grain processing facilities.
Some of the machine conditions in which vibration analysis may be used include: 1) misalignment of couplings, bearings
and gears; 2) unbalance of rotating components; 3) looseness;
4) deterioration of bearings; 5) gear wear; 6) aerodynamic/
hydraulic problems in fans, blowers and pumps; 7) unbalance
of magnetic forces in motors; and 8) resonance issues.
Machines that have experienced frequent breakdowns.
Machines that are being evaluated for their reliability.
The following are examples of machines and machine

components that may fit into the aforementioned categories:
Fans and blowers.
Reciprocating equipment.
Pumps.
Generally, the types of machines that managers may wish

to consider monitoring with vibration analysis include:
Large motors.
Machines that require expensive, lengthy or difficult repairs if they break down.
Large gearboxes.
Air compressors.
Machines that are critical to production or general facility

operations.
Critical processing equipment, such as a pellet mill or

hammermill.
Conclusion
Managers of grain elevators, feed mills and grain processing facilities may wish to consider using vibration analysis as a
component within their preventive maintenance program to monitor the operating condition of equipment so that necessary
maintenance procedures may occur in a cost-effective and timely manner.
Coming Next:
Reliability Centered Maintenance Whats It All About?
June 30, 2009
.....................................................................................................................................
Volume 11, Number 5, August 13, 2009
Reliability-Centered Maintenance Whats It All About?

[Editors Note: This is the seventh and final installment in a series of articles on various aspects of preventive maintenance
programs for grain elevators, feed and feed ingredient manufacturers, and grain processing facilities. The first six articles in
this series were published on Nov. 7 and Dec. 18, 2008, and on Jan. 15, Feb. 12, March 12 and June 30, 2009. The complete
series also is available on the NGFAs website by clicking here. You are encouraged to share these publications with those at
your facility responsible for preventive maintenance and safety programs.]
M M M
If it aint broke, dont fix it.
This old tenet is one approach that can be used to address
facility maintenance issues.
An underlying premise for the if it aint broke, dont fix it
mindset is that the use of more proactive maintenance practices
can result in money being spent on unnecessary activities and
repairs.
Thats a legitimate concern, and one that a reliabilitycentered maintenance (RCM) program attempts to address.
RCM can be defined as an approach to maintenance that
combines reactive, preventive, predictive, and proactive maintenance practices and strategies to maximize the time that a piece
of equipment functions in the required manner.
The goal of RCM is to find the right mix of maintenance
activities that results in the minimal equipment and repair cost.
Types of Maintenance Practices

To better understand the concept of RCM, its helpful to
review the types of general approaches that may be used for
facility maintenance. These include:
Reactive Maintenance: This approach follows the if it aint

broke, dont fix it or run-to-failure principle. Under the
reactive-maintenance approach, equipment and facilities
are repaired only in response to a breakdown or a fault. A
reactive-maintenance program often is characterized by
short-term, intense work patterns. Because of this, some
maintenance experts define reactive maintenance as all
maintenance work that is scheduled less than 24 hours
before it is executed.
Preventive Maintenance: A preventive-maintenance program includes procedures for inspecting, testing, and
reconditioning equipment and other systems at regular
intervals according to specific instructions. The goals in
performing such procedures are to prevent failures in
service and to prolong the life of the equipment or system.
Within a preventive-maintenance program, personnel often perform maintenance procedures at established time
intervals. For example, the program may specify that one
type of equipment is to be inspected and serviced weekly,
while another type is to be inspected and serviced monthly.
A basic assumption made when using a calendar-based
preventive-maintenance program is that equipment or

system failure can be eliminated or controlled by performing procedures at specified time intervals.
Typically, the next step up from a calendar-based preventive-maintenance program is one in which the frequency of
maintenance practices is based upon equipment or system
run time. Using a run-time method for determining the
frequency of inspecting and servicing equipment typically
is an improvement over a calendar-based schedule. Equipment generally should not need to be repeatedly inspected
or serviced if it has not been used. It is the actual operation
of the equipment that wears it down, so it makes sense to
check the equipment after it has run a sufficient length of
time to incur some wear.
Unfortunately, there are a variety of other factors, in
addition to run time, that may influence the frequency of
equipment and system failure. Such factors may include
external environmental conditions, equipment and system
loading, and instances of severe stress.
As a result, a possible outcome from using either a calendar- or run-time-based preventive maintenance program is
that the right maintenance mix is not achieved. When
this occurs, a facility, in some instances, may experience
equipment failures caused by inadequate inspection and
servicing. In other cases, it may be wasting maintenance
dollars by spending too much time servicing and inspecting properly functioning equipment.
Predictive Maintenance: Predictive maintenance often

referred to as condition-monitoring may be defined as the
use of maintenance techniques to help determine the
condition of in-service equipment and systems to predict

when maintenance should be performed. The ultimate goal
of predictive maintenance is to perform maintenance at a
scheduled point in time when the activity may be accomplished in the most cost-effective manner and before the
equipment or system loses optimum performance. This
approach may provide cost savings over routine or timebased preventive maintenance because tasks are performed only when warranted.
One example of a predictive-maintenance technique is the
use of infrared thermography, which provides a method for
maintenance personnel or technicians to detect temperature discrepancies areas hotter or colder than allowable
within equipment and systems, which enables them to
take corrective action before a costly shutdown, equipment damage or personal injury occurs.
Another example of a predictive-maintenance technique is
the use of vibration analysis. Maintenance personnel or
technicians may use vibration analysis to measure and
analyze equipment vibration to potentially detect changes
or abnormal patterns in the machines operating condition.
Predictive-maintenance techniques may work well to monitor the operating conditions of certain types of equipment
and systems. But such techniques generally cannot be
applied across all equipment within an entire facility. In
some cases, predictive-maintenance tools may not be
effective in monitoring equipment condition. In other
instances, such techniques may be too expensive when
compared to the frequency, cost and consequences of
equipment failure.
How Does Reliability-Centered Maintenance Fit In?

The purpose in implementing RCM principles is to create
a maintenance-program framework that helps ensure that the
proper maintenance activity is performed at the right time, and
that the equipment is operated in a way that maximizes its
opportunity to achieve a level of reliability consistent with the
safety, environmental, operational and profit goals of the facility. This is achieved by addressing the basic causes of equipment and system failures, and ensuring facility plans have been
implemented to prevent or lessen the business impact of such
failures when they occur.
Background of RCM: The aviation industry began developing the RCM approach more than 40 years ago. In the late 1950s,
airlines were experiencing high maintenance costs. At the same
time, the Federal Aviation Administration wanted to identify
aircraft-maintenance practices that potentially would provide
better results than those achieved through interval-based
maintenance. In response, the airline industry in 1960 formed
a task force to study the effectiveness of airline preventivemaintenance programs and explore alternative maintenance
approaches.
The principles contained within the subsequent report
issued by the airline industry task force were the precursors of
what eventually would become RCM. These principles defined
and standardized the basic logic to be used in developing an
effective and economical maintenance program. Today, RCM
formally is defined in the Society of Automotive Engineers
standard JA1011, Evaluation Criteria for Reliability-Centered
Maintenance Processes. This standard sets out the minimum
criteria for what constitutes RCM.
Although created by the aviation industry, RCM principles can be applied across many other industries, including
processing and manufacturing facilities.
August 13, 2009
RCM Principles: The major principles incorporated within

the RCM approach to maintenance include:
The primary non-safety related purpose for maintenance

activities is to preserve overall system functionality. This
concept differs from the typical maintenance philosophy
of preserving equipment operation. Obviously, system
functionality ultimately is preserved through preserving
equipment function. But the RCM process focuses first on
the desired system output or function, and only then
determines how maintenance should be performed to best
preserve the system output. Such an approach does not
assume that every item of equipment is equally important,
contrary to the theory that may apply under other maintenance approaches.
To preserve overall system functionality, maintenance
activities need to address those equipment or component
failures that potentially could disrupt system output.
When using the RCM approach, a key question asked
related to this concept is: Can this system still provide its
primary output or function if a component fails? If the
answer is yes, then it may be appropriate to allow the
component to operate until failing.
Safety always comes first in any maintenance task. Therefore, when evaluating the cost-effectiveness of maintenance activities, the expense associated with safe working
conditions is not considered part of the overall program
expense. Once safety conditions are assured, the RCM
approach assigns costs to all other maintenance activities.
The tasks performed within the maintenance program are
to reduce the number of output or function failures, or at
least to reduce the damage attributable to such failure(s).
Under the RCM approach, tasks that fail to achieve this
objective are to be redesigned or eliminated.
Maintenance activities are assigned to one of four established maintenance categories. The RCM approach uses
a systematic method to screen maintenance tasks and
enhance consistency in determining how to perform maintenance on all types of facility equipment. Based upon the
potential severity associated with failure, each piece of
equipment is assigned one of four categories: 1) run-tofailure; 2) calendar or run-time-based maintenance; 3)
condition monitoring, performed with predictive-maintenance techniques; or 4) proactive maintenance. Within the
concept of RCM, proactive maintenance is defined as
applying the lessons learned from past maintenance experience to future situations.
The maintenance program is designed to gather information about results achieved and then evaluate such information to improve the program and future maintenance
activities. Such an information-gathering and feedback
system is an important part of the proactive-maintenance
element of a RCM program. Examples of potential proactive
August 13, 2009
practices could include changing old equipment specifications that have proven to be inadequate or incorrect,
rebuilding worn/failed equipment to better resist failure,
performing failed-part analysis and conducting a rootcause failure analysis.
The RCM Process: Developing and implementing a RCM
program involves following a systematic process called RCM
analysis. During such an analysis, facility management carefully considers and answers the following questions:
1.
What systems exist, and what do they do? Every facility is

designed to produce some desired output. To achieve this
output, equipment is grouped into systems that are used
to produce the end product. Within this part of the RCM
analysis, facility management first identifies and defines
major systems and their equipment components. Then, the
management team describes the function of individual
systems, along with the expected performance standard.
2.
What functional system failures are likely to occur? The

next step in the RCM analysis is to identify the system
failures likely to occur that could disrupt the systems
function. During this step, facility management should
consider and identify what could go wrong that would
prevent the system from producing its desired function.
3.
What are the possible causes for likely system failures?

The purpose for implementing a RCM program is to prevent
functional failures from occurring. The cause for a functional failure may be the breakdown of some equipment
part. But it also may be a failure in some human activity.
Within this step, facility management should identify all
factors that are possible causes for likely system failures.
4.
What are the likely consequences of each failure? During

this step of the RCM analysis, facility management should
assess what happens when a failure occurs and what the
likely consequences of the failure are. Not all failures are
equal in terms of their affect on system output. One
criterion to consider during this assessment is the events
that will be required to bring the process back to normal
operating conditions. Another criterion to consider is the
likely severity of the failure. Facility management may wish
to consider ranking the severity of failures using a criticality index, which is the result of combining probability and
consequence rankings together to yield a single number
that may be used to develop a relative severity ranking of
potential failures.
5.
What can be done to prevent these functional failures?

Once potential failures have been evaluated fully, facility
management should consider what type of maintenance
tasks, if any, may be used to prevent or predict such
failures. The decision tree on page 4 outlines the RCM logic
that may be used to determine appropriate maintenance
activities for equipment.
RCM Maintenance Task Decision Tree

Will the failure have a
direct and adverse effect
NO
on environment, health,
security or safety?
Will the failure have a
NO
direct and adverse impact
YES
YES
on the quality or quantity

of system output?
Will the failure result in

other economic loss, (e.g.,
YES
Is there a cost-effective
condition-monitoring
NO
high cost of damage to

machines or system)?
NO
technique available?
YES
Develop and
Is there a cost-
schedule the condition
effective interval-
monitoring task
based task available?
YES
NO
YES
Perform condition-
Develop and
Redesign system or
Candidate for
monitoring task
schedule an
accept failure risk or
run-to-fail?
interval-based task
install redundant
Predictive
Maintenance
equipment
Maintenance
Interval-Based
Maintenance
Run-to-Failure
Proactive Maintenance
Conclusion
The RCM approach provides a systematic way to determine the optimum mix of applicable and effective maintenance
activities needed to sustain the operational reliability of systems and equipment, while ensuring their safe and economical
operation and support.
For this reason, managers of facilities involved in grain

handling, grain processing and feed and feed ingredient manufacturing may wish to consider using RCM concepts within
their maintenance programs.
August 13, 2009

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National Grain and Feed Associaton

Volume 10, Number 2, Nov. 7, 2008

Preventive Maintenance Programs That Work

effective program incorporates methods to maximize equipment life

Preventive Maintenance Goals

and its activities.

Maintain facility maintenance labor and repair/equipment

Some possible examples of maintenance goals are:

Program Structure and Organization

Plant Operations Bulletin

attitude, maintenance employees will enjoy the challenge of

Maintenance personnel will report to the facility manager.

Hammermills: Production personnel are responsible

Pellet Mills: Production personnel are responsible for

Plant Operations Bulletin

to assist in changing pellet mill rolls or dies, as directed

Boilers: Maintenance personnel are responsible for

New Equipment: If equipment is added or modified

Plant Operations Bulletin

In addition to having equipment data available, it is essential to

Show which equipment has required repair parts in the past

Organizing the Maintenance Program

Plant Operations Bulletin

Plant Operations Bulletin

tion about the equipment, such as equipment manuals,

special or non-routine work is completed. Often a standard work

Managing the Established Program

identify causes and to develop a corrective plan. For example, a

Define specific goals for the program.

Preventive Maintenance and

Plant Operations Bulletin

Sample Equipment Data Sheet

__________________________ Serial Number ______________________

__________________________ Capacity ___________________________

Equipment Size __________________________ Type ______________________________

Make _______________________________ Make ________________________________

_______________________________ Size _________________________________

Voltage ______________________________ Ratio ________________________________

_______________________________ V-Belt Size/Number _____________________

Sheave/Sprocket _______________________ Chain Size/Number _____________________

Make __________________________ Leg (top) _____________

Model _________________________ Drag (Head) __________

Size ___________________________ Auger (Head) _________

Misc. Bearings ______________________________

Misc. Bearings ______________________________

Driven Shaft ______________________ Misc. Bearings ______________________________

Sample Equipment History / Repair Log

Sample Equipment Inspection and Lubrication Checklist

1. Check / Grease Bearings

Sample Monthly Equipment Inspection and Lubrication Schedule

Ingredient Feeder Screws

Bag Belt Conveyor

Sample Work Order

National Grain and Feed Associaton

Volume 10, Number 3, Dec. 18, 2008

Preventive Maintenance and OSHAs Grain Handling Standard

hot work procedures;

The equipment requirements that may pertain to maintenance

size openings of grates;

Within the standard, certain requirements apply only to a grain

unless one or more of the following three conditions is met:

The employer or its representative (who would otherwise

The hot work is performed in welding shops

____ Serial Number

Capacity _

Equipment Size Type ____

Make _ Make __

_ Size ___

Voltage Ratio __

___________ V-Belt Size/Number _

Sheave/Sprocket ___ Chain Size/Number _

Make ______________ Leg (top) _

Model _______________ Drag (Head)

Size ___________________ Auger (Head) _

Driven Shaft Misc. Bearings ________