Providing information, instruction and training

Everyone who uses equipment at work must be adequately trained, so that health and safety are protected in its use, maintenance, supervision or management. Some work activities need detailed formal training, but for most everyday activities with work equipment, adequate training can be given in-house, using the manufacturer's instructions and the background knowledge and skills of more experienced workers and managers.

People should be competent for the work they do. Training, along with knowledge, experience and skill, helps build that competence. In some cases, though, competence may necessarily include medical fitness and the physical or mental aptitude for the activity.

Maintenance workers must be given training relevant to the maintenance task and its hazards and risks, so that they can be protected.

Why equipment should be maintained, and maintenance carried out safely

Equipment must be maintained in a safe condition so that people's health and safety is not put at risk, and in certain circumstances it must be inspected to make sure it is, and continues to be, safe to use. Any inspection should be carried out by a competent person, who could be an employee with the necessary skills, knowledge and experience, and a record should be kept until the next inspection.

Steps should be taken to manage the risks that arise from maintenance. The manufacturer's instructions should recommend how to carry out maintenance of their equipment safely and, unless there are good reasons not to, they should always be followed.

Where possible, equipment should normally be shut down, and any residual or stored energy released safely, for example by dumping pneumatic pressure, or by stopping parts that hold gravitational or rotational energy or bringing them to a safe position. For high-risk equipment, a positive means of disconnecting it from the energy source may be needed, such as isolation, together with a means to prevent accidental reconnection, such as locking off. Formal systems of work such as a permit to work are required in some cases to manage high-risk maintenance safely.

Maintenance work involves many hazards, and the risk assessment process must identify them. Some of the hazards are:

• working at height: the risk of falls, or of falling tools and equipment
• gaining access to the equipment, for example work in confined spaces or harsh environments
• electrical hazards: shocks and burns if the equipment is not isolated
• the equipment itself: possible injury from moving parts if not isolated
• musculoskeletal disorders, from exerting force or working in a cramped space
• asbestos fibres and dust, which are sometimes not identified or marked
• hazardous substances, either used in the machinery or as part of the maintenance process
• noise, from working on or using noisy equipment

In some cases it may not be possible to avoid certain significant hazards during maintenance, so suitable measures must be taken to protect people and minimise the risk.

The HSE's safe maintenance health check gives a list of questions that can help you carry out maintenance safely:

• Do our staff always isolate machines before doing maintenance?
• Have all our maintenance staff got their own isolation padlocks and warning boards?
• Do we know if we have asbestos in the building, and where it is?
• Do we use this asbestos information when we plan building maintenance jobs?
• Are we thinking about which access equipment is right for the job, or just using whatever we have to hand?
• Are we thinking through proper lifting plans before lifting heavy loads?
• Is anyone competent enough to take charge of non-standard lifting jobs?
• Do we use permits to work properly when we need them?
• Do we have any confined spaces?
• Do our managers and supervisors stop maintenance work if it is not being done safely?

Work equipment may need to be constructed or adapted to take account of the risks of maintenance. For example, lubrication and adjustment points can be moved so that the work can be done at ground level, safe means of access can be provided on the equipment, such as handholds and anti-slip surfaces for the feet, or guarding can be arranged so that it stays in place to prevent contact with dangerous parts. In most cases the manufacturer should have allowed for this in the design, and you should have allowed for it when deciding which product to buy. That may not always be so, though, and it may not apply to older equipment on site.

Summary notes for Element 9 · Cheat sheet · Glossary. A study aid, not published or endorsed by NEBOSH.