Geting Employees to Buy-in to Periodic Maintenance Schedules

Despite countless warnings from manufacturers and service technicians, preventative maintenance schedules are rarely followed as many prefer to follow the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” school of thought. Such individuals see little point in following a schedule of regular inspections, maintenance, adjustments on a machine that exhibits few visible problems or issues, especially when the added work only serves to prolong the inevitable.

In an effort to discourage the use of such flawed logic, many manufacturers have eschewed the term preventative maintenance in favor of an alternative that more accurately reflects its intended purpose. Now widely known as periodic maintenance, the intent behind these recommendations is to minimize the inherent risks involved with operating the equipment by limiting excessive downtime and costly repairs to central components, not prevent them altogether.

Implementing a successful periodic maintenance schedule hinges upon a consistent approach and dedication, which, in theory, should be easy enough to implement. When properly trained and instructed, for example, forklift operators should be able to perform pre-shift maintenance tasks such as checking fluid levels, cleaning dirt and debris from moving parts, tightening loose connections and hardware and maintaining tire pressure.

The difficulty lies in securing accountability and commitment from a workforce without a direct stake in the costs of ownership. Remember, periodic maintenance plans benefit owners and managers the most since they reduce the cost of maintenance costs and improve productivity. In most situations, individual operators see few tangible benefits from the added workload, however small it may be. And, since it is nearly impossible to determine which operator was directly responsible for premature wear and tear on a given forklift, few realistic deterrents exist to help enforce such a policy.

To address these issues, foremen and managers must utilize a system that encourages individual operators to take accountability for the periodic maintenance of a given piece of machinery. Begin by assigning operators to specific forklifts for each and every shift. This encourages operators to take ownership of a given forklift and gives them a direct stake in its day-to-day effectiveness and productivity. Constantly dealing with unnecessary breakdowns or malfunctioning equipment provides the additional motivation some need to stick to a strict periodic maintenance plan.

Taking this a step further, operators should also be required to keep detailed daily inspections records. This not only ensures that the proper procedures are followed before every shift by providing direction, but also helps maintenance staff predict potential repairs and efficiently diagnosis issues as they arise.

Finally, in addition to implementing an effective periodic maintenance strategy and providing adequate training for their operators, ownership and management should also consider ease of maintenance when purchasing a forklift. It is essential that regularly serviced components and fluids are easy to access, inspect and address. If it is overly complicated, tedious or time consuming to perform regular maintenance procedures, it becomes far more likely that these tasks will be neglected or outright ignored.

For more for information on period maintenance or resources such as inspection checklists, visit our website or contact your local Stärke dealer. 

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