Chapter 19
need not continuously think about or negotiate with each other as to what to do next. The system tells them the next steps. Instruments are provided to ease the flow of work. Formerly this planning work was done on paper forms, on card-indexes or on big tables on the wall. In modern environments a good computer program will guide the user along the right steps.
However, this is a question of convenience. The principles of systematic planning can be realised by any of these means.
What makes a good system?
A good maintenance (planning and follow-up) system:
•
Is consistent with the Safety Management System of the company.The ISM Code requires systematiC maintenance of all safoty-relevant equipment. However it would be narrow-
minded to restrict a maintenance system to only these subjects. It should be capable to be applied to any kind of actual work, controljOb or training.
Is thoroughly designed and well structured.
Another day of system design can easily save many days of work. The more ships the company is managing, the more efforts must be made to peifed; the system.
Is easy to understand because of its logical arrangement.
It takes more time to design a se/f-explaining system because the possibilities of wrong understanding are enormous. However the additional work paysfor itself.
Is known to all persons concerned.
Persons assigned to work with the system have to get a thorough introduction. In a Q4 system procedures will be proVided to safoguard that all necessary traming is carried out.
Provides for equal handling throughout the company.
Allowing personnel having changed ship to take up their work instantly.
• Makes the planning and documentation work easier.
Under the bottom line the system must constitule a considerable help. /fit doesn't, then redeSign it or go back to former methodsl
Is based on solid information about machinery, materials, etc.
The person designing the system must be experienced in the subject and must thoroughly research the available sources like shipyard's and manufacturer':; advice, former work reports and repair protocols. It is a good opportunity to think about and note down where the data (works and their intervals) comefrom (maker':;
instructions 9 Other tutorial material 9 Superintendent':;
deCision 9 Own estimate 9 Source unknown 9) Is continuously updated
The best system becomes useless ifit is neglected. It needs a good disCipline to enter promptly alljOb executions, suffiCiently comprehensive descriptions and spare part consumption.
• Provides for continuous improvement.
During the practical work with any system you will find possibilities of improve11Wnt every ~ e.g. a misunderstood sentence, an Incomplete description or a regular work missing. The system must allow conJinuous improve11Wnt of its structure and its descriptive data.
Provides for completeness of maintenance job descriptions.
Where enough e!foll' have been made in building up and improving the stock of data the system fairly WaJTants for compkte11£Ss. The user must not permanentiy foar to have forgotten any important
matter.
Allows planning and documenting any extraordinary work.
Most of the maintenance works on board have to be carried out regularly, but the lesserpart of occasionally appearing work must be covered as well.
Shows always the latest state of affairs.
Important for relieVing personnel to get quicldy an overview of all due works as well as the executed ones, be it by an assorted card index or by compuler listings.
• Shows the history of each item.
Interesting to see where the problems have been in the past. The system must provide for suffiCient space for documentallon of all formerly done regular and irregular maintenance works including thase done by shipyards and service compantes. Where the mformation becomes too plentifo/ and diffICult to overlaolc, authorized persons must have the option to delete part of it.
• Makes its documentation traceable.
Whether the system is on paper or on a hard disk, it shauld provide spacefor documenting time and person with each important entry.
• Provides its own procedures of control.
The procedures of regular as well as unannounced controls have to be laid down in writing naming the intervals andthe responsiblepersons. Furthermore, there should be a specified person to safoguard that these controls are carried out. Such controls are not popular among the executives but the risk of having a neglected system, which can be worse than no system, makes them necessary.
• Ideally would be manipulation-proof.
It is natural that people who have to document their own work are inclmed to brighten the results. Specially when they are burdened with more than can be thoroughJy done they are seeking for short cut possibilities. Partly the system can have procedures preventing this, but the system can never 'see' whether a work was really executed as deSCribed. There is no other way to avoid such wrong documentation except frequentfollow-upfrom the top.
Provides for identical information on board and ashore.
This means that comprehensive information must be transforredfrom the ship to the technical management ashore at defined intervals, which the shorter the better.
Here agam an ED? system is surpassing any paper system.
Please note that a structured maintenance system is not restricted to be used for maintenance works only.
Once it is in place it can be used for any other work which must be planned and monitored e.g. any kind of controls or the regular on-board safety training which comprises many subjects to keep track of.
The benefits ofaplannedmaintenance system can easily turn into chaotic conditions if it is not continuously taken care of. Sufficient working time must be available for training, for data maintenance and for controls.
What can go wrong in a planned maintenance system?
Works not existing in the system
Especially at the beginning it may easily happen that a few jobs are just forgotten and not entered.
Experienced officers can find these and complete the system by and by. For each irregular job which they enter additionally they should think whether this one could be necessary regularly. For example, the repair of a damaged item may be a singular event, but possibly checking this item at regular intervals could have avoided the damage. So, you should add a periodical control job to the system. Works which cannot be assigned a certain intelVlll because their necessity depends too much on external circumstances, can be entered as a 'reminder' which appears at regular intervals on the work list in order to ensure regular attention.
Another cause of a missing maintenance job can be that somebody has deleted it, either by ignorance or negligence or with ill will. A good system will be manipulation-proof in such a way, for example, that the persons concerned with the execution of the works have limited access rights in as much as they cannot delete ajob. It would mean that the concerned crew members have to wait for the authorisation of a superintendent if they want to have a useless job description deleted. Alternatively, the system could provide for deactivating ajob which, however, has to be logged in order to maintain traceability.
Job descriptions too complex
The maintenance staffspend more time on reading instructions than on actual work. Those involved feel treated in a patronising manner and missing the opportunity for making their own decisions. All job descriptions, therefore, must be consistent with the level of understanding that can be expected from the persons carrying out the work.
Job descriptions too short
If there is a gap between the j ob description and the knowledge of the executing staff the latter will seldom claim or ask because they fear they might be regarded as under-qualified. The deficiency will
134 THE NAUTICAL INSTITUTE
possibly only become detected when bad execution becomes obvious. This gap may be bridged by briefing the staffand by close supervision and communication during the work and, of course, by improving the descriptions.
Job descriptions not fitting exactly to the ship This may occur particularly ifthe descriptions are copied from an external source. At least on starting work, the job description should be rewritten in accordance with the fresh experiences.
System not accepted by the executing staff Ifa system is too far away from being practical, if it does not meet the expectatious ofthe concerned, if they cannot recognize any advantage, it will be a dead- born child. Reluctant users have no interest in updating or improving such a system. However, the cause of such attitude will not necessarily be found in the quality of the given system or program. The cause can be poor motivation generally, due to other circumstances in the company. For example, job seekers will hardly be inclined to do something for a long-term matter on board.
Missing backup- data lost
A 'grown up' maintenance planning system contains a large amount of data which constitutes a valuable asset (possibly in the range of some hundreds of thousands of Euros) and must be protected appropriately. If you work on paper or with a card index, you should at least have photocopied the job descriptions and keep them apart from the working material. Forusers of computer programs there should be a strict procedure, ensuring that the data are regularly saved and kept away from the computer.
Preferably the program should keep control and demand the production of external backups at regular intervals.
Data which are regularly sent to the shore-based technical department, can also be regarded as an emergency backup.
Defining standards of methods and materials ashore
So far the system provides for timely execution but not necessarily for good quality maintenance. In this respect the shore-based organisation is required to act again. While the executing persons on board have more or less random experiences with a number of methods and materials, the technical department ashore should be able to scan the market for the most suitable (and economic) products, tools and methods, provided they are granted the time and the means for appropriate research.
Examples:
Determine the best kind of underwater coating according to guarantees of the producer.
Find out the most effective and economic kind of inscriptions for the wet and salty areas on deck or
for the sometimes oily environment in the engine departrn ent.
Find the best temporary repair material for cracks in fuel tanks or for other special tasks.
Whenever such investigations have a clear result, then these best materials and methods should be used on all ships of the company. This again necessitates making such decision known to all persons concerned, which can be done by circular letters or in briefing sessions, by providing tutorial material or even by sending some of the personnel to attend special courses. When this is done properly it would mean that anew company standard is set; but note well that such standards have a limited lifetime. They must be checked at regular intervals.
On board: execution of maintenance work If you have well qualified personnel familiar with work throughout the ship, there will hardly be any pro blems in the proper execution of the work ordered.
However the reality usually differs considerably from this ideal. You may have to cope with poorly trained personnel, lacking knowledge of the designated common working language or just having poor motivation; and possibly you have no effective way
of changing this situation.
As an officer you should first of all think about measures to improve the climate on board. The more attention you pay to each single man and to particular jobs, the more you raise the attention of your crew.
The more your crew is willing (motivated)
to
do their work satisfactorily the more they will listen to your explanations. You can only be a good leader if your commitments are continuous and not just single actions.Even if you have agoodcrew, you have to execute control to a certain extent in order to be sure about
your department. For example, when you send someone to grease the hinges of hatch covers you must at least spot check that the man knows what he is doing, in other words that grease really has passed through the hinges. When you send your crew to clean a tank bottom you may have to do at least the final check before the manholes are closed again. Remember, it is you who signs for the proper execution. It is not the poor execution of maintenance work but the negligent supervision that is the primary cause of damage.
While your long term planning is done by means of your system, you still have to decide daily which of the work due is to be done. Regular maintenance work has to fit between cleaning work and watch duties and have to be consistent with the weather expected. Some work needs a particular time span guaranteed available in order to get them completed. For example, if you intend to overhaul the tackle of a crane, you should be very sure to have it reassembled before it is needed in port or before bad weather makes further work impossible.
In your daily planning you must always have a number of alternatives available in order to cope with any changes of the prevailing circumstances. If the weather changes or if your stay in port is shorter than anticipated, if you have to use your crew for unexpected works or work that takes longer than expected, you should always be able to react and get things in line again. Therefore do not make your planning too tight. Leave yourself enough reserve of resources.
Hopefully you know your crew well enough to assign the jobs to the right persons. Especially at the beginning ofthe relationship you have to keep close contact during the works until you are sure about the abilities and skills of your men. Then you will know how much supervision is needed.