In the material handling industry, many people use the terms ‘preventative’ and ‘routine’ interchangeable when in fact they are worlds apart. Everyone needs to know the difference.
The definition of routine maintenance is simple, small-scale activities (usually requiring only minimal skills or training) associated with regular (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) and general upkeep of a building, equipment, machine, plant, or system against normal wear and tear. By contrast, the definition of preventative maintenance is systematic inspection, detection, correction, and prevention of incipient failures, before they become actual or major failures.
Considerations when servicing your fleet:
- All work should be performed in a clean and safe area
- Make sure that the engine is off or battery is disconnected
- Block wheels and set emergency brake
- Change engine oil and filter per manufacturer’s schedule
- Change air filters
- Change air fittings, excessive grease can cause damage
- Replace hydraulic oil as recommended by the manufacturer
- Batteries must be filled after charging to avoid spillage – use alkaline fluid to clean
- Pneumatic tires should always have proper air pressure to avoid damage
- Inspect chains and anchors for elongation, rust, cracking, and misalignment
It is required by OSHA that you have your operators utilize a daily checklist and provide that to your technician for him/her to use as a reference for needed repairs. Be sure to keep a copy on file and explanation of repairs to present to OSHA if requested.
If you decide to use an outside company to service your forklifts, research their service system, response time, call completion logs, and references to ensure dependability.