Contents
What Are Human Errors in Maintenance?
Human errors are failures committed by individuals during the performance of their tasks, resulting in differences from recommended procedures or practices. In asset maintenance, these errors may occur in various stages of the process from inspection and diagnosis to repairs and final testing. Common examples include:
- Nonconformity with procedures: when maintainers do not strictly follow established procedures.
- Misuse of tools or equipment: improper use of tools, which may damage components or compromise labor safety.
- Misinterpretation of data: errors in analyzing diagnostic or measurement data, leading to incorrect and unreliable diagnoses.
- Forgetfulness or omission: failure to perform important steps due to lack of attention or memory.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Human Errors in Maintenance?
Human errors in asset maintenance happen frequently and are usually the result of a combination of factors. Some of the main contributors include:
- Fatigue and stress: overloaded technicians working long hours without proper rest are more likely to make mistakes due to reduced focus and concentration.
- Insufficient or inadequate training: lack of proper training or unfamiliarity with new technologies or procedures can result in incorrect task performance.
- Disorganized work environment: poorly organized work areas and a lack of appropriate tools increase the chance of mistakes.
- Communication Failures: communication gaps between team members or departments can lead to misunderstandings about maintenance or repair instructions, even causing production downtime.
- Productivity pressure: pressure to complete tasks quickly may lead technicians to skip important steps in maintenance procedures to save time.
What Impacts Can Human Errors Cause in Maintenance?
Human errors in asset maintenance can cause many negative impacts, affecting both operations and organizational safety. Some of the main consequences include:
- Increased costs: errors may cause equipment failures, resulting in additional expenses for repairs, replacements, and production interruptions.
- Reduced Asset Lifespan: inadequate maintenance may damage critical components, reducing efficiency and lifespan.
- Safety risks and accidents: inadequate maintenance can create unsafe operating conditions, putting workers’ lives at risk and increasing the likelihood of accidents.
- Production interruptions: equipment failures due to poor maintenance can result in unplanned downtime, affecting productivity and meeting deadlines.
- Loss of reputation: companies facing frequent equipment failures may damage their reputation, affecting customer and business partner trust.
Tips to Reduce Human Errors in Maintenance
Even with well-defined processes and continuous training, human errors are inevitable and can have significant consequences for operations, safety, and productivity.
Therefore, certain practices adopted by maintenance managers can help minimize human errors. Below are 8 important tips to help your company reduce human errors in maintenance:
1) Control, Test, and Review Processes
Deliberate actions occur when a person is aware of what they are doing, even if the outcome is uncertain.
A common example is altering or ignoring a previously developed procedure. The individual is aware of the action, but the impact is unknown.
For procedures that involve risks to the assignee’s integrity, predicting and controlling possible failures is essential.
2) Implement Safety-Oriented Actions
Safety-oriented actions are usually the responsibility of Brazilian NRs, the Internal Accident Prevention Commission (CIPA), together with the Specialized Service in Safety Engineering and Occupational Medicine (SESMT).
If there is no training or if the process has not been fully tested, the probability of error increases due to a lack of preparedness.
One example is when the company keeps a maintenance history of its equipment. When decisions are based on historical data, human errors are neutralized, and channels are opened for continuous improvement.
3) Anticipate Problems to Prevent Failures
Errors can also occur due to unintentional actions, typically during repetitive tasks or those performed by the same professional for extended periods.
In such scenarios, operators may make mistakes by underestimating the level of concentration required. These failures can be mitigated through mechanisms that reduce error margins.
Regardless of the type of human error, solutions should be created based on the root cause not the person who committed it. Otherwise, the same error may recur with another employee. The approach must be impersonal and solution focused.
Once the cause is discovered, the process where the error occurred must be reviewed, tested, and adjusted to minimize future occurrences.
4) Train Your Team
In industrial units, even with effective automation, machine and equipment operation always depend on human hands like traffic rules: before driving, every person must undergo proper training.
Equipment maintenance follows the same logic. No machine operator can expect successful task execution without proper training.
When people receive intensive training, the chances of error are significantly reduced. Besides training, another essential element is developing Maintenance Planning and Control.
5) Maintenance Planning and Control
Maintenance Planning and Control is crucial in plants with machines operating long hours or continuously. It focuses on preventing failures by anticipating possible error scenarios, making management predictive rather than corrective.
Another widely used approach in equipment maintenance is Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM).
RCM focuses on preserving the function of various systems. In industrial environments, it refers to the ability of machines to remain operational.
To measure the probability of a piece of equipment remaining failure-free, a simple calculation is used: divide the number of favorable cases by the number of possible cases (result between 0 and 1).
- 0 means no chance of failure.
- 1 means the risk of problems is certain.
6) Consider Human Unpredictability
When dealing with people, acknowledging unpredictable behaviors helps minimize errors. It is not always possible to detect in advance when a worker may make a mistake while handling tools.
Factors influencing performance include:
- fatigue, tiredness, stress
- personal issues
- impatience
- lack of care
- presumption
- negligence
- incorrect calculations
Given the many elements that lead to error, it is clear how important it is to ensure workplace well-being.
Productivity is directly tied to equipment maintenance departments require fewer repairs to reduce waste. Assembly-line waste can and should be minimized through control mechanisms such as Productive Maintenance.
7) Understand the Triad of Environmental Risk Factors
Beyond human nature being prone to failures, errors in maintenance or operations can be caused by external factors, divided into three levels:
- Physical: temperature, noise exposure, pressure, winds, toxic or non-toxic gases, radiation, humidity.
- Environmental: ergonomics, equipment layout, ventilation, lighting, working hours, or location.
- Human: physiological, psychological, physical, or mental limitations.
To define how reliable a person is in performing maintenance, companies use the Human Error Probability (HEP) index, based on mathematical probability studies.
Certain human error rates follow standardized charts that classify error likelihood according to task specialization.
Although errors are unpredictable, mathematical formulas help determine the probability of mistakes.
Another valuable method for preventing errors is maintenance failure investigation, which follows a structured process beginning with data collection.
8) Develop the Philosophy of Continuous Improvement
The learning process in error prevention must follow an upward curve. Correcting a failure is not enough; it is necessary to dig deeper and identify root causes.
This mindset is taught by Japanese industry practices. After World War II, Japan’s industrial sector was destroyed, and companies needed to rebuild production despite scarce resources.
This gave rise to Kaizen, meaning “continuous improvement.”
Kaizen Methodology
In Kaizen, processes are constantly reviewed and examined. The goal is Lean Production tailored to real demand, eliminating waste and focusing on customer needs.
Efficient resource use is key: machines must be monitored using qualitative and quantitative indicators.
Lean production eliminates the traditional model of production based on forecasts and shifts focus to adapted output, maximizing the use of inputs, machinery, and equipment.
In terms of error reduction, continuous improvement is decisive:
- workers focus on productivity gains.
- Processes and equipment maintenance improve.
- Reactive behavior is replaced with proactive action.
- Every employee becomes essential for value generation.
Improving continuously means constant reassessment; there is no comfort zone. Every process and result, no matter how positive, can be improved.
Conclusion
Human errors are an inevitable reality in asset maintenance, but their consequences can be significantly reduced with proper management and control practices.
As seen, human errors in machine or equipment maintenance, or caused by low productivity can be mitigated through continuous attention to the objective and subjective aspects affecting workers during their activities.
Investing in continuous training, efficient communication, and automated support tools is essential to minimize errors and ensure accurate, efficient maintenance.
By adopting these strategies, organizations can reduce operational costs, improve safety, and increase the reliability and lifespan of their assets.
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