EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE & REPAIR
CONDITION CRITICAL
How criticality lists can help prevent unplanned shutdowns By Gord Susinski
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reventing unexpected shutdowns is a priority for any mining organization. By being proactive and using criticality lists, there is an opportunity to reduce the frequency of unplanned downtime. But when shutdowns do occur, there needs to be a root cause failure analysis investigation into why. Often the first priority is to get the machinery back up and running as quickly as possible, replacing the failed component and reducing downtime. This approach seems the most sensible in the short term, but to ensure the problem does not
JUNE 2020
happen again, there needs to be a root cause analysis. Which component failed? Why did it fail? Could it have been prevented? These questions all need to be asked and answered, as soon as possible. Criticality lists Prevention is much better than a cure. The most expensive failures are those that happen without notice, but proactive maintenance can help mitigate against this.
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