Part 2. Murder or "Machine-Slaughter"?

I spent 20 years of my career doing failure analysis and in-depth Root Cause Analysis.?I was really good at being a "metal detective".

One fundamental principal of root cause analysis is that there is always more than one root cause. There must be a set of conditions and actions present. Furthermore, invariably there are human factors involved that caused the failure - whether it via design, operation, or maintenance.?

As per a quote from Gerard's book

"Machines don't die, they're murdered"

Gerard goes on to say

"We maintain mining equipment with little regard for quality or "the basics". Mine managers need to have people who know how to do alignments, fasten bolts correctly, keep lubrication clean, and do a proper weld. If mine managers did all those things properly, the machines would be more reliable and less costly."

The reality is that most people are simply doing what they are asked to do, to the best of their ability. The real problem is that people don't know what to look for and therefore don't know how to recognise a poor quality weld repair. Until people are aware and focus on them, they remain blind to the fact that they are causing the problems. Training and upskilling is essential to increase awareness and understanding of what is actually important and relevant.

So maybe “murdered” is too strong a word. Perhaps “machine-slaughter” is more appropriate.?It is time to stop "accidentally" affecting asset reliability.

When it comes to maintenance welding of structural cracking, there are two main problems

1. Welders generally do not receive the necessary training to know how to carry out effective repairs
2. There is generally no minimum requirement for welder skill or competence before carrying out a crack repair.?

That’s why we (WQMS) have introduced the Maintenance Welder Competency (MWC) microcredential. It is designed to train, upskill and assess welders so that they can carry out effective weld repairs that last. Unlike typical “welder qualifications” that are based on fabrication conditions, the MWC uses a number of fully simulated crack repair scenarios. The simple competency level system makes it easy to assign welders to the appropriate repair based on their ability.?

Go to www.weldercompetency.com to find out more.?