The Importance of Safety Approved Standards in Pump Servicing and Maintenance

May 29, 2017

Safety-approved standards exist to protect lives. In the context of pump servicing and maintenance, those selfsame safety standards provide a coherent methodology for interacting with potentially harmful fluid-impelling equipment. The first rule to observe is one that disables the equipment, which is done by turning off the electricity. Then the safety-centric criteria branches, often confusingly, always over several engineering disciplines, so a coherent work methodology must be applied.

Assessing Hazard Potentials

Even the simple act of cutting the power to a pump is risky when a methodical approach is absent. An OFF switch isn't enough. A truly systematic methodology turns of the pump that's to be maintained or serviced, then pulls the fuse or flips the circuit breakers to the OFF position. Emergency stops, if installed, are activated, safety signs are mounted, and the mechanism is neutralised. That inert equipment is now isolated from the fluid. Perhaps a redundant pump takes over the duties of the primary unit, so the valves are screwed down. The pump housing is now safe to inspect and can even be removed.

Safety-Approved Standards Guide Actions

If we were to rewind even further back in time, the pump servicing and maintenance process would begin when the assigned technician arrives at the site. It then continues after that expert repair person leaves the pipes and pumps behind. The engineering procedures begin small, perhaps by checking the pump housing and its power supply. Is the wiring damaged? Could a short-circuit take place? Perhaps a clog is currently throttling the flow, but what kind of mechanism is being inhibited? If the pump uses a belt drive system and there's a protective guard around that drive belt, then it needs to be inspected. At the end of the maintenance checks, these steps have to be reversed. For example, if that drive belt was on the verge of failure, the service technician will have replaced the elastomeric, fibre-reinforced strip, but has he properly reaffixed the drive guard? Essentially, maintenance and servicing strategies employ comprehensive work procedures. They drill down to mechanical and electrical faults, at which point the safety-approved standards take over. These guidelines turn off power, assure equipment inactivity, and guarantee safe system reassembly.

A seasoned repair technician is well aware of the electrical principles and engineering techniques that come into play when a faltering pump requires servicing and maintenance. For a full-service approach, however, that same technician must be capable of correctly assessing the situation before the work commences. Then, when the pump maintenance work is concluded, he must reverse the steps taken and leave the equipment running safely, with all mechanical guards and electrical safeguards restored.

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