Establishing An Effective Preventative Maintenance Program For Recreation Facilities
By Vince Kreiser
The process of setting up an effective preventative maintenance (PM) program for recreation facilities involves the following eight steps:
1. Do a complete clean up and organization of the facility. This is probably the most important step in the process. It is very difficult to start any planning if everything is in a disorganized state. This clean-up also signals a start and commitment to the PM program. Discard things that are no longer useful. Establish designated places for items such as ladders, chair dollies, tool crib, and janitorial supplies, which will be convenient for staff to use in their work. Label these areas using words or illustrations so that tools and equipment are returned to their appointed areas after use. Once the clean-up and re-organization is completed, insist that staff adhere to the new system of handling tools and materials. Management and peer pressure should come to bear in this regard. During this initial step, taking the time to at least explore the use of some sort of asset/maintenance management computer software in the facility might prove to be a useful thing to do to operationalize future steps in the plan.
2. Conduct a complete inventory of all equipment, tools, stock, and so forth currently on hand. Once this step has been completed, an inventory should be undertaken on an annual basis. Gather the manuals, service sheets, and related information for each equipment item requiring maintenance. If any material is missing, check with the Public Works Department (if the facility is a municipal operation) or service representative for extra copies. A file should be opened for each piece of equipment and include things like: date of purchase, date installed/first used, supplier’s contact information, model and serial numbers, warranty information, written operating and maintenance requirements, parts lists, maintenance logs, etc. Staff should have ready access to these manuals and files in case of breakdowns when the manager is not on site. Obtain two complete sets of current building plans for the facility. One set should be held by the manager and the second set is used by staff. A number of serious emergencies can be quickly solved if these plans are available and staff involved know how to interpret the details. During this inventory process, confirm whether additional tools or equipment are required to adequately operate and maintain the facility. Purchase the lower cost items as soon as possible and make budgetary plans for major equipment pieces if the need arises.
3. Using the service manuals and related reference materials, prepare a list of all maintenance items requirements. A meeting should be scheduled with staff working in the facility to get them involved in this process. During the meeting, a brainstorming session should be held and maintenance suggestions should be classified on the basis of frequency of action: daily, weekly, monthly, two months, three months, six months, annually, and so on. Most of the maintenance items should fit into these intervals. Assign a staff member to act as note-maker, and use a flip-chart pad and felt pens for easier recall at a later date. A tape recorder might be a useful tool as well. Once the meeting has concluded, the list should remain posted on a bulletin board for a couple of weeks so management and staff can add details as ideas come to mind.
4. Once the list is essentially completed, transfer the information to a large PM calendar chart. Specific intervals for completing maintenance tasks (daily, weekly, monthly, and so on) are documented in a summarized format on the PM chart. The type of PM chart used is varied and should be tailored to fit the needs of a specific facility. The main objective for a PM chart is to provide a visual map of all the maintenance functions in the PM program on a 365-day basis.
5. Once the calendar chart is completed, transfer the information to a 52-week file system. Daily items should be completed by the maintenance staff as laid out in their shift routines (refer to step 8 below). Weekly or less frequent items should be given to a lead hand or foreman who receive assistance from maintenance staff or specialized service people. Items to be handled in a particular week should be put in the file for staff to work through. Once all the work in the file has been completed and checked off, replace the file in the box; (as an alternative to a “paper system” this process can be handled by a set of computer files through the use of a laptop or tablet), and carry on with daily or routine items. Continue this procedure for each week of the year. The files are usually printed on 8.5x11-inch paper or, as mentioned previously, kept in a computer file and printed if needed.
6. In order for the PM program to work, this file system must be kept up to date and done promptly. Make PM program work a priority at the start of each week and most other maintenance requirements will fall into place relative to the PM work. Establishing a system of priority is most difficult at the start of the PM program where emergencies tend to overshadow the scheduled maintenance work. Hopefully, as the PM program progresses, this tendency will reverse itself.
7. Additions or deletions to the PM program should be made as equipment is added or removed from the facility. Also, in the first few years of the PM program, revisions should be made if mistakes or oversights occurred in the initial planning. Keep the PM program current so that process does not become redundant and unimportant to the staff.
8. Proper shift routines should be set up for the maintenance staff so that daily items receive adequate attention. Ensure that each shift has specific duties to complete so that nothing is overlooked due to assumptions such as, “I thought Joe was going to do it.” An effective record keeping system should also be created alongside these written shift routines. It will provide some degree of legal protection to the organization in the event of accidents. All members of the operations’ staff should be expected to participate in this process in order to log the work completed on their respective shifts.
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Vince Kreiser retired from the position of Program Coordinator and one of the Instructors for the two-year Recreation Leadership Diploma Program at Langara College in Vancouver, BC after 30 years. In addition to his work at the College, Vince has conducted workshops, seminars and courses throughout Canada and the U.S.A. relating to facility management and operations. Prior to coming to the College he was the Assistant Manager Facilities Operation (Production) for the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, BC. Part of his responsibilities included assisting in the management of the Pacific Coliseum which at the time was the home for the Vancouver Canucks of the N.H.L. He was awarded a Life Membership in the Recreation Facilities Association of BC in 2018.
