Myriad prerequisite programs make up a food processor's or handler's food safety management system (FSMS). Perhaps the two most complex or detailed programs are (1) cleaning and sanitizing and (2) preventive maintenance. The complexity of cleaning and sanitizing is that a company must develop, document, implement, verify, and maintain programs for each piece of equipment, plus walls, floors, overheads, drains, and the physical plant itself. 

Preventive maintenance is even more complicated than sanitation. Processors must develop, document, implement, verify, and maintain programs for each piece of equipment, filters, doors, loading docks, forklifts, and the physical plant. Furthermore, most elements included in preventive maintenance have different schedules and activities. As an example, for many pieces of equipment the maintenance program might include daily maintenance (e.g., lubrication and checks for cleanliness and condition of the equipment), a weekly program, a quarterly check, and an annual program. In the annual program, equipment may be taken offline and given a thorough check. 

In a different instance, a piece of equipment becomes damaged or breaks, and then unscheduled emergency maintenance is needed. All of these actions must be documented, and records must be kept verifying that the work was completed properly. With emergency maintenance, documented procedures often mandate that the work be done by the maintenance team but inspected by the quality control team to verify that the work was properly executed, making for an interdisciplinary approach. 

Preventive Maintenance Program Fundamentals

Preventive maintenance can be considered as the most complex and detailed of the essential prerequisite programs. Bottom line, there will be a great deal of documentation: procedures, recordkeeping forms for doing the work and inspecting it, and records documenting that the workforce has been properly educated. An overarching procedure should govern the preventive maintenance program with an objective that might read as follows:

To develop, document, implement, and maintain a preventive maintenance program that ensures safe and sanitary operation of all equipment and the physical plant essential for maintaining the quality and safety of products. This program may also be used to monitor operational efficiencies and to evaluate machine performance that may be used for future equipment purchases.

The general program must also describe the basic expectations of the maintenance program and highlight the different elements of the program. A general program statement might read as follows:

This plant shall develop, document, implement, and maintain a preventive maintenance program for all equipment used to ensure the quality and safety of foods or ingredients, or which may affect product safety, quality, or integrity. The preventive maintenance program shall include the following elements at a minimum:

1. Maintenance schedules for all equipment (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.).
2. Documented procedures for maintaining equipment.
3. Recordkeeping procedures for all maintenance, including emergency maintenance and repairs, on all equipment.
4. A reconciliation program for tools.
5. Lubrication programs for all equipment. These program shall include the type of lubricant, lubricant schedule, amount of lubricant applied, and records that the lubrication program has been followed.
6. Procedures for handing over equipment to production following preventive or emergency maintenance.
7. Spare parts inventory and maintenance.

Pros and Cons of Digital vs. Written Maintenance Programs

How the preventive maintenance program is set up and managed is up to each processor. The procedures and records can be electronic, hard copy, or a combination of both. Increasingly, processors are adopting maintenance management software programs to help them in their records handling. These programs allow easier management of the maintenance program, but they can require a significant amount of work to set up. Typically, setting up a digital maintenance management program involves getting the maintenance procedures documented and into the system. Some users have reported that they do not use their programs to the fullest capability. 

If your company decides to adopt a maintenance management software program, make sure that installation and management is a team effort. During one audit I conducted, I learned that the company had two such programs in place. When I asked why, the given answer was that the person who set up the first maintenance management program had died suddenly, and he was the only employee who understood the system. The company decided to find and establish another program. Whatever direction your company decides to go—hard copy, software, or both—understand upfront that it will take time to put the program together. Procedures need to be developed, workers have to be educated, recordkeeping and verification procedures need to be set up, and corrective action programs need to be established. 

One of the benefits of certain maintenance management software programs is that they can be set up to monitor and maintain the costs of operating lines and/or individual pieces of equipment. Remember the last line of the objective of the program: This program may also be used to monitor operational efficiencies and to evaluate machine performance that may be used for future equipment purchases. 

The author has observed software programs that allow the user to track routine maintenance costs, replacement parts, emergency maintenance costs including downtime, and time expended by the maintenance crew for routine and emergency tasks. Users praise this feature, as it provides them with actual cost data on operational efficiencies and allows them to make more intelligent decisions for operating their equipment and making future purchases. Auditors also appreciate this feature. Processors can demonstrate to auditors that they have documented procedures and are doing the work, as well as show how much it costs to operate a line or a piece of equipment, or how maintenance costs or downtime were used to upgrade a system. Ideally, audits should assess how effective programs are at maintaining quality and safety. 

Tools Handling

Tool reconciliation must be built into all preventive maintenance programs. The tools that are used for maintenance (i.e., those that go onto the floor to do work) must also come off the floor when the work is complete. This is one reason that some companies provide their maintenance personnel with a budget for tools. If tools belong to an individual maintenance worker, then they will probably monitor them more closely. 

This element can be compared to a surgical procedure. Surgical preparation teams number all instruments staged for an operation before the procedure and make sure the numbers match at the end. One doesn't want a missing clamp or sponge to end up in a patient. 

Lubrication Management

The last point is how to manage lubricants. Food processors have made a concerted effort to switch to food-grade lubricants from those that are not food-grade or may include materials that are potentially unsafe or hazardous. However, products can still be adulterated with food-grade lubricants. These lubricants are designed for incidental contact with foods. If the procedure states that the worker should apply one squeeze from a grease gun, then only a single squeeze should be applied. Any extra grease could end up in the product, adulterating the entire lot.

Takeaway

Developing, documenting, and implementing a maintenance management program cannot be accomplished overnight. It will entail months of dedicated work, so management will need to be patient. 

Procedures will need to be developed and documented for each piece of equipment listed on the different maintenance schedules. These procedures must include how to properly keep and review records. Once the procedures are in place, the maintenance team and any other personnel involved in maintenance activities (e.g., production, warehousing, etc.) must be properly educated on those procedures. Finally, maintenance of the entire program (including verification that protocols are being followed) must be maintained. "Do what you say, and say what you do," as the expression goes.