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The third step in the path toward achiev- ing world-class maintenance is to estab- lish an effective mine maintenance program. This consists of developing, documenting, testing, and implementing a quality program that spells out how maintenance work is requested, identi- fied, classified, planned, scheduled, assigned, controlled, measured and assessed to ensure sustained, effective performance. After a program is devel- oped and agreed upon, an educational effort is carried out to ensure that the entire mining operation understands what maintenance does, who does what, how and why. Personnel will then see their supporting and cooperative mainte- nance-related roles clearly and con- tribute more effectively to the success of the total operation. Note that the program is the mine maintenance program — not the pro- gram of the maintenance department. Why? Maintenance planning, for exam- ple, is a maintenance function and main- tenance bears full responsibility for its success. However, planning will not be successful without the support of ware- housing and purchasing to supply mate- rials or cooperation from operations in making equipment available for work. These other departments have a defini- tive role in planning success and become an integral part of the mine maintenance program. What It Is What is the mine maintenance program? In short, it describes what is to be done, by whom, how and why. It reflects the interaction of the total mine population as work is requested or identified and classified to determine the best outcome. The program includes planning, schedul- ing, assignment, control and measure- ment of the resulting work. Finally, it enables assessment of overall accom- plishment against goals such as perfor- mance standards and budgets. M i n i n g o r g a n i z a t i o n s o f t e n f a i l t o a d e q u a t e l y d e f i n e t h e i r m a i n t e n a n c e programs. As a result, maintenance per- sonnel who are tasked to carry them out b e c o m e c o n f u s e d a n d u n c e r t a i n . Operations staff wonder how they can b e s t s u p p o r t m a i n t e n a n c e . D e p a r t - ments such as warehousing try to second g u e s s w h a t m a i n t e n a n c e n e e d s . M i n e managers are frustrated and impatient. I n i n s t a n c e s w h e r e m a i n t e n a n c e p r o - grams have not been defined, operating departments — as well as staff depart- ments whose help is essential to success- f u l m a i n t e n a n c e — h a v e l i t t l e i d e a o f what is expected of them. Thus, essen- tial, basic support for the program is not provided. Instead, confusion and uncer- tainty prevail. To avoid this situation, invite other departments to review and comment on actions that involve them after mainte- nance has documented a preliminary pro- gram. Operations, for example, may have only a vague idea of how the preventive maintenance (PM) program actually works or what the planner is supposed to do. An explanation, along with a review of the pro- gram's preliminary schematic diagram, will help to eliminate any misunderstanding. b l a st h o l e d r i l l i n g 36 www.coalage.com February 2016 Figure 1 — The legend to explain this schematic diagram would read: (1) When an equipment operator deter- mines that a minor problem could be repaired by a maintenance crew member, he calls for informal help. (2) The crew member would make necessary adjustments or minor repairs to get the equipment running properly. If the repair is a simple adjustment, no record is necessary. If the repair meets repair history criteria, enter the work done in the work order system as prescribed. If an emergency repair was necessary, advise the mainte- nance supervisor at the first opportunity and document the actions taken. ma i n t e n a n c e B Y P A U L T O M L I N G S O N Achieving World-class Mining Maintenance: Step 3 — Establish an Efficient Program In the third segment of this six-part series, the author presents the basic steps in crafting an effective program that will enable operators to develop and sustain top-notch mine maintenance