Carriage, Handling and Storage of Dangerous Goods along

ACTIONS
Technical and Management (continued)
Inspections and tests should be be carried out by competent and skilled personnel.
Training should be provided for carrying out inspections and tests.
Institutional and Capacity Building
PORTS AND TERMINALS 29
Relevant line agencies should establish frequency and minimum standards for inspection and testing
of critical equipment and determine minimum standards of competence for personnel carrying out
inspections and tests.
Competent authorities should verify that all critical equipment is tested according to established
frequency and minimum standards.
2.3.3.2 Maintenance of Critical Equipment
RECOMMENDATION
Member Countries should determine minimum standards for a planned maintenance
system for critical equipment.
Challenge
In some cases, maintenance of equipment in ports/terminals is reduced to "break down" maintenance
instead of a preventive and predictive maintenance schedule. Breakdown maintenance or poorly
maintained equipment can lead to:
• increased downtime during cargo operation and costly stoppages for repair;
• impact on health and safety, e.g. fire, personnel injury and health hazard;
• impact on the environment, e.g. release of toxic gas; and
• impact on port/terminal facilities ( e.g. fire and explosion).
Maintenance is a combination of all technical, administrative, and managerial actions during
the life cycle of equipment intended to keep it or restore it to a state in which it can perform the
required function. 4 The main objective of a good maintenance management system is to reduce the
reactive maintenance to a minimum by implementing a cost-effective proactive maintenance strategy.
Implementing a good maintenance policy will increase the integrity and reliability of equipment,
reduce unplanned breakdown of equipment and reduce maintenance costs by avoiding unnecessary
equipment dismantling and extend the lifespan of equipment. A good maintenance policy will result in
high productivity and an increased level of safety.
References
• Maintenance Management System for Upstream Operations in Oil and Gas Industry: Case
Study, World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology 60, 2009; and
• OISD Recommended Practice-124, Predictive Maintenance Practices, Revised Edition
August 2007.
4 A cost model of industrial maintenance for profitability analysis and benchmarking, International Journal of Production Economy,
Komomen, K., 2002