Maintenance Management Procedure

Control maintenance requirements across relevant assets

The procedure requires a preventive maintenance and condition-monitoring programme for plant, processing equipment, mobile equipment, site services, utilities and supporting infrastructure where failure may affect product safety, legality or quality.

Engineering management is responsible for keeping relevant assets within a defined maintenance schedule or condition-monitoring system. Maintenance requirements are established when newly commissioned equipment is installed, and are reviewed after equipment repair to determine whether the existing schedule remains suitable or needs to be changed.

The procedure also requires maintenance records, inspection outcomes and equipment-failure trends to be reviewed periodically so recurring equipment issues can be identified and maintenance activities adjusted where needed.

Detect damage and deterioration before product integrity is affected

Equipment condition monitoring is developed as a contamination-control activity. Where equipment damage or deterioration could lead to foreign-material contamination, the procedure requires defined inspection intervals based on equipment condition, operational exposure and contamination risk.

Inspection outcomes are recorded, and damage or deterioration that could compromise equipment integrity is corrected under engineering management direction. Where recurring failures or deterioration patterns are identified, engineering management reviews the maintenance requirements and adjusts the preventive maintenance programme where appropriate.

The procedure keeps product-control boundaries clear. Where equipment condition results in affected product or potential product contamination, product control is managed through the Non-Conforming Product Control Procedure, while underlying or systemic causes requiring corrective action are managed through the corrective and preventive action process.

Keep temporary repairs controlled and time-bound

The procedure recognises that temporary repairs may be needed to allow production to continue until permanent repair can be completed, but treats those repairs as controlled interim engineering measures.

When a temporary repair is applied, the equipment affected, nature of the repair and date of repair are recorded. Engineering management confirms that the repair remains stable during operation and does not introduce loose parts, contamination hazards or structural instability.

Temporary repairs are not allowed to remain in place indefinitely. The procedure requires replacement with a permanent repair as soon as practicable and within a defined timeframe appropriate to the equipment risk and operational impact.

Return maintained equipment through hygiene clearance and operational acceptance

Maintenance work on production equipment is controlled so that tools, spare parts, engineering materials and maintenance debris do not create contamination hazards during the work or during subsequent cleaning.

After maintenance, the procedure requires documented hygiene clearance before equipment is returned to production. Engineering technicians record that the equipment and surrounding area have been cleaned and that tools, spare parts and engineering materials have been removed.

Production or operations management then inspects the maintained equipment before it is returned to use. This acceptance check confirms that contamination hazards have been removed and that the equipment is suitable for production to recommence.

Control parts, materials and engineering environments

The procedure requires components, spare parts and consumable materials used for maintenance to be suitable for the equipment and the operating environment. Where maintenance materials may come into direct or indirect contact with raw materials, intermediate products or finished products, only food-grade materials are used.

Allergen status is also controlled where materials or parts used for equipment or plant maintenance may pose a risk through direct or indirect contact with raw materials, intermediate products, primary packaging or finished products. Engineering management verifies and confirms that status, with support from technical or quality management where specialist allergen risk assessment is required.

Workshop control is included because engineering areas can transfer debris into production or storage areas. The procedure requires workshops to be kept clean and orderly, with controls for movement of tools, materials and personnel so engineering debris is not transferred into operational areas.

Define responsibility at the engineering, technical and operational interface

The procedure allocates responsibility across the functions that influence maintenance control. Senior management provides the resources and organisational support needed for effective maintenance management. Engineering management owns the preventive maintenance programme, inspection intervals, temporary-repair control, material suitability and workshop controls.

Technical or quality management provides oversight where equipment condition, maintenance activities or engineering materials may present contamination risks to raw materials, intermediate products or finished products, and escalates equipment-related risks through the appropriate management processes.

Engineering technicians carry out maintenance, repair and inspection activities and record inspection outcomes, temporary repairs and hygiene clearance. Production or operations management prevents production from recommencing on maintained equipment until the required hygiene clearance and acceptance checks have been completed. Employees are required to report equipment damage, abnormal conditions or engineering concerns that could affect product safety, legality or quality.

A maintenance-control procedure within the wider FSQMS

Within the Food Industry Hub FSQMS Policies and Procedures Suite, this procedure connects maintenance management with document control, record completion, corrective and preventive action, non-conforming product control and training and competence.

For technical, quality, engineering and operations teams, the procedure provides a developed framework for keeping equipment condition, maintenance activity, temporary repair, hygiene clearance and engineering workshop control visible within the FSQMS rather than treating maintenance as a separate engineering function.