The path to attaining ISO 9001 Certification includes plenty of checklists, box ticking, and collaborating with internal auditors, compliance officers, and ISO consultants. After all, the pursuit of quality will require intensive attention to detail, as well as proactive risk management measures.
Thankfully, the quality management frameworks provided in ISO 9001:2015 are designed to help organisations maintain a proactive, systematic approach when implementing and maintaining their QMS. Part of this approach is considering preventative maintenance measures.
Today, our ISO consultants here at S&J Auditing & Consulting will provide more insights into what preventative maintenance entails and how you can invest in this essential component of ISO compliance for your Quality Management Systems.
What is Preventative Maintenance?
Preventative maintenance in the context of ISO 9001:2015 Certification refers to the proactive, routine maintenance of all equipment and systems in order to reduce risks of system faults and failures that may then go on to affect the quality of products and services.
Simply put, preventative maintenance measures help alert your organisation to any potential operational risks before they snowball into bigger, more costly concerns.
| Type | Definition | Objective | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preventative Maintenance | Maintenance that is scheduled routinely. | Avoiding unplanned downtime. | Regular inspections and equipment servicing. |
| Preventative Action | Proactive measures taken to prevent potential risks. | Mitigating risks pre-emptively. | Process improvements and equipment/system upgrades. |
| Corrective Action | Reactive measures to correct risks after their impact. | Resolving issues post-event. | Correcting non-conformances and repairing faulty or broken equipment/systems. |
How Preventative Maintenance Supports ISO 9001:2015 Compliance
As outlined in the ISO 9001:2015 Standard, organisations are required to implement preventative maintenance measures to prevent workplace disruptions, ensure equipment stays in good working condition, and to safeguard the quality of products and services.
Here are some of the key ways that preventative maintenance measures support maintaining ISO 9001:2015 compliance and ensure quality management over the long term.
Standardising Maintenance Scheduling
Preventative maintenance schedules are essential documentation for Quality Management Systems and HSEQ Management Systems. Without these maintenance schedules, your organisation won’t be able to accurately oversee maintenance of essential equipment.
Alongside supporting ISO 9001:2015 compliance, preventative maintenance schedules also support organisations in ticking all of their industry regulatory boxes as well. For example, workplace assets like fire safety equipment must be maintained in accordance with Australian fire safety standards. If your organisation fails to schedule maintenance that complies with fire safety regulations, you may be at risk of accruing fines alongside recording ISO non-conformances.
Monitoring System Performance
Maintaining preventative maintenance schedules naturally also supports monitoring the performance of your equipment and other infrastructure. With robust performance monitoring, you can make sure your equipment and systems are operating as optimally, which can help reduce energy and resource waste.
Clearly Outlining Maintenance Processes
With strong and well-outlined maintenance processes, organisations can enjoy simpler staff training and onboarding processes. This is beneficial in a lot of ways, from boosting employee morale and strengthening workplace safety, to supporting ISO 9001:2015 compliance and maintaining ISO Certification over the long term.
Proactive Risk Management
Preventative maintenance = reduced risks relating to equipment and infrastructure failures. This means your organisation will be less likely to be impacted by system breakdowns, or even record cases of workplace accidents and injuries resulting from malfunctioning equipment.
Key Objectives of Preventative Maintenance Procedures
Whilst the immediate objectives for implementing preventative maintenance procedures is supporting ISO compliance, there are overarching advantages to maintaining these measures, with cost-efficiency and productivity being just the tip of the iceberg.
Prevent Equipment Faults/Failures & Reduce Downtime
Fewer equipment failures equates to improved resource utilisation and plant efficiency. In this way, preventative maintenance measures plays an integral role in the cost-effectiveness of ISO 9001:2015 Certification for organisations across all industries.
Improve Quality & Performance Using Maintenance Data
Preventative maintenance schedules facilitate easy maintenance reporting – and from maintenance reporting, you can get maintenance data. This data can be used to help strengthen production performance over time. All that needs to be done here is compare data points across different periods and assess performance over time to gauge if substantial improvements have been made across both quality and efficiency.
Support Continuous Process Improvements
Continuous process improvements is the lifeblood of ISO compliance. Thankfully, preventative maintenance aids in facilitating process improvements, namely by making sure that organisations keep on top of maintenance monitoring during their ISO audits. So long as you’re recording performance, you have the datapoints you need to support the PDCA cycle that drives process improvements under the ISO guidelines and frameworks.
Extend the Lifespan of Company Assets
There are many different benefits to achieving ISO Certification, but for most business leaders, the impact to their bottom line is where they look to first. In the context of preventative maintenance, organisations can work towards extending the usable lifespan of their equipment and infrastructure by reducing risks of premature breakdowns and mechanical write-offs. In short, improved maintenance means better performance from your machinery and equipment over a longer period of time.
Preventative Maintenance Requirements for ISO 9001:2015
We’ve spoken at length about how preventative maintenance supports compliance, and what the main objectives are for preventative maintenance under ISO frameworks. So there’s one thing left to discuss: how can you make sure your organisation ticks all the preventative maintenance boxes across the ISO frameworks you’re looking to implement?
In most cases, meeting all four of the criteria we’ve outlined below should help you meet preventative maintenance requirements for ISO 9001:2015 Certification. And if there are still some compliance gaps in your Certification journey, our ISO consultants are always here to provide guidance during any corrective action strategising.
Preventative Maintenance Schedules
Establishing your preventative maintenance policies and procedures is naturally integral here. Thankfully, the frameworks for preventative maintenance schedules and other supporting documentation provided in ISO 9001:2015 are fairly straightforward, so meeting all requirements here can be as simple as collating all the relevant documents.
Facility & Environmental Control
Ensuring the smooth operation of equipment, machinery, and other infrastructure means removing all external variables that could affect quality. This is why facility and environmental control considerations are also essential to establishing and maintaining preventative maintenance schedules.
It’s also why ISO 14001:2015 Certification is often sought by our small business clients right alongside ISO 9001:2015 Certification. Environmental performance can actually affect the performance and longevity of your equipment and machinery, so it really pays to stay on top of your environmental hazard management and other facets of EMS solutions.
Pro tip: if you’re looking to secure ISO 14001:2015 Certification as well, be sure to check out our ISO 14001 audit checklist to support you on your journey to Certification readiness.
Maintenance Monitoring & Reporting
Preventative maintenance does not exist without monitoring and reporting procedures. Otherwise preventative maintenance will just devolve into reactionary corrective actions. Working with your internal compliance team and on-site auditors as well as your trusted ISO consultants can help you implement and maintain maintenance monitoring and reporting that works best for your workplace.
Management Reviews & Internal Audits
Finally, the best forum to explore preventative maintenance reporting (and even non-conformance reporting) is in a management review. This is why management reviews and internal audits are not only essential for ISO 9001:2015, but also all other ISO Standards.
Maintain your ISO 9001:2015 Compliance with Preventative Maintenance
The right approach to preventative maintenance processes can help elevate not only your Quality Management Systems but also your Certification efforts for a wide variety of other ISO Standards.
If you’d like to bolster the preventative maintenance measures in your organisation’s Quality Management or HSEQ Systems, our ISO consultants are here to offer their expertise. Get in touch with our consultants at S&J Auditing & Consulting today to take your QMS processes to the next level.
