Part 1: Recurring problems and best practice
In the presence of critical assets, an organisation will need to manage its facilities particularly carefully. And it will be well advised to make inspection strategies the focus of its attention. Inspection strategies not only ensure that assets operate reliably, but also that they comply with safety standards and regulations. In this context, the inspection is able to pave the way for the achievement of organisational objectives and the mitigation of risk factors – particularly with regard to human factors and environmental consequences.
If we look at the common problems associated with inspection strategies in different sectors of activity around the world, we see that the key issue is the effective management of facilities:
- How can we make the best use of resources?
- How do you prioritise the inspection of a critical asset?
- What elements (tools and human resources) are essential?
In 2020, the OECD analysed how different sectors and countries were managing inspections of critical industrial assets. The aim is to share this knowledge with the whole world. The project revealed the following good practices:
- Carry out inspections where they are most needed. Focus particularly on the worst performing activity and carry out an in-depth analysis.
- Opt for risk-based inspection (RBI). Support your inspectors with the right tools, such as the inspection software for digitised assessment forms, inspection reports, analysis of historical and current data (particularly in terms of risk, hazard, safety status and past maintenance operations) for best practice assessment and inspection strategy planning adequate.
- Provide high-quality training for your inspectors.
- Work closely with your inspectors throughout the implementation of inspection strategies and digital tools for better decision-making in this area.
- Set up performance indicators to ensure regular monitoring of asset performance. This approach will make it possible to anticipate potential risks and adapt the inspection strategy (in particular by integrating new innovative technologies).
- Make sure that the inspection frequency remains flexible enough to take account of temporary internal and/or external changes.
In the second part of this article, we take a closer look at the IT tools that have proved to be the most widely used and the most beneficial for industries around the world.
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