Preventative maintenance
AS EVERYONE seems to be looking backwards why don't I look the other way? No, I don't mean turning a blind eye! Let's look where waterways, and particularly their maintenance, could change in the future, writes Jimmy Lockwood.
In the 1970's large industry moved towards something called ‘Preventive Maintenance'. Previously companies, or their staff, repaired things once they were broken. Somebody—yes sorry, but it was the Yanks—then very sensibly thought that if experience showed that a part was likely to fail and it was replaced before it was worn out this would save time and money.
Adopted the principle
During the past 40 years almost all industries have, in part or in full, adopted the principle of Preventive Maintenance.
All that is except British Waterways, and now Canal & River Trust, who have, almost religiously, stuck to a system which works in reverse! It does this using a system which categorises everything from A to E where A is perfect and E is desperately needs repairing/or has failed!
No or little or no maintenance
It appears that anything in categories A, B & C gets no, or very little, maintenance at all. Only when D's appear does anyone do anything and then spends so long talking about and planning how or what to do that by the time anything is done the problem has moved to category E anyway. Hence lock walls and banks fail; paddle gear breaks; silting stops boats and matters can only be fixed by throwing big money at it!
If minor repairs were planned—and delivered—for all items in categories B & C, failures would be significantly reduced and, more importantly, costs would fall dramatically. Rarely would anything appear in categories D and E, except possibly as a result of an Act of God. At least that would be the picture if the jobs were dealt with in-house and not given to external contractors.
Less expertise
Time and money is wasted negotiating and planning with the contractors whose staff may be experienced at major site operations but many appear to have less expertise in minor waterway repairs. I spoke to some recently and they stated it was the first time they had been near a canal and never as part of their employment.
Now the new CaRT Boss is an ex-railwayman and railways have had a pre-planned Preventive Maintenance regime for several years (though not as long as you might think!). Can we now anticipate a change within CaRT and look forward to an improved position? Okay, it will take a few years to clear outstanding D's & E's but if a start is made now in tackling B's & C's the financial benefits will begin appearing—and the condition of the waterways will improve.