The Role of Maintenance Management Deficiencies in Major Accident Causation

Abstract

There appears to be an increasing awareness that organizational and managerial factors play a critical role in ensuring plant safety. A detailed study is presented of one branch of industrial management, viz. maintenance management. It has highlighted the nature of some of the links between managerial practices and the reliability of plant equipment and personnel.

The causes of several major accidents are analysed using a systems approach, with the aim of understanding how the maintenance function was involved. A key conclusion is that, prior to major accidents, there is often a lack of detailed safety objectives and long-term safety control. Without these it becomes very difficult to assess the adequacy or otherwise of other maintenance management elements such as maintenance strategy, resources or administrative structure.

In the absence of tight safety and reliability control and consequent corrective actions a mismatch can develop between the perceptions of management and the actual condition of the plant.