Fleet upkeep
Periodic inspection
Three levels of inspection, the checkpoints for each, and the register that makes it all defensible.
Three levels
Before every use
Visual, by whoever is building, part by part as it comes out of the crate. Nothing to record, but a part set aside here does not go back on the truck.
Periodic
Documented, by a competent person, at least once a year and more often with heavy use. This is the one that feeds the register, and the register is what an insurer asks for.
Thorough
After an abnormal event: a fall, an overload, a handling impact, fire exposure, immersion. It is not scheduled, it is triggered, and the part stays out of service until it concludes.
Checkpoints
What the finding decides →Chords
Denting, gouging, the start of a crack, corrosion with material loss, heat marks.
Braces and lattice
Deformation, a missing member, a cracked weld where it meets the chord.
Welds
Cracks, missing material, visible porosity. A doubtful weld is treated as a cracked one.
Holes and connections
Hole ovalisation, wear in the conical seat, abnormal play once the part is assembled.
Straightness
Residual bow, twist. A part laid on a flat floor that does not touch on all four bearings is suspect.
Label and marking
Part number and batch legible. A part whose batch can no longer be identified can no longer answer a safety notice.
Hardware
Pins and clips complete, undeformed, original. An improvised clip means the part is out of service.
The register
A periodic inspection is recorded: date, person, part number and batch, finding, decision. It is the register an insurer asks for after an incident, and it is also what makes it possible to pull an entire batch when a safety notice concerns it. An inspection that was not recorded did not happen.