A world-class lubrication and lubricant analysis program requires individuals with world-class skills. Although it is true to say that those directly responsible for lubrication must be properly trained, other individuals in the organization also require knowledge, or at least an awareness, of the program’s goals, primary benefits, and fundamental tenets. In order for the organization as a whole to succeed in lubrication excellence, it is vital that a lubrication and lubricant analysis skill development program be put in place and be tailored to meet the needs of all individuals who have responsibility for lubrication tasks, or that may have input into the lube program.
Lubrication Training
Almost everyone in a plant needs some lubrication awareness training. The lubrication topics selected and the degree to which they should be covered depend upon the individual’s job responsibility. For example, it doesn’t make sense to put the plant manager through a detailed training program on the use of a grease gun. That is simply not a skill the plant manager is going to use. Although this is a good example, which is generally applicable, each plant or company needs to develop its own specific lubrication training objectives based on its different staff categories. As another example, it is not necessary for the vibration specialist to attend a detailed lube oil training program; however, that person should be sufficiently aware of the plant
lubricant program to determine interactions between the two technologies.
The skill inventory and training program will vary from organization to organization. As an illustration, consider a plant with the lubrication-related job descriptions shown in the skill-based matrix of Figure 6-1.
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Figure 6-1
Example of Skill-Based Matrix Reliability and PdM Analyst
This skilled individual is responsible for ensuring the reliability of the plant and is the primary technical resource to the plant on maintenance and reliability issues. His or her role is to run on-site oil analysis tests, assimilate and evaluate data from both on-site and off-site oil sample analysis, and to interface with the other reliability team members from the vibration and
thermography groups. To provide this support, the analyst requires a thorough understanding of all of the functional skill areas of lubrication and oil analysis.
To achieve the desired level of knowledge for this position, the individual typically needs several weeks of training on the basics of lubrication and lubricant analysis. It may also require
extensive training on various procedures for which that person will be responsible (sampling for example). In addition, extensive specialized training is required on the correct use, maintenance, and calibration of on-site test equipment. This individual also requires frequent training to keep knowledge and skills up to date and should be actively involved with appropriate conferences and meetings to hone skills, make contacts, and benchmark best practices.
Lubrication Technicians
These individuals are primarily responsible for lubricating the machines. They manage the storeroom, grease bearings, top-up machines, perform oil changes, make or support decisions to upgrade or change a lubricant specification, and/or reengineer or upgrade lubricant application hardware. They work with lubricant suppliers and lubrication consultants daily to keep things going smoothly. They also manage contamination control efforts by maintaining breathers and filters, using filter carts and other periodic decontamination technologies, and so on. Lube technicians work closely with mechanics to troubleshoot machine problems that might be lubrication-related. Lube technicians require a thorough understanding of lube storage and handling, lubrication fundamentals, and contamination control.
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Lube technicians require several weeks of training to develop a sturdy knowledge base.
Additional time is required to train the individuals on various procedures with which they will be working. It is not sufficient to rely solely on hands-on training from experienced technicians because a small procedural mistake, often made as a perceived timesaving exercise, can perpetuate and grow into a major flaw in lubrication best practices.
As with the reliability technician, these individuals will also require frequent booster shots to keep their skills fine-tuned and current.
Oil Analysts
Whether they are tasked to perform the analysis function with a mini-lab, or are part of a full- scale oil analysis laboratory, the lab analysts must have specific lubricant analysis knowledge and a general understanding of how their results and findings will affect decisions at the plant level. There are a few on-site full-scale oil labs at U.S. power plants; however, the majority uses a central corporate lab, a mini-lab, or sends their samples to a contract laboratory. Unfortunately, in some settings, the analysts performing oil analysis are viewed as just performing another chemistry function and may operate wholly within a more comprehensive wet chemistry laboratory. Unless the analysts and lab managers learn about the specific challenges and the unique use of oil analysis data in making machinery prognostics, the opportunity to provide effective and insightful recommendations from the analyst level may be lost.
When a full-scale laboratory is in place at the plant, or at a corporate central facility, it is advisable to adopt training certifications such as the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) Oil Monitoring Analyst II (OMA-2) or the International Council for Machinery Lubrication (ICML) Laboratory Lubricant Analyst (LLA) programs. For on-site mini-labs, Oil Monitoring Analyst I (OMA-1) or Machinery Lubricant Analyst (MLA)
certifications are likewise appropriate. Ensuring the appropriate skill levels at the analyst level will result in increased confidence in the quality of the analyses performed, and will typically result in much more meaningful and insightful recommendations for action in the sample analysis reports.
Mechanics
Mechanics are most intimately familiar with the internal workings and condition of the plant’s machinery. They need sufficient technical knowledge about lubrication fundamentals to spot and accurately diagnose lubrication-induced abnormalities and opportunities to reduce wear through changes in the lubricant type, delivery mechanism, or maintenance. If they fail to provide feedback about the effectiveness of the lubrication process, the same problems will recur. They also need to understand the importance of maintaining or restoring cleanliness during repair, and to be proficient in procedures for doing so. Because the mechanics are sometimes asked to perform oil changes, they must be trained on those procedures.
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Operators
Operators see more of the equipment than anyone in the plant and are typically required to walk- down the equipment every shift. This is a great opportunity to collect simple, inspection-based lubrication information. Beyond the level gages, the operators should regularly inspect for filter and desiccant condition, evidence of water contamination, foaming and air entrainment, leaks, darkening of the oil, sludge, smoke or fumes exuded from vents, and a host of other easy-to- observe conditions. Operators should be set up with a clipboard, or preferably a digital personal data assistant (PDA), which allows them to input inspection information using questions to which they can simply answer yes, no, or not applicable. This information must be fed back to the lube technician and reliability analyst so that appropriate corrective action can be taken. The operators must also be trained to perform these functions, with an occasional refresher course to bring their skills and knowledge back up to speed.
Managers and Supervisors
Although they need only awareness training, management training is typically the most
important, but most commonly overlooked, training in the program. Managers make resources available, provide visibility for the program, and must defend it when it comes under fire. Managers require very little skill-oriented training (sampling procedures for example), but they need some technical knowledge about the various aspects of the program (such as why a
representative sample is important to oil analysis effectiveness), and they should have a general knowledge about how good lubrication management creates value (like high particle count in the fluid increases wear and clean oil reduces costs). The emphasis for management is on the
financial benefits that the program provides, on the aspects of managing the lubrication team, and on providing the resources required.
Managers and supervisors need up to one day of intensive awareness training, along with periodic information updates to keep them fresh and current with regard to new information. Conferences serve as a good maintenance knowledge mechanism for managers. At these events, they can discuss lubrication program management issues with their peers, attend benchmarking sessions, and become exposed to new products, technologies, services, procedures, and best practices.
Knowledge and Skill Certification
Having selected the appropriate training modules, the question that must be addressed is, “How does management know that an individual can perform a particular job?” The answer to this is certification. Certification ensures that an individual possesses the knowledge and skills to perform the required tasks.
Knowledge certification is fundamental to success and is best performed by a third-party entity. A third-party entity is truly objective in that it has no stake in the success of the organization or the individual. Another advantage of third-party certification is its transferability. An
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organization can hire a person pre-certified and individuals can take their certifications with them. If a non-pre-certified individual is available for a position, certification within a certain timeframe can be made a condition of employment.
Third-party certification relieves managers from the requirement of possessing expert knowledge on the topic in order to evaluate an individual’s capabilities. In today’s plants, managers are spread very thin. They can’t be experts on everything. As long as the managers know who the experts are and where they can be found, they don’t have to be experts themselves.
In the lubrication industry, the STLE and the ICML, both non-profit organizations, serve in this capacity. STLE has certification programs for Certified Lubrication Specialist (CLS) and Oil Monitoring Analyst (OMA-1 and OMA-2). ICML offers multi-level skill certifications for the Machinery Lubrication Technician (MLT), Machinery Lubricant Analyst (MLA), and the Laboratory Lubricant Analyst (LLA).
In the STLE, the Oil Monitoring Analyst I (OMA I) exam is designed to test and document the knowledge of an individual who conducts first echelon oil monitoring and analysis, as it applies to lubrication analysis and machine condition monitoring. The emphasis of this exam is the routine operation of an oil analysis program. The areas covered include Basic Mechanical Systems, Oil Sampling, Basic Lubricant Properties, Basic Analytical Methods, Basic Data Analysis, and Basic Corrective Actions. The Oil Monitoring Analyst II (OMA II) exam is designed to test and document the knowledge of an individual who conducts second echelon oil monitoring and analysis. The emphasis of this exam is the design, implementation, control and management of an oil analysis program. The areas covered include Program Design,
Implementation, and Control.
The ICML certification programs break the lubrication training function down into three distinct areas of practice. Generally speaking, these are meant to reflect the different types of job
positions requiring skill certification. They include the lubrication technician, a machinery lubricant analyst (generally a plant-based individual responsible for the lubricant analysis program), and the laboratory analyst (typically responsible for analysis of delivered samples at a remote laboratory location).
Figure 6-2 summarizes the skill evaluation objectives for each of ICML’s certifications at two levels. In keeping with the concept of establishing a training matrix of required certifications for given plant tasks, the required certification for each lubricant job function is outlined in Figure 6-3.
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Figure 6-2 Skills Evaluation
Figure 6-3
Required Certification for Job Functions On-the-Job Training (OJT)
On-the-job training is a required and traditional aspect of many areas of skill development. In the maintenance area, most of the skilled trades are traditionally dependent upon a system where seasoned mechanics are partnered with novices to ensure that the newly trained and relatively inexperienced technicians are given the chance to observe an experienced staff member under many circumstances of work performance. These apprentice positions are traditionally
designated to last for significant periods of time before the technician becomes certified to be able to perform those tasks independently.
In lubrication activities and oil analysis, much of the same approach is necessary to ensure that machines are being properly lubricated and that oil sampling and analysis is performed to the high standards necessary to ensure meaningful and accurate analysis data. The training requirements for lubricant technicians should include a set time of apprenticeship. This time
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would allow for observed and graded performance under field conditions before the individual is able to independently perform the tasks of lubricating equipment, taking oil samples, or
performing analysis.
Developing machinery lubrication and lubricant analysis skills with occupation-oriented training to build knowledge, skills, and attitudes can go a long way toward ensuring that lubrication best practices are implemented and effective. By certifying individuals, the level of knowledge and skills attained is not only ensured, but also a sense of pride and commitment permeates the organization.
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