Appendix F: Glossary

F.1 A Glossary of Maintenance Terminology

Terminology used by Maintenance must be defined to provide a reasonable uniformity for common understanding facility-wide. A Maintenance Department, which defines its terms, utilizes them properly and informs others of their meanings, has taken a positive step in ensuring an effectively communicated Maintenance Program.

Terminology can vary from facility to facility provided it is used consistently within a specific facility or company. The following is offered as a starting point from which to develop your own glossary.

A

Action Plan

The specific steps that must be taken to carry out the group's decisions, includes who does what by when.

Adjustment

Minor tune-up action requiring hand tools, no parts and less than one half hour. Adjustments restore parts or assembly relationships such as tolerance, alignment, tension and tightness.

Administrative Information

Information used to administer the Maintenance Program. Typical: Error Reports, Open Work Order Lists, etc.

Area Maintenance

A type of maintenance in which the first-line Maintenance Supervisor is responsible for all maintenance within a reasonable-sized geographical area.

Area System

The Area System is a form of decentralization. It is the regrouping of forces into smaller, more manageable units. It is a philosophy of operation that establishes responsible units capable of solving their own problems, of running their own show, this within the framework of authority conferred, while reporting the results.

Asset

An accounting term for any physical thing owned by a plant, such as buildings, equipment, desks,...