The answer to this question appears at the end of this newsletter.


Fast vs. Good vs. Cheap
Most repairs happen under the pressure of unplanned downtime, where speed is of the essence. But experience teaches us that when it comes to good, fast, and cheap, you can have no more than two of these simultaneously. Since "fast" is a condition of downtime, you have to balance quality and price when doing repairs. But what if you could remove "cheap" from the equation altogether? While this may seem like wishful thinking, you can make it a reality.

The single most potent constraint in this process is not a technical one. When things are humming along just fine, production managers are looking for ways to squeeze out more profit. That invariably means cutting costs. So the idea of spending, for example, $3,500 for a spare assembly that will cut the repair time of a critical piece of equipment by 80%, is likely to fall on deaf ears while goods are moving out the door.

When equipment is down, production managers have only one thing in mind. They want production restored. With no production, revenue goes to zero while fixed costs still need to be paid. In this situation, production managers are very motivated to sign off on an expenditure that will prevent a recurrence. Wait until the day after production is restored, and they are once again focused on cost cutting.

What's the first key to getting adequate funding for training, spare assemblies (rather than just spare parts), test equipment, and other items that reduce "time to repair" without sacrificing quality? It's getting a commitment when the gatekeepers are over the proverbial barrel. In our next issue, we'll look at some specific ways of doing that.


Operation
NEC at the Facility
If you have a requirement to install an isolated ground (IG) receptacle, what's the right way? First, understand that an IG receptacle is just a normal receptacle with the yoke not bonded to the receptacle grounding lug. This allows you to put the equipment ground for that receptacle on a separate bonding path.

406.2(D) requires the IG receptacle to be marked with an orange triangle, which is easy enough to comply with. But 406(D)(1) refers you to 250.146(D). That's where things get interesting. An IG does not have its own ground rod. An IG is merely an insulated bonding path that runs, eventually, to the same grounding point as the other equipment grounds in the facility.


Unsafe Assumptions
Never make the following assumptions when working in confined spaces:

• "The confined entry permit addresses all possible dangers." Actually, the permit addresses the dangers related to gases. It does not necessarily address other dangers. It's just one element of a total safety protocol for that particular space.
• "If others have been working safely in the confined space, then there's no need for me to read the permit." This assumption fails on two counts. First, conditions change. The permit that was valid this morning may not be valid now. Second, the permit often contains information that each person entering the space needs to know. Read it carefully. If there's anything you disagree with or don't understand, discuss it with the entry supervisor.