Glossary · Maintenance and diagnostics
Inspection
Also known as: Maintenance inspection
German: Inspektion
In maintenance, inspection is the examination of an item to determine and assess its actual condition, for example by observing, measuring, testing or gauging relevant characteristics, and to identify the causes of wear. In DIN 31051 it is one of the basic measures of maintenance, alongside servicing, repair and improvement.
- Maintenance
In one sentence
Inspection is the examination of an item to determine and assess its actual condition, one of the basic measures of maintenance.
Example
Every 500 operating hours, the maintenance team inspects the conveyor belt for cracks and measures the chain elongation.
How it applies
- Maintenance: Inspections establish the condition of an item and decide whether servicing or repair is needed. They include visual checks, measurements and function tests.
- Safety: Some inspections are required by law or standards, for example periodic checks of safety devices. Their scope and interval come from the risk assessment and the manufacturer's instructions.
- Operation: Results of inspections are recorded, so trends and recurring findings become visible.
- Documentation: The maintenance manual should state for each inspection what to check, how, with which tool, the acceptance criteria, the Inspection interval and the qualification required. Checklists derived from the same source keep the manual and the field forms consistent.
Inspection vs. servicing vs. repair
DIN 31051 separates the measures: inspection determines the actual condition, Servicing delays wear (cleaning, lubricating, adjusting), and Repair restores the function after a fault. Keeping them apart in the manual helps readers find the right procedure.