Safety, Health & Environment in TPM ensures equipment improvement protects people, controls environmental risk, and builds safe conditions into maintenance and operation.
Definition
Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) in TPM is the TPM pillar that integrates safety, occupational health, and environmental protection into equipment care, autonomous maintenance, planned maintenance, focused improvement, and early equipment management.
It treats injuries, exposure, spills, leaks, and unsafe conditions as preventable losses tied to equipment design, maintenance standards, work methods, and leadership routines.
History
TPM evolved beyond equipment availability to include quality, safety, and environmental stewardship. SHE became a pillar because equipment-focused improvements can only be successful when they also protect people and prevent environmental harm.
When to Use
Use SHE in TPM when equipment condition, maintenance work, cleaning, lubrication, changeover, energy isolation, chemicals, emissions, noise, or waste streams create safety or environmental exposure.
Step-by-Step
- Identify equipment-related safety, health, and environmental hazards.
- Review incidents, near misses, spills, ergonomic concerns, and compliance requirements.
- Embed SHE checks into autonomous and planned maintenance routines.
- Improve guards, access, lockout, containment, ventilation, labeling, and ergonomics.
- Train operators and technicians on abnormal conditions and escalation.
- Use visual controls and audits to sustain conditions.
- Track leading indicators and incident trends.
- Apply lessons learned to similar equipment and new equipment design.
Examples
- Maintenance: Lockout points are labeled and tested during planned maintenance.
- Environment: Leak sources are eliminated and secondary containment is improved.
- Health: Noise and dust exposure are reduced through equipment enclosure and ventilation.
Common Pitfalls
- Treating safety as separate from equipment improvement.
- No review of abnormal work such as clearing jams or changeover.
- Weak lockout and restart standards.
- Ignoring environmental impacts of maintenance changes.
- No operator ownership for early abnormality detection.
- Audits that check paperwork rather than conditions.