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ChecklistInspection checklist

Damaged equipment inspection checklist

Capture the condition, evidence, operating history and immediate controls needed for a useful engineering assessment.

Good engineering decisions depend on evidence that often disappears quickly. Cleaning, grinding, welding, moving the equipment or taking only close-up photographs can remove the information needed to understand what failed and why.

Start detailed checklistSee attachment pack
01

How to use this checklist

Preserve the failure evidence, describe the damage in context and assemble enough reliable information for an engineer and inspection provider to plan the next step.
Use it when
  • Cracking, deformation, broken welds, loose fasteners, leakage or unexpected movement is found.
  • Equipment has suffered impact, overload, collision, dropped load or abnormal operation.
  • A workshop wants to know what information to gather before proposing a repair.
  • An engineer or OEM needs a remote first-pass evidence package before attending site.
Do not use it to
  • Authorising continued operation of damaged equipment without a competent risk decision.
  • Selecting an NDT method without discussing the defect, material and inspection purpose.
  • Grinding out cracks or preparing a weld repair before the failure evidence is documented.
  • Replacing a detailed inspection plan, engineering assessment or statutory notification process.
02

Stop and escalate when

These conditions deserve an explicit competent-person decision rather than being treated as routine checklist gaps.

!

Damage affects a primary load path, lifting point, pressure boundary, steering, braking or other safety-critical function.

!

Cracking is growing, deformation is active, leakage is worsening or the asset condition is unstable.

!

A component has fractured, separated, buckled or experienced a significant overload or impact event.

!

The proposed temporary control depends on an unverified assumption about remaining capacity.

!

Personnel are considering grinding, drilling, heating, straightening or welding before the evidence is recorded and the repair basis is established.

03

Working checklist

Your assessment is stored in this browser. Assign an explicit outcome, record the evidence behind it, and capture actions for every gap or unclear item.

Assessment record

Identify the asset and assessment basis

Stored in this browser
Current screening outcomeAssessment in progress

0 of 45 items have an explicit screening outcome.

Pass0
Gap0
Unclear0
N/A0
Assessment completion0 / 45 · 0%
01

1. Make the area safe and preserve evidence

Control immediate risk first, then protect the evidence needed to understand the event.

Record the date, time and person who first identified the damage.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
State whether the asset is operating, isolated, quarantined or subject to restricted use.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record immediate controls, exclusion zones, load restrictions and temporary supports already in place.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Do not clean, grind, gouge, drill, weld, heat or straighten the damaged area before it is documented unless required for immediate safety.Escalation-sensitive
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Protect loose fragments, failed fasteners and other physical evidence from being discarded.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Mark crack tips or damage boundaries only in a way that does not alter the surface or hide evidence.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record any urgent reason why the original condition could not be preserved.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
02

2. Identify the asset and exact damage location

The assessment must be tied to a specific machine, component and location.

Record site, area, asset number, equipment description, make, model and serial number.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Identify the damaged component using drawing item number, part number or a clear field description.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Mark the damage location on a general arrangement, sketch or annotated photograph.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record orientation and reference directions so left/right, front/rear and inside/outside cannot be confused.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record approximate component dimensions, plate thickness and accessible section sizes.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Photograph nameplates, labels, casting marks, material stamps and part numbers.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Confirm whether apparently similar equipment or the opposite side of the same machine can be inspected for comparison.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
03

3. Build a complete photo and measurement record

A useful evidence set moves from context to detail and always gives the viewer scale and orientation.

Take overall photographs showing where the damaged component sits in the complete machine or structure.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Take medium-distance photographs showing adjacent connections, supports, welds and load paths.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Take close-up photographs of each defect with a ruler, scale or known dimension in the same plane.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Photograph the same area from multiple angles with good lighting and without digital zoom where possible.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Measure crack length, opening, deformation, displacement, missing material or other visible damage features.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record nearby dents, buckling, paint cracking, fretting, witness marks, corrosion, wear and loose or missing fasteners.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record whether the defect is accessible from one side or both sides and whether surfaces are coated or contaminated.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Label photographs consistently so each image can be matched to the sketch and inspection notes.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
04

4. Record operating history and the event

The same visible crack can imply very different causes depending on duty, sequence and recent events.

Describe what the asset was doing when the damage was found or when the abnormal event occurred.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record load, payload, pressure, speed, operating mode and environmental conditions where relevant.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record recent impact, collision, jam, overload, dropped load, pressure excursion, vibration or unusual noise events.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record operator observations before and after the damage was found.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record equipment hours, cycles, age and typical duty if available.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Identify whether the damage appeared suddenly or may have developed over time.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Check maintenance logs, alarm history, condition-monitoring trends and previous inspection findings.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record any recent work performed near the damaged area, including welding, machining, alignment or component replacement.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
05

5. Check repair and recurrence history

Previous work often changes both the likely failure mechanism and the repair options now available.

Search for previous work orders, repair reports, engineering instructions and modification records for the same area.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Identify whether the same or similar damage has occurred on this asset before.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Inspect similar assets, mirrored components or fleet units for comparable indications.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record previous weld repairs, reinforcement plates, stop-holes, straightening or component replacements.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Collect previous NDT reports and note the inspection method, coverage, date and result.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record whether the current crack or damage appears to start from an earlier repair detail.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Do not describe repeated damage as a one-off defect until recurrence evidence has been checked.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
06

6. Prepare the inspection and engineering handover

The objective is not to diagnose the failure from a checklist. It is to give the next competent person reliable inputs.

State the key decision required: quarantine, restricted operation, temporary repair, permanent repair, replacement or further inspection.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
List known material information and clearly identify where material remains unknown.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Identify the likely defect type and inspection purpose to discuss with a qualified NDT provider.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Provide safe access requirements, surface condition and inspection constraints.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
List questions that must be answered before return to service.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Record who will control the asset status while assessment and repair decisions are pending.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Package photographs, measurements, history and drawings with consistent filenames and a brief chronology.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Keep the original evidence package unchanged; issue later revisions separately.
Screening outcome
Add measurement, evidence or notes
Overall notes

Record the final screening context

Note operating restrictions, missing documents, work orders, competent-person decisions or assumptions that affect the result.

04

Minimum useful attachment pack

The checklist is most useful when the evidence can travel with the request.

01

One-page damage location sketch or marked-up general arrangement.

02

Overall, medium and close-up photographs with scale and orientation.

03

Dimensions of the component and the visible damage.

04

Asset identity, nameplate and relevant part numbers.

05

Operator account and brief event chronology.

06

Recent maintenance, alarm, inspection and repair history.

07

Previous NDT reports and engineering repair records where available.

08

Current controls: quarantine, restriction, isolation or temporary support details.

05

Five questions before you call it complete

1Can a person who has never seen the asset locate the damage from the evidence package?
2Do the photographs show both the defect and the surrounding load path?
3Has potentially important evidence been preserved before repair preparation begins?
4Is the operating event and relevant recent history recorded rather than reconstructed from memory later?
5Is the decision required from the engineer or inspector stated clearly?
06

Common gaps and weak evidence

Only close-up photographs

The crack is visible, but the engineer cannot tell what component it is in, how it is supported or where load enters the detail.

Repair before evidence

Grinding or gouging removes fracture features, crack origin information and the as-found condition.

No service history

The assessment sees today's defect but misses repeated failures, abnormal events and earlier repairs.

Vague asset status

Different teams assume the equipment is quarantined, restricted or approved for use without one controlled decision.

07

Related AS Applied content

Can a cracked component be weld repaired?

Understand the questions that should be answered before choosing a weld repair.

Open →How should cracked equipment be assessed?

Follow the staged pathway from immediate risk control to root cause and permanent repair.

Open →Which NDT method should I discuss?

Match the inspection purpose, defect type, material and access to the right discussion.

Open →
Project-specific engineering

Need the checklist applied to real plant?

AS Applied helps you gather the right information. Detailed assessment, repair design, modification design, verification and RPEQ services are provided through XPO Engineers.

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