Preventive maintenance schedule: how often to service common factory equipment

How often should factory equipment actually be serviced?

There's no single interval that covers every machine — it depends on the equipment, the standard that applies to it, and how hard it's worked. What follows are the real, sourced intervals for the equipment types most small Victorian manufacturers actually run, plus what to do for anything not listed here.

The one rule that applies to everything: the manufacturer's manual is the starting point, and a harder working environment (multiple shifts, dust, heat, continuous use) always shortens the interval, never lengthens it.

Forklifts and powered industrial trucks

WorkSafe Victoria requires a forklift to be inspected and maintained so it remains safe to use, and points to AS 2359 (Powered industrial trucks) as the relevant standard.

• Every shift, before use: a documented pre-operational check (this is required, not optional, and takes a few minutes)
• Scheduled service: per the manufacturer's manual — commonly every three months or at a set operating-hours interval (whichever comes first), by a competent technician
• Records: keep a record of every service, repair, and pre-start check; a logbook or register is the minimum

An operator also needs the relevant High Risk Work Licence (LF for forklift) — that's a separate requirement from the machine's own maintenance schedule.

Air compressors (reciprocating, oil-lubricated)

Compressor maintenance is governed by the manufacturer's manual rather than a single Australian Standard, but the intervals below are consistent across major manufacturers and the industry's own maintenance guidance (Compressed Air and Gas Institute):

• Every 500–1,000 operating hours: oil and oil filter change
• Every 2,000–4,000 hours: air filter, separator elements, and a check of drive components
• Every 8,000 hours or annually (whichever comes first): a comprehensive inspection of the compressor, motor, cooling system, and electrical components

Dusty, humid, or high-heat environments, or multi-shift continuous use, shorten every one of these intervals — check your specific manual rather than assuming these numbers apply unchanged.

Pressure equipment (air receivers, boilers, pressure vessels)

Pressure equipment is covered separately under AS/NZS 3788 (Pressure equipment — in-service inspection). It requires:

• An initial inspection after installation and before commissioning
• Ongoing inspection by a competent person, at an interval set under the standard based on the equipment's risk profile and inspection history — this is not a single fixed number across all equipment, which is exactly why a competent inspector needs to set it for your specific vessel

If you have an air receiver on a compressor system, it falls under this standard separately from the compressor's own service schedule above.

Everything else on your floor

For equipment without its own named standard — conveyors, presses, general fabrication machinery — the starting point is always the same:

1. Follow the manufacturer's service manual for the specific make and model
2. Remember the underlying legal duty: an employer must, so far as is reasonably practicable, provide and maintain plant that is safe and without risks to health (Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, Vic)
3. Write the interval down somewhere that survives the person who currently remembers it going on leave

That last point is the actual gap for most small manufacturers — not knowing the interval, but the interval only existing in one person's head. See our guide on whether you need a CMMS if that sounds familiar.

This article is general information for Victorian manufacturers, not legal advice. Last updated: 19 July 2026.