In asset performance management (APM), how equipment is operated often matters as much as how it is maintained. Operator care is the practice of giving front-line users the authority, knowledge, and tools to act as early detectors of issues. Across industries—manufacturing, mining, energy, utilities—operators are the first line of defense in identifying potential failures or deviations.
Too often, operator behavior mirrors a hands-off mindset: waiting for breakdowns rather than proactively observing and responding. Shifting from reactive operation to an engaged operator culture begins with training. Operators should understand how each asset behaves when healthy, learn to recognize early warning signs, and know what steps to take before small issues escalate.
Effective operator care also means breaking down silos between operations, maintenance, and reliability engineering. When these groups collaborate, communication improves, and smaller issues are corrected before they become disruptions. Tools or systems that encourage logging of symptoms, anomalies, or slight performance changes become essential in this collaboration.
Globally—whether in North America, Asia, Europe, or elsewhere—the benefits of building operator awareness are clear. It supports regulatory compliance, operational safety, and long-term reliability. It also encourages ownership, as operators feel more engaged when they see their observations matter and lead to improvements.
If you’re curious about how to embed operator care into your reliability efforts, check out the “Quarantined – Day 9 – Operator Care” video. It explores practical ways to empower operators, improve equipment behavior, and reduce reactive failures across multiple industries and geographies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is operator care?
A: Operator care is when equipment users are trained and enabled to spot early signs of issues and act before failures occur.
Q: Why is operator care important across regions?
A: Because asset behavior, operator practices, and work culture vary internationally, strong operator care helps maintain consistency and reliability in any location.
Q: How can I begin improving operator care in my organization?
A: Start by training operators to recognize early failures, improve communication between operations and maintenance, and put in place tools for logging and responding to equipment behavior changes.
