Preventive Maintenance Schedule Template for South African Operations [Free Download]

A preventive maintenance schedule template is one of the first tools South African operations reach for when moving from purely reactive repairs to planned upkeep. Whether you run a mine, a factory, or a commercial building, knowing what to maintain, how often, and who is responsible reduces breakdowns and helps you meet OHS Act and sector-specific compliance. This article gives you a ready-to-use preventive maintenance schedule template in table form, sample rows for common local equipment, guidance on OHS Act inspection intervals, and how to adapt it for your site. It also explains where a spreadsheet template stops scaling and how a CMMS automates PM scheduling so nothing falls through the cracks.

What a PM Schedule Template Should Include

A useful preventive maintenance schedule template does three things: it lists what must be done, when it is due, and who does it. It should also flag any tasks that are required by law or by your insurer so you can prioritise and prove compliance.

At minimum, your template should capture:

Asset or equipment — The item being maintained (e.g. generator, conveyor, HVAC unit).
Location — Where the asset is (building, area, or site). Essential for multi-site or large facilities.
PM task — The specific activity (inspection, lubrication, test, replacement).
Frequency — How often the task is due (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually, or by running hours/meters).
Assigned to — The person or role responsible for performing or supervising the work.
Last completed — Date (or meter reading) when the task was last done.
Next due — Date or trigger when the task is next due.
Compliance requirement — Whether the task is statutory (OHS Act, pressure equipment, fire, lift) or internal.

Without these fields, you cannot reliably plan work, assign it, or demonstrate to an inspector that maintenance is under control. The tables below provide a structure you can copy into Excel or Google Sheets and fill with your own assets and tasks.

Template Structure

Use the following table as your core preventive maintenance schedule template. Add or remove columns to suit your operation (for example “Estimated duration,” “Spare parts,” or “Checklist reference”), but keep at least these eight so you can track assignments and due dates.

Asset	Location	PM Task	Frequency	Assigned To	Last Completed	Next Due	Compliance Req
[Asset name or ID]	[Building/area/site]	[Task description]	[e.g. Weekly]	[Name or role]	[Date]	[Date]	[Statutory / Internal / None]

Copy this header and add one row per PM task. If one asset has multiple tasks at different frequencies (e.g. daily checks and annual overhaul), use one row per task so each has its own “Next due” and “Assigned to.”

Sample Data for Common South African Equipment

The table below shows example rows for equipment commonly found in South African mining, manufacturing, and facilities. Frequencies are indicative; adjust them to your OEM manuals, risk assessments, and any OHS Act maintenance requirements that apply. Use these as a starting point and expand with your own assets.

Asset	Location	PM Task	Frequency	Assigned To	Last Completed	Next Due	Compliance Req
Standby generator G-01	Main plant, electrical room	Visual inspection; check fuel, oil, coolant; run test	Weekly	Electrical tech	2026-01-21	2026-01-28	Internal
Standby generator G-01	Main plant, electrical room	Load test; battery check; service per OEM	Monthly	Electrical tech	2025-12-15	2026-01-15	Internal
Air compressor AC-01	Workshop A	Drain condensate; check oil level; inspect belts	Daily	Workshop lead	2026-01-27	2026-01-28	Internal
Air compressor AC-01	Workshop A	Full service; filter replacement; pressure test	Quarterly	Fitter	2025-10-01	2026-01-01	Internal
HVAC unit AHU-01	Admin block, roof	Filter replacement; coil inspection; drain check	Monthly	Facilities	2025-12-28	2026-01-28	Internal
Fire extinguishers (block A)	Block A, all floors	Visual inspection; pressure gauge; accessibility	Monthly	Safety rep	2026-01-01	2026-02-01	Statutory (fire)
Fire panel & detection	Building-wide	Test detection zones; alarm test; log results	Monthly	Fire contractor / Facilities	2025-12-15	2026-01-15	Statutory (fire)
Passenger lift L1	Main tower	General inspection; door safety; levelling	Monthly	Lift contractor	2025-12-20	2026-01-20	Statutory (lift)
Passenger lift L1	Main tower	Annual thorough examination & test	Annually	Approved body	2025-06-01	2026-06-01	Statutory (lift)
Conveyor C-01	Plant, line 1	Belt alignment; idler check; lubrication	Weekly	Mechanical	2026-01-22	2026-01-29	Internal
Conveyor C-01	Plant, line 1	Drive guard; emergency stop test; guarding check	Monthly	Mechanical	2025-12-28	2026-01-28	OHS / GMR
Forklift FL-03	Warehouse	Pre-use check; fluid levels; tyres; brakes	Daily	Operator / Stores	2026-01-27	2026-01-28	Internal
Forklift FL-03	Warehouse	Lifting equipment inspection (thorough exam)	Every 6 months	Competent person	2025-08-01	2026-02-01	Statutory (lifting)

These examples illustrate the mix of routine PM (daily, weekly, monthly) and less frequent statutory or OEM-driven tasks. For a strategic view of when to use planned versus run-to-failure approaches, see preventive vs reactive maintenance in the South African context.

OHS Act and Required Inspection Intervals

South African law does not prescribe a single “maintenance schedule template” for all equipment. It does, however, require employers to maintain plant and equipment and to keep records. Several regulations specify minimum inspection or examination intervals for certain classes of equipment. Your PM schedule template should align with these so that statutory tasks are clearly marked and never missed.

Machinery (General Machinery Regulations)

Under the General Machinery Regulations, machinery must be maintained and supervised by a competent person. The regulations do not list every interval for every machine; they require that machinery is kept in a safe condition and that inspections and maintenance are carried out as necessary. In practice, you define intervals from OEM guidance, risk assessment, and industry practice, and you document them. High-risk or high-power machinery typically needs formal inspection and record-keeping; your template’s “Compliance Req” column should flag these as statutory or GMR-related.

Pressure Equipment (Pressure Equipment Regulations)

Pressure equipment (boilers, pressure vessels, steam generators, air receivers above certain thresholds) is governed by the Pressure Equipment Regulations under the OHS Act. Approved inspection authorities and specific intervals apply — for example external inspection every 12 months and hydraulic testing every 36 months for certain steam generators. Your preventive maintenance schedule template should include a row per statutory inspection or test, with frequency and “Next due” set according to the regulation and your last certificate.

Fire Equipment

Fire detection, alarm systems, and extinguishers are subject to SANS standards and often to local by-laws or insurer requirements. Typical expectations include monthly visual checks of extinguishers and periodic testing of detection and alarm systems. Include these in your template with “Compliance Req” set to statutory or fire, and keep evidence of completion for insurers and auditors.

Lifting Equipment

Lifting equipment (cranes, hoists, forklift lifting attachments, etc.) generally requires periodic thorough examination by a competent person. Intervals may be every 6 or 12 months depending on use and regulation. Add one row per lifting asset (or per examination type) with the required interval and the last and next due dates.

Consolidating these into one preventive maintenance schedule template gives you a single view of what is due and what is legally required. For a full breakdown of employer duties and record-keeping, see our guide on OHS Act maintenance requirements.

How to Customise the Template for Your Operation

Once you have the base table and sample rows, adapt them to your site.

Asset list — Replace the example assets with your actual equipment. Use a consistent naming or ID convention (e.g. location-code + type + number) so the template stays readable as it grows.
Locations — Match your physical layout: building, floor, area, or site code. This makes it easier to assign work by area and to run location-based reports.
Tasks and frequencies — Use OEM manuals, risk assessments, and any applicable regulations to set tasks and intervals. When in doubt, err on the side of more frequent checks for safety-critical or compliance-driven items.
Assignments — Assign by role (e.g. “Electrical tech”) or by name. Ensure the assigned person has the competency and authority to perform or supervise the work, especially for statutory tasks.
Compliance column — Mark each row as Statutory (OHS Act, pressure, fire, lift, etc.), Internal (company standard), or None. This helps you filter for compliance reports and prioritise audits.
Extra columns — Add “Estimated duration,” “Spare parts,” “Checklist ref,” or “Work order number” if they help your team execute and track work.

If you operate in mining, remember that the MHSA imposes additional maintenance and record-keeping requirements; your template may need extra rows or a separate tab for mining-specific equipment and examinations.

Limitations of Spreadsheet-Based PM Scheduling

A preventive maintenance schedule template in Excel or Google Sheets is a good starting point. It forces you to think through assets, tasks, and frequencies, and it gives you something you can share and print. But spreadsheets have clear limits as your operation grows.

No automatic generation of work — Someone must manually create or copy rows for each due PM, or build formulas to flag “due” items. It is easy to miss a task when the sheet is not checked regularly.
No single source of truth — If several people edit the file, you get version conflicts. “Last completed” and “Next due” can be wrong or outdated in one copy while another copy is used for planning.
Weak audit trail — Inspectors and auditors need to see who did what and when. A spreadsheet cell can be changed by anyone; there is no built-in, tamper-resistant history of completion.
No mobile execution — Technicians cannot easily see their next due tasks or tick off work from a phone or tablet. Printing job cards creates duplicate data and manual re-entry.
Reporting is manual — To see “all PMs due this month” or “all overdue statutory tasks,” you must filter, sort, or build formulas each time. There is no live dashboard or one-click compliance report.

For a detailed comparison of spreadsheets versus dedicated maintenance software, see CMMS vs spreadsheets for South African maintenance teams.

How a CMMS Automates PM Scheduling

A computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) takes the same logic as your preventive maintenance schedule template — asset, task, frequency, assignee, last done, next due — and automates it.

PM master data — You define each asset and its PM tasks (and frequencies) once in the CMMS. The system then generates work orders automatically by date or by meter (e.g. every 500 running hours).
No manual “next due” updates — When a technician completes a work order, the CMMS records the completion and calculates the next due date. No one has to re-enter dates in a spreadsheet.
One live view — Everyone sees the same backlog, overdue list, and compliance status. No version conflicts or “which file is current.”
Audit trail — Completed work is timestamped and linked to the user who performed it. Reports can show what was done, when, and by whom for inspectors and insurers.
Mobile and offline — Technicians receive and complete work orders on a phone or tablet; some CMMS solutions support offline capture and sync when back online, which helps in areas with poor connectivity or load-shedding.

You can start by replicating your template in the CMMS: one asset per record, one PM task per schedule, with the same frequencies and assignments. Over time, you add more assets and tasks, link spare parts, and use the CMMS for reactive work orders as well, so all maintenance lives in one system. For many South African operations, the step from a preventive maintenance schedule template in Excel to a CMMS is the step from “we try to keep up” to “we know what is due and we can prove it.”

Summary and Next Steps

A preventive maintenance schedule template should include at least: asset, location, PM task, frequency, assigned to, last completed, next due, and a compliance requirement flag. The tables in this article give you a structure and sample rows for common South African equipment (generators, compressors, HVAC, fire equipment, lifts, conveyors, forklifts), with indicative frequencies and OHS Act–related intervals for machinery, pressure equipment, fire, and lifting equipment. Customise the template with your own assets and tasks, align statutory items with the OHS Act maintenance requirements, and use it to plan and assign work.

Spreadsheets work for a small number of assets and one or two users; beyond that, consider a CMMS that automates PM scheduling, keeps a proper audit trail, and supports mobile and multi-site use. If you would like to see how Lungisa handles preventive maintenance and compliance for South African mining, manufacturing, and facilities, you can explore Lungisa or contact the Skynode team to discuss your requirements.