There are a lot of instances when the creation and use of schematic plates are deemed necessary. There are also times when these are not really needed and having these around serves only as a failsafe and a reminder for personnel on how to properly operate certain machinery. So how do you determine when schematics are necessary and when these are not really needed?
Schematics are generally needed when a certain procedure or process is considered very complex and requires a guide to help prevent possible mistakes in the execution of such a process or procedure. These schematics are usually located at the point where such processes or procedures are to be controlled, such as in a control room or panel.
When a procedure is pretty simple and straightforward, there is usually no need for these diagrams and guides. You will find that these are just placed near these control panels and rooms as a reminder of what has to be done for proper operations. These are usually crafted for safety purposes, and are posted more as general reminders rather than stringent rules and steps to follow.
These diagrams are also used to help people easily find out what is wrong with a piece of equipment and to help with troubleshooting. If these equipment are not to be touched or serviced by unauthorized personnel, these schematics should not be placed on them. Instead, these troubleshooting diagrams should be in a manual or operations and repair instructions that only technicians and people who know such equipment pretty well have access to.
Having repair and troubleshooting schematics on equipment that only technicians and authorized personnel should try to work on will only encourage those who may know a little but not enough to try and fix the problem. If these are not available, people won’t try to attempt anything since there are no guides for them to reference. Having these will on prove troublesome instead of being helpful.
Schematic plates are very useful when properly installed and used, but there will be times when having these can be problematic. You should determine when it is indeed best to have these made and installed, and when it would be better if these were not crafted and used.
You can also opt to have these made and to install these in an area that only people with the authority to use these can access, like inside the door of locked equipment boxes where only a few have the key. This is to ensure that these are not used by those who are not capable of actually following these diagrams properly.