When it is drawn up
The report is written after the inspection, once the machine or unit has been stripped or diagnosed. The inspection records the condition ("leak at the rod"), defect detection records the cause and the scope of work ("seals worn, scoring on the rod up to 60 mm"). Do not mix the two documents up: the inspection act can be signed on the day of intake, the report only when it is clear what is inside.
What the report must contain
- The basis — request, inspection act or contract, with number and date.
- The object of repair — machine or unit, serial or inventory number, hours. Without a number the report cannot be tied to a specific machine.
- The condition before defect detection — what was visible before stripping.
- The list of defects — one per line.
- Parts and materials — a separate table, with article numbers and quantities.
- The conclusion — repairable or not, what to do and what to check afterwards.
- Signatures — of the person who did the defect detection and of the customer's representative.
How to describe a defect
A handy formula for each line: unit — what is wrong — how urgent — what to do.
| Poor | Good |
|---|---|
| Hydraulic cylinder faulty | Boom hydraulic cylinder: leak at the rod, oil on the body and cap. Replace seals |
| Rod damaged | Boom cylinder rod: longitudinal scoring of the chrome up to 60 mm. Grind and re-chrome |
| Running gear worn | Running gear: track link wear within the norm. Observe |
From the first column you can neither price the repair, nor order the part, nor explain to the customer what they pay for. From the second, all three.
Severity
The customer needs to understand what to fix now and what can wait. Three levels are enough:
- High — the machine cannot be operated or a failure is imminent.
- Medium — it can work, but the repair belongs in the next service.
- Low — observe, schedule it.
Severity is your professional judgement, not a rule of law; what matters is that the levels mean the same thing across all reports in the company.
Parts with article numbers
Procurement works by article number, not by description. "Hydraulic cylinder repair kit" without a number is almost certainly the wrong kit. If the number is unknown, record how to find it: the machine model, the unit's serial number, a photo of the nameplate.
Is there a mandatory form
No. Since 2013 the head of the organisation approves the forms of primary documents (part 4 of Article 9 of Law No. 402-FZ on accounting). The unified form OS-16 "Act on defects found in equipment" covers something else — defects found on acceptance, installation and commissioning — and is only a recommendation as well.
A ready blank with these fields can be downloaded free in DOCX, XLSX or PDF.
What comes next
The repair cost is calculated from the report — work in labour hours and parts — and the work order is drawn up. You can calculate it in the calculator on the site, and in DefAct the work order is created from the report with one button: the machine, the customer and the defects carry over.