Flooding in the aftermath of tropical storms (hurricanes, monsoons and cyclones) with heavy rainfall will often shut down hundreds of plants along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas and other places around the world. To get them up and running again, maintenance departments and motor repairers face the daunting task of cleaning muck and moisture from many thousands of electric motors and generators. The process in such situations can take weeks, if not months, and requires special clean-up procedures for motors contaminated by saltwater.

One of the main benefits of ISO 9000 quality management system certification comes from preparing the various procedures and work instructions that are required. Most companies perform a thorough review of the processes and, as a result, improve them. Writing work instructions is one of the most time-consuming aspects of certification. These instructions need to be clear, concise, thorough and consistent with each other in their application.