After over 20 years working with hospitals across Nigeria—from tertiary centers in Abuja to small private clinics in Warri—I’ve noticed one major pattern: many facilities wait until their equipment fails completely before they call an engineer. That’s dangerous, expensive, and completely avoidable.
In this article, I’ll show you how to recognize early signs that your hospital equipment needs maintenance before it breaks down, interrupts patient care, or causes a fatal delay.
1. Unusual Sounds
When a suction machine starts making loud grinding noise, or a ventilator produces strange whistling, that’s not normal.
🔧 What it could mean: Worn-out bearings, loose internal parts, or fan obstruction.
✅ What to do: Call your biomedical engineer immediately. Don’t ignore strange sounds.
2. Slower Performance
If your centrifuge, blood analyzer, or ultrasound machine is responding slower than usual, that’s an early warning sign.
🔧 What it could mean: Software issues, overheating, or poor calibration.
✅ What to do: Run a diagnostic check or book a routine service session.
3. Inaccurate or Suspicious Readings
A BP monitor constantly showing 190/120? Lab results looking inconsistent? These are serious red flags.
🔧 What it could mean: The equipment is out of calibration or has faulty sensors.
✅ What to do: Schedule calibration with a certified biomedical engineer.
4. Sudden Shut Down or Overheating
If a monitor or anesthesia machine keeps going off unexpectedly or feels unusually hot, it’s time to act.
🔧 What it could mean: Power supply issues, blocked cooling system, or failing internal components.
✅ What to do: Power it off and get it inspected. Continuing to use it could lead to total damage.
5. Faulty Control Panel or Display
Is the screen blurry or flickering? Do the buttons sometimes not respond?
🔧 What it could mean: Damaged screen cables, control board failure, or internal moisture.
✅ What to do: Don’t open the unit yourself. Get a biomedical technician to inspect and replace the parts.
6. Burning Smell or Smoke
Any time you perceive a burnt smell, especially when the device is in use, that’s an emergency.
🔧 What it could mean: Short circuit, damaged transformer, or internal burning.
✅ What to do: Shut the equipment down immediately. Call for emergency repair before it causes a fire or electric shock.
7. No Maintenance Records
If no one in your hospital can tell you the last time a piece of equipment was serviced or calibrated, you’re already taking a big risk.
✅ What to do: Start keeping records for every piece of equipment. Create a servicing plan with your engineering team or an external maintenance provider.
Why This Matters
Every day in Nigeria, patients’ lives depend on medical equipment functioning correctly—especially in emergency care, ICU, theatre, NICU, and laboratories.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen cases where surgeries were delayed because of a faulty anesthesia machine, or lab results were wrong because analyzers weren’t calibrated. Most of these problems could have been prevented.
Simple Steps to Prevent Equipment Failure
- Do regular preventive maintenance (at least quarterly).
- Train your staff to identify early signs of faults.
- Schedule calibration every 6–12 months.
- Avoid using unqualified technicians for medical equipment.
- Keep your biomedical engineers on retainer.
Let’s Support You
At [Your Company Name], we help Nigerian hospitals avoid equipment breakdown by providing:
✅ Preventive Maintenance
✅ Emergency Repairs
✅ Calibration Services
✅ Equipment Audit & Advisory
✅ Biomedical Engineer Support Plans
Whether you’re a seasoned graphic designer with years of experience or brand new to the design industry, one thing never changes: interviews are stressful.
Most graphic designers spend weeks polishing their portfolios in preparation for a graphic design interview but then neglect to spend enough time preparing answers to common interview questions. Portfolios are great to show off your design skills and showcase recent graphic design projects, but in the increasingly-competitive design industry, how well you interview can be what allows you to stand out from a sea of other applicants.
At the end of the day, hiring managers are looking for the best graphic designers for the job. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re looking for the candidate with the most impressive portfolio. The interview process is where great designers can really stand out and is the perfect opportunity to showcase their passion for the role, skills, and creative process.
Thankfully, there are some common interview questions that most hiring managers will ask during the interview process. By carefully preparing answers for these questions ahead of your interview, you’ll dramatically increase your chances of making a good impression and landing a job offer.
We’ve written this article as a step-by-step guide on how to prepare for your graphic design interview, with example answers to common questions.
