Quick Answer
To keep maintenance records that pass an audit, contractors need to capture and retain the following for every asset:
- Asset register — ID, make, model, serial, location, status
- Service history — dates, hours, parts, technician sign-off
- Inspections & prestarts — daily, periodic and statutory
- Defects & work orders — raised, actioned and closed out
- Compliance certificates — registration, calibration, insurance
Keep records for a minimum of 5 years (WHS) or 7 years (financial), and for life-of-asset + 5 years on high-risk plant. Store them in a digital CMMS or asset management system so an auditor can export the full history in minutes, not days.
Why maintenance records matter at audit
Audits land on mining and field service contractors from four different directions: the principal contractor (BHP, Rio Tinto, BMA, Anglo, FMG), the prequalification platforms (Avetta, ISN, Cm3, Pegasus), the WHS regulator after an incident, and your insurer at renewal. They all ask different questions, but they all want the same thing — evidence that the right work was done on the right asset at the right time, by a competent person.
Good records aren't just compliance. They protect your margin (no double-billing of parts), your people (defects don't slip), and your business (one missed inspection can void an insurance claim worth more than the asset).
The four records every auditor will ask for
Asset register
- Asset ID, make, model, serial number and year
- Purchase date, supplier and cost (for depreciation)
- Current location, custodian and operational status
- Compliance category (high-risk plant, registered plant, etc.)
Service & repair history
- Service date, hours/km at service, technician name
- Scheduled service (250/500/1000 hr) vs unplanned repair
- Parts and consumables used with batch/serial numbers
- Photos before/after and signed-off work order
Inspections & prestarts
- Daily prestart records (operator sign-off, defects raised)
- Periodic statutory inspections (e.g. 3-monthly, annual)
- Third-party NDT, NATA and OEM inspection reports
- Calibration certificates for torque, pressure and lifting gear
Compliance & certification
- Registered plant numbers and renewal dates
- Major inspection certificates (cranes, lifts, pressure)
- Operator licences and HRWL competencies attached to the asset
- Insurance, warranty and OEM bulletins/recalls actioned
How long to keep maintenance records
| Record type | Minimum retention | Why |
|---|---|---|
| General service & prestart records | 5 years | WHS / model laws |
| Financial / depreciation records | 7 years | ATO requirement |
| High-risk plant (cranes, pressure, lifting) | Life of asset + 5 years | Plant safety regs |
| Incident-related records | Permanent | Litigation risk |
| Calibration & NATA certificates | Until superseded + 2 cycles | ISO 9001/45001 |
Always check your principal contractor's contract — many require 7 years on everything regardless of legislation.
The audit-ready checklist
If you can tick every box below, an audit becomes a 30-minute export instead of a week of paperwork chasing.
- Every asset has a unique ID that matches a physical tag or QR/NFC sticker.
- Service schedules are defined in hours, kilometres or calendar — whichever comes first.
- Prestart and inspection forms are completed digitally with timestamp and GPS.
- Defects automatically raise a work order; nothing relies on a verbal hand-over.
- Parts used on a job are linked to the asset, with cost flowing to job costing.
- Photos of before/after, plates and serials are attached to the work order.
- Technician sign-off is captured electronically — no scribbled signatures on paper.
- Records are immutable: edits are versioned, not overwritten.
- Compliance documents have expiry dates with automated reminders 30/60/90 days out.
- An auditor can export the full history for any asset in under 5 minutes.
Common mistakes that fail audits
Watch out for these
- Service history living only in a workshop diary or whiteboard
- Spreadsheets with no version history, edited by anyone with the file
- Photos saved to a phone's camera roll instead of attached to the work order
- Prestart books that 'walk off' the site with the operator
- Compliance certificates expiring quietly because no one owns the reminder
- Defects raised verbally, never logged, never closed out
- Different teams using different asset IDs for the same machine
A step-by-step process that actually works
- 1
Tag every asset
Apply a QR or NFC tag to every piece of plant, vehicle and high-value tool. The tag links to the asset's digital record.
- 2
Define the schedule once
Set service intervals in hours, km or calendar (whichever comes first) at the asset-type level — so a new excavator inherits the right schedule automatically.
- 3
Run digital prestarts
Operators complete prestarts on a phone or tablet. Defects raise work orders without anyone re-keying the information.
- 4
Close every work order
Technicians complete the job, log parts and time, attach photos and sign off. The record locks.
- 5
Automate compliance reminders
Calibrations, registrations and insurances trigger alerts 30/60/90 days out — never relying on memory.
- 6
Export on demand
When the auditor arrives, filter by asset, date range or job and export a PDF or CSV.
How SprintSuite makes audits a non-event
SprintSuite was built for mining and field service contractors who get audited from every direction. Every prestart, work order, part, photo and sign-off lands against the asset automatically.
Asset management
One register for every piece of plant — service history, compliance dates and QR-tagged for site.
Workshop management
Digital work orders with parts, labour, photos and technician sign-off captured in one place.
Health & safety
Digital prestarts and inspections tied to the asset — defects raise work orders automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Keep reading
Make your next audit a 30-minute export
SprintSuite keeps every service, prestart, work order and certificate against the asset — so when the auditor walks in, you click export.
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