The main requirement for technical devices operation is to ensure their reliability and safety, and this is especially true for technical devices used at hazardous production facilities. One of the forms of monitoring of technical condition of such equipment is monitoring, which allows to increase production efficiency by reducing downtime to 10 %, and significantly reduce the operating costs.

In Russia, there are several options for monitoring systems in various branches of industry. For example, monitoring system for hydroturbines, generators and transformers were installed in hydropower, and the boilers monitoring system was installed at the thermal power plants. Monitoring can be continuous based on the use of built-in diagnostic devices, and periodic, where the diagnosis is carried out by laboratory equipment in set time intervals.

Continuous monitoring is carried out on such equipment as steam and gas turbines, gas compressors, heavy-duty cranes, and, in this case, the degree of control coverage of equipment elements varies. The latter is shown by the example of tunnel escalators in St. Petersburg. Monitoring was performed for escalators, which service life was expired, and for escalators of new design, for which the number of new methods was developed.

Monitoring of old escalators metal structures was performed using magnetic control with an estimate of the coercitive force value, and monitoring for new escalators was carried out by magnetoacoustic control. Monitoring of drives was made using vibro-acoustic diagnostics. Gained experience made it possible to use these methods also for monitoring steel structures and drives of other equipment.