When you’re working in the construction industry, there are a lot of rules and procedures that you need to follow.
It might seem like a pain but sticking to health and safety laws is vital, otherwise, you’re putting yourself and your employees at risk.
You need to be following all of the basic safety advice on site but the most important thing is maintaining your equipment. If you aren’t doing regular maintenance and ensuring that everything is in good working order and safe to operate, you risk dangerous or even fatal malfunctions. Follow these steps to help you keep on top of your equipment maintenance.
Have a professional maintain large machinery
The biggest risks are the large pieces of equipment like cranes or excavators because if they go wrong, they can cause a lot of damage and anybody in the way will be seriously injured. Smaller bits of equipment can be maintained by yourself but when it comes to the bigger stuff, you should get a professional company to do it. Get the overhead crane manufacturer that you bought it from in the first place to look over it. They’ll have the know-how to make sure that it’s definitely in good working order. You can’t afford any mistakes here so it’s best to leave it to the professionals that know the machine inside out.
Regular training
Even if those large machines are in good working order, they can still be dangerous if the person operating them is making mistakes. Obviously, you’ll require them to provide proof of training when you first take them on but it’s worth remembering that every machine is slightly different and people sometimes need a refresher. If it’s been years since they did their initial training, there’s a chance that they might make mistakes. That’s why it’s important that you’re updating that training regularly.
Lubricants
General wear and tear over the years is going to cause problems with your equipment but you can combat that by making sure you’re putting lubricant in the moving parts on a regular basis. Check around all of the moving parts for any signs of wear and tear and apply lubricant where needed. You also need to make sure there isn’t an excess build up that could cause parts to stick.
Keep it clean
All of that wear and tear is made a lot worse if you’ve got dirt and grit getting into moving parts. Dirt and water will also cause parts to rust and erode which is incredibly dangerous because it increases the risk of parts cracking or breaking. Clean down the equipment every day after using it and make sure that everybody is keeping the site clean in general.
The most important thing when it comes to equipment maintenance is that you have a good schedule for all of those jobs. Set up a rota so all of the cleaning and maintenance is done on a regular basis without fail. Keeping on top of it will help you to avoid accidents and save you a lot of money on replacements.
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