In our lifetime there’s never been a more disruptive force than the COVID-19 pandemic and unfortunately, disruption has the potential to lead to safety and maintenance being overlooked. This can be either due to panic, or due to available resources being reduced. At Coates Hire, we’ve used this time of disruption to improve our hygiene and transfer protocols, while also ensuring we’re managing the maintenance of our fleet. Not only will this help business run more smoothly in the short term, it also prepares operations for the future.
We’re going to cover four ways to effectively manage industrial maintenance during COVID-19, and how our industrial services team can help your business:
General safety and upkeep has always been incredibly important at Coates Hire. Research has shown that predictive maintenance can increase costs (due to more labour), however, an effectively run predictive system means a better operating fleet, no surprise breakdowns and less overall downtime.
Preventative maintenance is the practice of scheduling work in as it’s needed. For example, when a problem is noticed but hasn’t caused failure yet. Predictive maintenance makes use of regularly scheduled service times, regardless of any issues that may be present. The benefits of a properly operated predictive maintenance system include:
Effective predictive maintenance as practiced by Coates Hire via maintenance schedules being planned in advance allowing us to avoid interactions with others and removes the potential for spreading disease while travelling.
Having an efficient predictive maintenance system in place, managed by a team who can adapt to fluctuations in demand can be very beneficial at a time like this. If there’s less work than usual to do, it’s the perfect time to consider a shift to the predictive system, which is something Coates Hire can help with.
Health and safety has always been our number one priority, and the impact of COVID-19 certainly made its importance even more clear. We developed new procedures for cleaning our machines and enforcing strict social distancing which has allowed us to continue to operate effectively.
If you look at your business as a whole and evaluate where the most touch points and contacts occur, you’ll have a good idea of where hygiene practices are the most needed. For instance, at Coates Hire we’re sanitising machines before they’re hired out and when they’re returned.
While every company is different, a good general rule is to sanitise vehicles, equipment or touch points periodically each day, ideally before and after each use. This method is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of any viruses, both during the pandemic and when it’s over.
The number of Australians working from home has increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. While that’s not an option for a lot of workers in the construction industry, there is still the opportunity to remove face-to-face interactions while increasing efficiencies. A great way to do this is with remote maintenance software that can assign, track and comment on maintenance digitally.
Managing maintenance remotely also removes countless phone calls between mechanics and supervisors, which not only saves time, but can reduce a lot of frustration. You can automate approvals, monitor work order status in real time and approve maintenance remotely.
Leveraging software to manage fleet maintenance keeps you in the loop while you’re remote and allows you to connect with your team and ensure standards are being upheld throughout your fleet operation. At Coates Hire we’re at the forefront of using these technologies, both internally and for our various clients and national industries we operate in. We offer processes and training that can help those all the way from customers to operators use these systems.
As part of our response to Covid-19, Coates Hire Industrial Solutions has developed a system utilising a thermal imaging device to check people’s temperatures before entering the worksite. While the system can’t pick up asymptomatic people it’s a useful preventative measure, being able to measure as many as 60 people in a minute. The system is fully automated too, being able to detect high temperatures without human operation and send the worker for further testing upon any detections.
Wash basins and mechanical wash stations can also help limit the spread of disease. These mechanical wash stations provide thorough disinfection between tool users, limiting the spread between smaller mechanical and large electric tools. Disinfection can be achieved through hot spray machine washers and even UV cabinets for sanitising power tools.
To put it simply, keeping your equipment and tools well maintained and clean while ensuring social distancing are effective solutions for maximising health and safety on your industrial site.
To find out more about our industrial solutions or to speak with the team, please enquire now or visit coateshire.com.au.
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