No workplace is complete, and no task is easily done without the use of equipment. Equipment are very essential in making sure that workers are aided to do their work because of the added benefit given by the use of these mechanical products. Even in food safety, equipment are heavily looked after because they offer a great role in guaranteeing that products are well-made, as well as safe to consume. In construction sites as well, it is to be made sure that the workers’ personal protective gears and equipment are working the way they should be, since injuries and workplace hazards are more likely to accrue if equipment are left neglected and unchecked. That is why equipment are a priority to be looked into in hazard assessments because they identify a great deal of risks especially when there are issues that may arise. This is where the significance of an equipment inspection checklist becomes clearer.
Checklists are inherently important especially for those who are inspectors or officers because they guide them into making sure that the important things to assess are absolutely checked for the common good. An equipment inspection checklist is used by these officers in order to know which kinds of equipment, and which specific parts are necessary for them to see are working and are still working safely. Because of the technicality and the abundance of number of equipment used within a workplace, some things or aspects may easily be forgotten. A checklist always helps you remember, and it even makes your task smoother since you have a bullet-pointed list of objects to assess. Just like fire risk assessment checklists, it makes sure that you do not miss anything at all.
As previously mentioned, equipment are not necessarily the simplest tools. They are complex, unique, and even hard to use. Inspectors ought to be those who have the expertise, or perhaps just those who are familiar with the equipment at hand in order for them to know how the equipment is supposed to work, sound like, and move, so if ever there will be glitches, they may easily identify them. With that being said, one has to know about the important components of an equipment as well as how to assess these components. Here is a list of those important components, and an elaborate discussion of where to inspect them.
Now that we know a great deal of the components of equipment and the important aspects to assess in the form of a damage checklist, for instance, it is also strategic for us to exactly learn how to conduct an equipment inspection. Of course, you are expected to have your equipment inspection checklist, which you can either make manually, or download through the samples that are given above. This is an important checklist to possess since it guides you into the parts and the different equipment required for you to look into. Checklists have the inherent purpose of helping you remember, which is something we often struggle to do especially given our limited recalling skills, and the plethora of other things we have to which might cloud our thinking. With that said, this is how you can conduct an equipment inspection.
You are expected to conduct your equipment inspection with the use of an equipment inspection checklist. Hence, the first thing you should draw your attention to is the heading of the checklist which asks you about the job site, the make or the model you are assessing, its serial number, and the date of the inspection. These are important because they enable your company or model to have a legitimate record which they can use in the future. Aside from that, it directly ties you back to the job site where work is being conducted, and sees to it that certain equipment are in fact checked and made sure to be safe and secure. The date of inspection guarantees that the assessment of the functionality of the equipment is recent, and that this confirmation is something reliable.
As the inspector, you have daily walk-around inspection points that need to be assessed. Such points are emergency power motors that come in handy especially in cases of brown outs or black outs, bolts and fasteners, tires and wheels of vehicles around the working site, their fluid levels and battery terminals. The charging systems are also to be made sure to be plugged in every night for the next day’s use. You are also to check hydraulic leaks and hydraulic oil levels, control labels and the rotation system.
After checking your squares in the second step, it is also important for you to run functional tests to secure the pragmatics of your equipment. These include the operators’ compartment which is to be checked from top to bottom, gauges within the workplace, anchorage for lanyards that are where connectors are directly tied to in order to serve as fall protection, controls, and warning devices. Some things cannot be guaranteed to work perfectly well through looking at them in the surface level, but require for you to run a functionality test as part of your safety observation.
Additional comments that the inspector feels the need to include are also welcome. These may be advice for workers, remarks on the conditions of the equipment, or anything that the inspector wants to state as a an addendum.
As some sort of closure in the checklist, its bottom part consists of a blank where the inspector can write his or her name and signature, and the date again. This ensures that the inspection was finished and all of the important the bullet points have been checked by the inspecting officer.
Equipment have different required frequency for inspection. Some of those mentioned above need to be assessed on a daily basis since they are constantly being used by workers like lifting equipment, and are basically tools that hold their life further from danger. Some equipment, however, only require inspection every once, three, or six months.
It is certainly advisable. Not only does it make your job easier, but it also makes sure that the important tools and equipment are regularly checked and remained unforgotten for the workers to feel the comfort and confidence of wearing. Equipment inspection checklists are a form of preventive measure, which is why they are very important.
Full inspection pertains to the assessment of deformities of equipment. This additionally helps in accomplishing safety, consistency, and assurance of quality level of the items by contrasting them and setting up guidelines and determinations.
Companies or businesses always have to make sure that their workers are safe and well. Equipment are things that are ever present in job sites in order to make the workers’ jobs easier, faster, and more efficient. They also aid in mobilizing them and making sure that they are protected even in high-risk areas such as a construction site in very high altitudes. Equipment inspection is one thing to be conducted to see to it that these people are well-protected and are using products that will not potentially harm them.
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