5 reasons to stay on top of workshop equipment inspections
As a workshop manager, you’ll be juggling:
- Production targets
- Customer service expectations
- Supervision and training of staff
- A mountain of admin that comes with all those tasks
With all those plates spinning at once, it can be hard to keep track of annual workshop equipment inspections. Some inspections must be done even more frequently. It may seem like there’s never a convenient time to schedule inspections without disrupting production and impacting your business.
You might find you keep putting them off – and that delay can start to weigh on your mind.
Workshop equipment inspections are a statutory requirement
There’s no getting away from the fact that workshop equipment must be inspected at intervals dependent on time and/or usage.
The type of inspection/s required will depend on the specific equipment you use in your line of business and the applicable regulations.
- PUWER aims to ensure the safety of ALL equipment and machinery operated within a workplace environment, such as presses, travelators and guillotines
- LOLER covers workshop machinery such as vehicle/goods lifts and mobile elevating work platforms
- CoSHH states that any local exhaust ventilation system (LEV) used with hazardous substances requires thorough examination e.g. paint spray booths, soldering and welding fume extraction systems, and wood dust extraction units
- PSSR dictates rigorous statutory examination of pressure vessels, protective devices and pipework
Inspections aren’t just about health and safety
Regulations like these exist primarily to protect people but that’s just one of five good reasons why you should get inspections completed on time.
Failure to comply could result in:
- Negatively impacted productivity - inspections identify performance issues before they become catastrophic errors that could require temporary workshop closure and loss of trade
- Damaged reputation – faulty workmanship and unsafe practices due to poorly maintained equipment will gather bad reviews and send customers and staff to competitors
- Legal action – lack of compliance with statutory equipment examinations can lead to fines and costly legal action, maybe even a corporate manslaughter charge or gross negligence claim
- Accidents and injuries - the consequences of poorly maintained and faulty workshop equipment can cause business interruption or staff guilt, especially after experiencing the traumatic event of an injured colleague
- Invalidated insurance – policies you’ve taken out on your workshop, equipment and staff are almost certainly dependent on keeping up with the required schedule of checks
Helping you to stay on top of inspections
Getting inspections done on time need not be a headache!
We’ve been working with workshop managers from a variety of industries for decades, so understand how we can make inspections as hassle-free as possible for you.
Let our central planning department keep track of your inspections calendar and send you renewal reminders when those all-important dates are approaching. They will then get in touch with you to arrange a convenient visit that fits around your workshop schedule, minimising disruption.
All HESL’s Engineer Surveyors are fully qualified and certified to vet your workshop equipment in line with PUWER, LOLER, CoSHH/LEV, PSSR and other regulations. They’re punctual and reliable, working swiftly yet always putting quality and compliance first, for the benefit of your business. After the inspection, we’ll send you a full report, advising on any actions necessary for improving the safety and compliance of your workshop equipment. This gives you plenty of time to get things fixed and continue with the smooth operation of your business.
Do you want a workshop that runs efficiently as well as benefitting from peace of mind and less admin? Contact the friendly team at HESL today to discuss your workshop inspection requirements.
