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Equipment can often be an expensive purchase for businesses, so it’s important that you look after it – whether it’s computers in an office or tools in a construction business. Here are several ways to care for your equipment.
Keep Equipment Clean
Unclean equipment can make you and your employees (and potentially customers) ill, whether it’s a dirty keyboard or unclean hard hats. Certain machinery may also be more prone to damage if it is not cleaned regularly. For instance, dust and dirt could cause machinery to overheat. Finally, unclean equipment doesn’t look good on your company image and could drive customers away.
Create a regular cleaning schedule for your equipment whether it’s hosing down heavy equipment or wiping computer keyboards. Certain measures may be able to keep equipment cleaner longer and could be worth introducing. One example could be having a no eating at desks rule and keeping an office ventilated to prevent keyboards getting covered in crumbs or dust.
Service Your Equipment
Servicing can help to check the condition of equipment so that damage can be spotted early. It’s especially important with machinery and safety equipment that could become unsafe if damaged.
A lot of modern machinery now contains computers and sensors that can spot faults for you – these can be worth adopting for convenience. With general equipment, make sure to inspect it every couple months and throw away/repair anything that is damaged.
Keeping fluids topped up in machinery and keeping software updated could also be important while servicing.
Know When to Make Repairs
Servicing is futile if you spot damage but put off repairs. Make sure to get equipment repaired the moment you spot the first signs of major damage. By delaying repairs, your equipment could end up failing completely one day.
You may be able to handle certain repairs yourself to save money. That said, not all repairs should be DIYed – you should leave air compressor repairs to the experts, as well as other potentially complex or dangerous repair tasks. Equipment may not be worth repairing if the total cost of repairs costs more than half the value of the equipment – in such cases it may be more affordable to replace equipment.
Secure Your Equipment
To prevent equipment being stolen or lost, it’s important that you put security measures in place.
This could include putting equipment in a safe place when not in use and locking your premises at night. CCTV could help to monitor equipment such as tools or computers and could ward off burglars. When it comes to digital machinery, it’s important that your machinery is protected against hackers and viruses – regular software updates and data backup are important practices to exercise.
Train Employees How to Use Equipment Correctly
If employees don’t know how to use equipment correctly, they may accidentally break it. With certain machinery, you could even put your employees’ health at risk by not training them – and your employees are your most invaluable resource.
Train employees how to operate and use equipment, as well as teaching them how to clean, service and secure equipment.
