When you own heavy equipment, the importance of equipment inspection and maintenance best practices are essential. The early detection of potential equipment failure is the best way to prevent costly repairs. When inspections are conducted, your operators are assured all necessary components are in working order. Some of the important systems and components to check during an inspection include:

  • Fuel
  • Coolant level
  • Oil level
  • Battery
  • Tracks or tires
  • Meters and gauges

How Maintenance and Inspections on Equipment Limit Safety Issues

Risk management is often overlooked during daily tasks or jobs. However, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires maintaining safety in your work zones and your equipment. Your employee’s safety should be your primary concern, especially in the construction industry. This industry is one of the most dangerous industries to work in. Regular heavy equipment maintenance and proper inspections will exponentially limit your potential for serious accidents on the job.

Breakdowns and Downtimes are Prevented Through Proper Maintenance and Inspections

The reliability of your equipment determines the success of your construction business. There are more components to the business, but the equipment is necessary to perform and complete your work. Machinery breaking down and causing downtime, can cripple your business.

If your heavy equipment is not functioning properly or breaks down and has to be taken for service, your operators cannot complete their tasks. This trickles down to a lagging completion in your timeline and adds pressure to meet the deadlines. Downtimes will cause delays and even compromise your reputation for future projects.

If you do not have a schedule for regularly completing heavy equipment maintenance and inspections, you could be looking at future inevitable issues with your machinery. Protect yourself and your business by having these tasks scheduled regularly. Along with this schedule, you should plan for basic repairs and maintenance when your equipment reaches certain milestones, such as odometer readings or operating hours.

Proper Maintenance and Inspections of Heavy Equipment Increases Lifespan

The heavy equipment involved in construction is not cheap. Even if you’ve purchased your machinery in used condition, you have most likely paid a lot for it. You want to be able to show a return on these investments, so the more you can use the equipment, the higher rate of return you’ll get from it. To increase the longevity of your heavy equipment, you need routine maintenance to keep it running more efficiently and longer.

Proper Inspections and Maintenance of Construction Equipment Reduces Need for Replacement

The cost of purchasing new equipment can be a hindrance to your operations. Not only is it expensive, but it is also time-consuming to have to search and shop for this type of machinery. Your local dealers may not have the equipment you need to be replaced, so you are forced to wait for them to check with other dealerships or shop online yourself.

When heavy machinery cannot be purchased locally, you are looking at added shipping costs to get it to your site. When machinery must be shipped, it also adds to your downtime on the project as you coordinate shipping to your site. Another factor of having the equipment shipped, is you have to take someone’s word that it is in good condition as you were not able to look at it yourself.

If you have good practice of scheduling proper inspections and maintenance of the machinery you now have, you reduce the risk of having to replace equipment. The stress of worrying about your machinery is unnecessary and avoidable. You can achieve peace of mind that your equipment is functioning as it should when you conduct proper maintenance and inspections.

Where to Learn More About Equipment Maintenance and Inspections

CTP (Construction Technology Partners) understands how quickly the construction industry is moving, and how schedules can be tight, but the quality is expected. If you do not understand the importance of equipment inspection and maintenance, you could be left behind the competition as your projects are not going to be completed on deadline. Talk to us about how we can keep your company’s growth and productivity increasing. We are here to help you solve all your problems using technology and keep your company competitive.