A stitch in time saves nine. The old saying will never get old; no matter how fast the world travels into the future. Prevention has always been better than cure, and people who practice it, rarely have problems that affect their work or life. So when you see a splinter sticking out, always make sure you check if the wood is rotten, because the chair will eventually fall if you don’t, and the damages will have you annoyed. The same saying goes with everything in life, even commercial buildings. Buildings, like any other asset, have a depreciating value. The reason behind the depreciation can be the failing of equipment in the building, wasting away of the structure, improper cleanliness in office space leading to impure air, and more.
Once the building has had enough structural damage due to negligence, you will have to look for a new place for your office space and spend a large amount of money on the renovation. These expenses could have been dodged if you’d prevented the damage by hiring facility management services to look after the performance of your building while you were working on yours. Preventive maintenance of your office means scheduling regular inspections, tests, servicing, replacement and repair to make sure the equipment in the building do not fail or get damaged due to negligence. It includes identifying the preventive maintenance needed for every respective piece of equipment and working on the repairs that will alleviate trouble for a long time under a budget.
What Goes into Preventive Maintenance?
The cost of repairing smaller components before the systems actually fail will always be lower than replacing the equipment or paying for some heavy repair job. Preventive maintenance takes into consideration the smallest of defects or anomalies in a system that might turn into a major problem in the future. Maintenance is necessary to an office space to prevent the workflow from going into a major downtime due to equipment failure. So here are the systems that must be looked after to avoid downtime.
Lighting
Working without lights is an absurdity. Though you can be at home and work on your computer screen in the dark, long hours will still damage your eyesight. Every office space needs unwavering lights that provide illumination to all the employees and staff to get on with their work with ease. Lighting fixtures and lamps must be checked regularly. If any damages are seen on a series of lamps, they must be changed. Change the bulbs in the lamps once they start growing damp. Check the lighting units with multiple bulbs, transformers, control gears or colour changers regularly for damage in the wiring or controller. Check bigger exterior lighting like halogens regularly for the quality and connection of cables. If they are wearing out or are torn, replace them. The wire must be connected to the lamp without exposing the joints, which may cause short-circuits. Replace the lamps that have turned down in power give out less lighting. Consider replacing whole sets of lamps to cut down costs. Check at the time the lamps expire and replace them all at once on the same day. Clean lamp surfaces of dust to maintain lighting intensity.
Electricals
Failing electrical components can cause material damage, eventually if they are not functioning properly. Facility management services include inspection of electrical equipment in preventive maintenance. Electricals like smoke or carbon monoxide detectors must be checked regularly for batteries and faulty wiring. A smoke detector failing will surely cost you when it cannot work in emergency situations. Inspect the timers and photocells in all the smoke detection units regularly to make sure they work correctly when the time comes. Checking the cover plates on wall sockets and switches is essential to prevent electrical accidents with people. Inspection and cleaning of exhaust fans are necessary as they take the foul air out of the building, keeping the employees healthy.
Safety
When you’re employing people in your company, their safety is your responsibility. Maintaining safety paraphernalia is as important as asking facility management services to repair your HVAC systems for better temperature control. Double check the safety instruments during preventive maintenance periods. First-aid kit supplies must always be renewed regularly, and the kits must be restocked every month or right after the supplies have been used up. Some work environments, that have a threat to eyes like chemical fumes or welding sparks, have eye-wash stations. These stations must be maintained, and the eye-wash bottles must be refilled timely. Safety signs and equipment automation labels through your workplace must be checked and must be in a condition to be readable. Workers in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry are provided with respirators that renew the air inside the facility. The respirators must regularly be checked for defects to make sure there is no trauma due to poisonous fumes. If you have a construction company, always double-check the harnesses and fall protection kits for wear that can cause failure while working and cause casualties.
HVAC Systems
One of the most important building equipment is the breathing mechanism of the building, which is the HVAC system. Any damage due to foreign substances in this system makes it a liability because the air you breath should be of proper quality and is necessary for your employees to be safe and healthy. Ask facility management services to clean all the air intake ducts to prevent harmful dust mixing in your air. Air filters get obsolete after a while and disrupt airflow. Change them at regular intervals for cleaner air. Get the motors in the blower and ACs checked for lubrication and cleaning. Check the condenser motors for the summertime to prevent any issues with air cooling or a foul smell from the air conditioner.
Preventive maintenance requires skilled staff with a good facility management company. You must schedule a regular preventive maintenance routine to make sure that your office space stays away from any downtime that can be the result of equipment failure. Contact Peakman Management to book a maintenance routine for your workplace.