How discipline inspection routines reduce incidents, improve reliability and strengthen safety culture
Safe practices and a safe workplace stem from the same place and share the same emphasis: Time, care and experience. Taking the time to cover bases and put ducks in a row, the care to be thorough in examination and the experience to know what (and why) you’re inspecting are crucial to a safe work environment. Safety is never more imperative than when conducting pre-trip inspections of large-scale machinery and vehicles, particularly in a precast facility.
“Pre-trip inspections offer the chance to identify factors that could cause a potential incident,” Jason Brewster, Safety and Compliance Director at Atlantic TNG, said. “The operator is going to run the equipment as if there are no issues, so it is important to verify that is the case before starting.”
To ensure the safety of both the operator and surrounding employees in a facility, it is important to conduct a thorough pre-trip inspection that evaluates machinery before use to eliminate potential hazards.
Something functionally catastrophic is obviously good to catch – but cleaning out a dirty cab saves everyone some heartache.
Beyond being considerate of one another, standardized inspection practices demonstrate a similar level of care from leadership. Having legible safety standards instills confidence and sets a baseline standard of competence.
“It’s nice to get on a plane and know that the commercial pilot did a preflight checklist, right?” Betsy Mack Nespeca, CEO of Mack Industries, said. “And you can even use it in your everyday world, like when you start your week, doing a pre-week check list of things you want to make sure you do.”
What goes into a pre-trip inspection varies. At a minimum, there should be a form corresponding to the equipment being used. Some facilities remain analog and use physical forms that are submitted, while many use a QR code that can be scanned and completed online. Then, the appointed inspector will move around and inside the machine, scrutinizing every nook and cranny and gauge, and will note any issues that need to be addressed.
The comprehensiveness of the inspection is intended to facilitate communication with the maintenance crew. There’s regulatory compliance for pre-trip inspections, but it’s also one step in a process designed to maintain equipment for safe use. Per that same compliance, a maintenance team will resolve the identified malfunction. Additional requirements apply to Department of Transportation regulated vehicles subject to federal safety guidelines. Documentation and communication throughout the process are essential; machines are identified for out-of-service until they are repaired, and their status is recorded to maintain a record of previous defects.
“Those pre-trips need to be reviewed and signed off to be put back into service, not just fixed like it never happened,” Nespeca said. “Because – even though people are well-meaning – you have no record of any maintenance ever taking place in your company. So, there’s that too. Helping people understand the importance, and then there’s the accountability built between maintenance and production.”
Reliability fosters symbiosis between maintenance and facility staff. Employees can have faith that the extensive survey will keep everything safe and that any hindrances will be addressed to prevent any miscommunication.
“Communication and awareness are cornerstones of safety,” Brewster said. “Pre-trip inspections give an opportunity to become aware of any potential hazards and take equipment offline until it can be repaired so that our employees aren’t exposed to that hazard.”