Weather Eye: Looking after Loading Bay Equipment

Loading bay equipment represents a major investment to any cargo-handling concern. True, much of it is made of particularly heavy metal but like any other mechanism, it can't look after itself. The upside is that, in many instances, loading bay equipment maintenance is relatively simple. The downside is the dreaded 'D word', downtime.

Loading bay equipment may be costly in the first instance but it can pay for itself. Downtime can be costly and the frustrating thing is that it can be avoided with a little intelligent attention. There is, however, a caveat to be borne in mind. Many loading bay managers budget for and use professional equipment servicing and maintenance teams, for a reason. There are certain tasks in servicing and maintaining this hardware which are best left to the pros, for the sake of safety as well as that of continued usability. Nevertheless, loading bay equipment can be monitored and simple maintenance and servicing tasks can be carried out.

So how do you monitor loading bay equipment? The answer to this is perfectly simple and concerns developing a good habit within the workplace. What habit? We can give this the acronym 'E.E.E.' and apply what it stands for. Examination, Evaluation and Execution is a trio of words that is easy enough to remember; let's see how they work.

Anyone employed in a fully equipped loading bay soon develops a sense of why each piece of equipment is present and what each does. The first part of the 'E.E.E.' principle stems from this. Appoint one person to 'do his/her rounds' say, once a week, checking over each part of the loading bay equipment in turn. Is it all working as it should? Could it be better? Is it broken? These questions are easily answered.

The process of examination needn't be limited to a weekly round. As loading bay personnel necessarily use items of equipment on a daily basis, any shortcomings could be reported as and when they develop. A marker board and pen in the loading bay could be used for personnel to log the fault(s).

The second step, evaluation, is important. Americans say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"; in this context, "If you don't know how to fix it, don't try" would be more appropriate. Should the problem be a simple one, a matter of applying lubrication or tightening a fastening, personnel can go on to the next step. However, should a less amenable problem arise, it makes sense to seek professional help. This should be done, no matter how tempting a fast and easy fix might be. If a repair was to be carried out inexpertly, it could lead to a real, imminent or actual danger to personnel or equipment. Apart from the evident risks of damage or injury, it's more than likely that such a repair would render the relevant insurance cover null and void.

This leads us to the notion of execution and whether it can or cannot be done. Once again, it's a matter of applying intelligent forethought. For example, if some pivot or track squeals loudly in use, lubricating it is hardly rocket science. Similarly, a loose bolt, a blown bulb or the like can be sorted out quickly and easily. More complex repairs might not be so easily executed.

In the end analysis, the 'E.E.E.' principle has value in ensuring that most loading bay equipment failures can be discovered before they happen. Even if the necessary repair or refurbishment is a matter for experts, finding the trouble early can save money, and avoid the dreaded downtime.

Chase Equipment are a leading international supplier of loading bay equipment. See our website at Chase Equipment for more information.