Here’s a commonplace scenario for many businesses, you purchase tools for important jobs and need them to be working consistently, but the question may be raised around the necessity of tool servicing and regular maintenance and if the extra cost is justifiable and you can just ‘get by’.
It’s a fact that broken tools result in downtime, which can affect your productivity, your relationships with your customers, compliance and even your staff morale. So how can something like a comprehensive service package for your mission critical tooling equipment benefit your business.
Legal requirements
The main driver around tool safety is legal regulations, ensuring your business remains compliant with all the relevant legislation and fully complaint with the leading industry bodies is imperative.
The PUWER Regulations of 1998 are an important element to workplace safety, under regulation 4 it stipulates that “equipment should be suitable for the job.” And, regulation 5, which focuses on maintenance goes on to state that “every employer shall ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.”
In order to remain complaint with these regulations you need to have a structured process in place for regularly maintaining and servicing your tools and equipment.
Prevent accidents
An employer has a duty of care to ensure a safe working environment and that any equipment used within their job role is safe and fully operational. This is reflected under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1972 section 2 that highlights “Without risk to health so far as reasonably practicable.”
By regularly servicing your tools any potential issue can be identified and promptly resolved, this minimises the risks of any accident due to tools being faulty.
Improve productivity
Regular servicing of tools means any potential issues can often be avoided and if a fault does occur then swap out tools mean minimum downtime, so your staff can keep working, leading to a productive and efficient workforce across the year, keeping your essential projects on track and your customers happy.
Reduce vibration
Hand-arm vibration (HAVs) is vibration transmitted from work processes into workers’ hands and arms. It can be caused by operating hand-held power tools, such as road breakers, and hand-guided equipment, such as powered lawnmowers, or by holding materials being processed by machines, such as pedestal grinders.
If tools are not properly maintained, then vibration levels could exceed those approved and the employer could risk breaching Health & Safety regulations which pose massive fines and your staff could be left with a debilitating disability, which could have easily been avoided.
From a compliance perspective the Control of Vibration at Work 2005 Regulations focus specifically on reduced exposure times to vibrations and ensuring the levels of exposure are acceptable. Regular tool servicing ensures that your tools are not exceeding these levels and remain safe for your company and your workers.
Cost efficiency
It’s simply not a cost effective business model to replace tools as they break and in many cases proves costlier in the long run. If you take the analogy of car servicing, when purchasing a new car, you maintain regular service schedules, this ensures your vehicle is working efficiently and any problems are addressed, there is also the need to adhere to manufacturer recommendations to keep the warranty valid. The same principle applies for your tooling.
Increased lifespan
By having your tools regularly serviced you will get the best from them and extend their lifespan and they are likely to last longer than if there was no service plan in place. Exact tool servicing depends on specific manufacturer requirements and the shift patterns and workloads the tool is used for.
Whatever your requirement, Abbey has a range of bespoke servicing and preventive maintenance packages to suit all businesses that provide complete traceability, accountability and compliance.
Contact the team at Abbey Industrial Solutions today to learn how we can help you maximise your manufacturing productivity: discover@abbeyis.co.uk | 01924 224240
