The holiday season brings with it a lot of joy and excitement, but it can also cause problems during business hours. Understandably, minds tend to wander towards work break ups and family vacations, and some may even indulge in a little too much “festive cheer”. So it’s far from a coincidence that, according to WorkSafe Victoria, almost twenty-five percent of workplace fatalities occur in the period just before Christmas. Taking your eye off the ball, even for a moment, can have extreme consequences in some work environments. Thankfully, Conquest is here to provide several strategies to help keep your employees safe and scale cleaning resources throughout the festive season.
Begin With Clear Communication
Proper preparation is key, and that axiom doesn’t just adhere to what happens during work hours. Keep an open dialogue with equipment operators and be clear in your expectations so that they understand their responsibilities to maintain safety throughout the season – and this includes their personal conditioning. Are they overly fatigued or a little under the weather? It’s better to be honest and make arrangements to avoid operation of equipment, rather than put themselves or others at risk.
Be Aware of the Potential Drawbacks of the Festive Season
The holiday season is the busiest time of the year for many industries. While the resulting increased traffic is a good sign for your company, it’s also important to be aware of the increased potential risks through this period. The possibility of a harmful collision with equipment operators goes up as more people travel to, and walk around, your place of business. Additional pedestrian and vehicle traffic also leads to faster build up of dust and debris, making slip and trip hazards a bigger concern.
Employees caught up in the cheery season may also become less focused on the details. But those details are more important than ever, to maintain the safety and ensure compliance with WHS guidelines.
Never Forget to Review Your Fleet
With the extra traffic, you may find your floor cleaning equipment getting a workout and there is no room for downtime. Inspect your machines ahead of the season to confirm they are in peak operational condition and meet all of the current safety requirements. Consider any additional safety measures, such as adding safety belts or flashing beacons. You may even wish to book your machine for a service by an experienced technician to avoid a potentially costly breakdown.
In your haste to get out the door to attend the next party of the season, avoid taking shortcuts. After each use, ensure that the machine is emptied, cleaned and ready for next use. For example, don’t let the filters in your power sweeper suffer from a build-up of dirt as it will only result in damage to the filter system. Flush the recovery water tank in floor scrubbing equipment with clean water to avoid bacteria and unpleasant smells developing. When storing your sweepers, scrubbers or other pieces of floor cleaning supplies, try to keep them in a dry and clean environment. Hot winds and over-exposure to the sun can cause premature ageing and damage seals and squeegee rubbers, which irrevocably harms efficiency.
Conquest Hire – The Ultimate in flexibility
If you do see the need to scale cleaning resources without the commitment of a long-term investment, Conquest Hire offers cleaning machines on a short-term basis. The hire terms offered are flexible, starting from as little as one day. State-of-the-art floor sweepers, scrubbers, pressure washers and outdoor maintenance equipment are readily available now for pick-up or delivery. The Conquest’s Hire fleet is a great resource to provide a helping hand during the busiest time of the year – without the exorbitant price tag.
The holidays can be a chaotic time for many reasons. The inability to deal with an increase in business and all that entails, should not be one of them. If you would like some guidance regarding how to ensure the safety of your business over the Christmas period, contact us here.
Complete the form below to be contacted by our friendly team within 2 business hours.
