When you focus on machinery moving, it’s extremely important to make sure that you perform a site assessment. You need to know exactly where you are moving everything, and in doing so, the results can be much better. It’s a very good idea to narrow down all the details regarding the new site, and to ensure that you change any parameters, as needed. Making those changes might not seem like much, but it can be a solid approach and something to consider.
What is the role of a site assessment?
When it comes to having a site assessment, the focus is on evaluating both the current site, but also the destination site. And yes, you are assessing the pathway between both of them, something you have to take into consideration as well.
One thing to note about site assessments is they will identify any environmental and structural limitations, highlight any safety hazards and regulatory requirements, but also plan for any contingency measures, estimate budget and time with accuracy, while determining the resources you need. The more info you have available, the better it will be, and it will help alleviate a lot of the potential concerns that could arise here.
Identifying equipment compatibility
One of the reasons you want to have a site assessment is because it will help you identify the compatibility your equipment has with the environment. You will be able to narrow down the floor load capacity, dimensions and clearance, but also the destination site and whether it has the necessary utilities. Figuring out if there are hazards matters a lot, and it’s certainly something to consider.
Understanding what are the access routes
Access routes matter quite a bit, since you want to figure out if there are any roadblocks or not. At the same time, you also want to have access to outdoor conditions, indoor mobility and loading dock designs. You also need to know if there are any obstructions and of course, if there are any issues when it comes to the elevator access, something you need to think about as much as possible.
Identifying any safety risks
The thing you have to understand with safety risks is that they can be very prevalent, and you have to address them correctly. With that being said, there are a ton of different safety risks to consider, many of which can have their own pros and cons. If the floor is uneven, slippery or if you have structural weaknesses, that alone can prove to be an issue. The same thing is valid when it comes to lighting or ventilation. All these things matter and can help quite a bit.
Legal requirements and regulatory compliance
That’s the most important aspect, you need to understand and see whether the new site complies with the regulations and if there are other things to consider here. You specifically want to focus on permitting requirements, having lockout and tagout procedures, hazardous material protocols, but also if you have documentation for environmental compliance, too. All of that can help more than you imagine, since you do want to comply with the current requirements, and that alone is always going to help.
Equipment and resource planning
It helps to have a site assessment because you can plan your equipment and resources adequately. That does help quite a bit, as you can identify whether you need specialty tools, manpower requirements, but also the size and type of lifting equipment, staging area requirements, PPE requirements and so on.
The more you know about resources needed for the machinery movers, the better it will be. As we all know, machinery moving can be complex and sometimes a bit tedious. But with the right approach, it will help make things easier and more consistent. With that in mind, it makes sense to focus on equipment management and planning, as it will help save both time and money.
Minimizing downtime
Machinery moving is stressful and it certainly has a lot of moving parts. You always want to find ways to avoid disruption and minimize it the best way you can. Identifying any non-disruptive systems can be a great idea. And what you can do is to identify any move windows that will not lead to disruption.
Another thing that you can do is to develop phased relocation plans, while also setting up some temporary workarounds. You can have the pre-stage equipment near the destination and sequence the move so you can avoid any overlap with other projects. It helps quite a lot, and you will find that it certainly helps deliver a more consistent result and better value, overall.
Avoid equipment damage
The site assessment is also a good option if you want to avoid equipment damage. And that’s the thing, sometimes vibration, tilting, shocks, they do end up causing all kinds of damage and problems arise from that.
Timeline control and budget accuracy
Another benefit you get from having a site assessment is that you can focus on improving the timeline and ensure everything is under control. You will be able to create a step by step move plan, estimate the labor hours with accuracy, while also taking into account any contingencies or aligning all the stakeholders based on timelines and expectations.
Improvements in communication
A clear advantage of site assessments is they will help improve communication. If you perform an assessment, you will see what you are dealing with, and that does help quite a bit. Having those improvements in communication is crucial, and they can help you enhance the machine moving process. The more you focus on that, the better it will be most of the time.
Creating a contingency plan
Not everything is going to work the way you want. Sometimes, you need to have a backup plan, and contingencies matter quite a bit here. These can vary when it comes to the type of solution you want to have. And they can include:
- Get some backup equipment if the downtime might be too long
- Have emergency shutoff procedures if you encounter any issues
- Safe holding areas are a must-have, and something you have to consider here
- Get some backup generators or power sources, as it’s a crucial way to avoid any possible concerns and issues
- Lastly, you can have a set of alternate routes whenever the main pathway is blocked
It always pays off to have a contingency plan, because you never really know what problems can arise and how you may need to deal with them. Truthfully, you always want to focus on having a proper site assessment, and it will bring you better results in the end. That’s what matters, to always have a site assessment ready, as you can identify any solutions going forward.
Conclusion
Clearly, working with professional machine movers can help you circumvent a lot of these problems. But even in that case, you still need a site assessment for machine moving. It allows you to save time and money, while improving the process in ways that might not be expected. All you have to do is to avail the opportunity and implement an adequate site assessment today. That way, you will avoid unwanted expenses, while improving safety and keeping regulatory compliance!
