Are you a production or maintenance manager in a large industrial facility? If so, you may be responsible for uptime and making sure that each item of equipment is online when called for, as you chase maximum productivity. Yet is all your focus on the individual machines themselves without any attention to the ultimate power source? Are you sure that your electrical installations are fit for the purpose and, more importantly, safe?

Time to Catch Up

It may have been some time since you last had a full inspection and audit of your facilities, and as such, you may not have engaged an engineer to perform electrical equipment testing and tagging for each electrically powered component. In some cases, you are obliged to do this, but it's good practice if you are to mitigate some significant risks.

Best Practice

Whenever a licensed electrician tests a connection or electrical equipment, then any defects will be revealed and poor performance identified. In many cases, this could prevent a breakdown or, even worse, a danger to individuals. Once each item has been tested, then it needs to be tagged as proof that it has been inspected, and this will provide a source for any additional information necessary.

Proactive Maintenance

Once you've identified issues in your facility, then you can make plans to introduce repairs or replacement as necessary. It's best to do this on a proactive basis rather than reactive, as you can schedule it in during downtime or when it is more appropriate.

Charges of Negligence

If you don't pay attention to these matters, you could lay yourself open to claims of negligence or irresponsibility. After all, if somebody were to be injured as a result of malfunctioning electrical equipment they could make a case against you in a civil court. As your liability would be increased, you may also have to deal with rising insurance premiums, and if you have a poor record in this area, you may have a challenge getting insurance at all. Always ensure that you have a licensed and insured electrician test and tag all your electrical equipment to make sure that it is in good order.

More Effective Planning

Finally, you'll be able to draw up a much more effective maintenance schedule and an emergency plan if you've been made aware of potential problem areas through an exhaustive test. Remember, this may be mandatory in certain jurisdictions, but it is nevertheless good practice in any industrial facility.