The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has released a four-page technical document entitled ‘Guidance for Enhanced Pre-operational Checks on Plant Following Post COVID-19 Site Lockdowns’.
With construction sites returning to work following a close-down, or restrictions due to the threat of COVID-19 (coronavirus), some items of construction plant have been ‘trapped’ on locked-down sites and were shut down abruptly. They may not have been sufficiently prepared for extended non-operational periods.
Most modern plant is reliable and can cope with extended periods without requiring actions by a maintenance team, however a period of non-use can have small but noticeable effects when placing plant back into service after an extended period.
It is important for both safety and machine efficiency that the operator or maintenance team undertake an enhanced pre-operational check and basic maintenance regime in addition to the normal daily pre-use checks specified by the manufacturer.
The CPA guidance is focussed on the primary areas of machine components that require checks over and above normal manufacturer-derived pre-operational activities and are applicable for common mobile and static-type plant. The main message is that for most plant, normal but enhanced checks – which are predominately visual – should be carried out prior to operation and that employers and supervisors should allow sufficient time for operators and/or maintenance teams to carry them out, ensuring the machine’s safety and productivity and minimising future issues and breakdowns.
The guidance is not intended to apply to all plant types but provides an overview of what should be taken into account when re-instating plant left for an extended period due to site shutdown or restrictions. Compliance needs to be maintained at all times with relevant regulations such as the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and the Lifting Equipment and Lifting Operations Regulations 1998 (LOLER).
The guidance document can be downloaded free of charge from the CPA website at cpa.uk.net/news-events/guidanceenhancedpre-operationalchecks/
