When you need to hire an outside inspection service, you want to choose a company that will protect the safety of your workers and your equipment. To make the right decision, you need to know what to expect from your field inspector and from the inspection company as a whole. Both are crucial to decreasing risk and maintaining your business’s safety culture.
Field Inspector
The field inspector is the person sent out to view and inspect your equipment. You should expect your field inspector to:
- be capable of operating most types of equipment
- understand the mechanical workings of the equipment
- have the appropriate credentials and training
- operate in a moral and ethical manner
Inspection Company
While it’s important to evaluate an individual field inspector, remember that they’re operating under an inspection company. The culture and policies of the inspection company will also be vital to the quality of the inspection that you receive.
Your inspection company should include a staff dedicated to the timely performance of your inspections. The business must also operate in a moral and ethical manner, and the company benefits from the knowledge of experienced team members. At CATS, for example, co-owner Jay Sturm has spent years testifying in court cases involving accidents with cranes, bucket trucks, digger derricks, forklifts, and other heavy equipment.
A good inspection company needs a secure and accessible storage facility for easy access to your completed inspections. At CATS, we’ve moved all our inspection reports online to make them more accessible.
You should also look for an inspection company that continually reviews and revises its safety program, including:
- revising the inspection program whenever safety standards are revised
- incorporating the findings of accident investigations and subsequent trials into their inspections
- upgrading technology for recordkeeping and inspection performance
- Your inspection company should have a good working knowledge of all the applicable consensus
- standards. You may also want to review the inspection company’s guidelines to see what the field
- inspector will be looking for when they come out to inspect your equipment.
Credentials and Relationships
While recognition isn’t everything, you can also tell a lot about the company’s standing in the safety community by their relationships and affiliations. Credentials and awards, trade organization alliances, relationships with equipment manufacturers and OSHA, and participation in standards committees all indicate that you’ve found an inspection company committed to quality and continuous improvement.
As you’ve probably already guessed, Cranes Aerial Truck Service (CATS) has everything you should look for in an inspection company. We’ve got depth of experience, world-class training, and cutting edge technology. And we’re dedicated to helping your company be as safe as possible.
Contact us today to schedule an inspection, request operator qualifications, and more.
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508-966-4100