Surveying Your Facility at Night

According to a recent article by facility services company Stratus Unlimited, surveying your facilities after normal business hours could be a smart move.

Periodic surveying of your facility allows you to inspect and assess its physical structure, its functionality, and its operations, to ensure safety and adherence to procedures, as well as to examine ways to improve the facility overall. But doing surveys during the day can cause disruptions to work and other activities or events that would normally be taking place in the building.

In the article, Stratus suggests doing surveying at night instead, to reap the following benefits:

Minimize Disruptions of Daytime Operations

Some things inspectors need to check during a survey—such as the functions of heating and cooling systems, noise issues, or lighting—might interfere with goings on within the facility and affect the comfort of its users. By switching over to a nighttime review, such systems can be accessed and assessed without bothering any of the building’s occupants. There would also be less chance of employees or customers causing a disruption to the maintenance surveyors as they review the facility. 

Increase User Satisfaction

Users of your facility will expect it to operate smoothly and efficiently. Disruptions caused by maintenance reviews during regular business hours can disenchant both customers and employees. Evening surveys can ensure that the facility maintains its necessary assessments without upsetting users’ experiences during the day, leading to greater satisfaction and loyalty.

Save Money

Daytime maintenance can necessitate the shutdown of many crucial operations, including those that generate revenue for the facility. According to Stratus, it could also create a potential need for additional staff and overtime pay. But by scheduling maintenance reviews after normal operating hours, you can avoid shutdowns and lost work, along with any of the associated costs.

Improve Safety

Maintenance reviews can be dangerous, especially if they involve the need to climb or the use of heavy equipment. As fewer people would be in the building at night, performing the reviews after hours can help reduce the risk of injury to others.

Produce a More Efficient Survey

Without the hustle and bustle of the facility’s daytime traffic, a nighttime survey can more adequately access areas and operations, to assess the overall needs of the facility and identify any areas that might require special attention.

Looking for more advice on reviewing your facility? Check out The Three Types of Facility Audits You Need to Know.