What is a Site Survey and What Does it Say About Operations?

Site surveys are kind of like a first-time home inspection. A preliminary site survey at a manufacturing or warehouse facility can help operators take stock of any equipment that needs to be repaired, replaced, or upgraded. At the loading dock, this will include a thorough inspection of loading dock levelers, vehicle restraints, dock controls, loading dock seals and shelter, and industrial doors. As part of a preventative maintenance program, it’s standard for a free equipment survey to begin this process. Once complete, a comprehensive report conducted by a trained technician details the level of safety for every piece of equipment, as well as recommended plans for repairs, replacements, or upgrades.

Having this knowledge can help facility managers plan capital expenditure budgets before breakdowns and unplanned downtime occurs. A site survey also can provide insights about ways to implement new equipment that can streamline operations or make them safer.

Let’s look at a few ways a site survey can improve operations at a facility.

Site Surveys Help Boost Loading Docks Energy Efficiency

Saving energy goes hand-in-hand with saving money. Most companies are interested in ways they can save both by specifying a site survey that targets energy draining equipment and operations.

For instance, the loading dock opening can be one of the biggest contributors to energy waste. It’s also one of the most difficult areas to solve this energy escape problem. A site survey will look for key energy loss indicators, such as light leaks around the dock opening, and provide possible solutions, such as a package of dock-sealing products.

Wasted energy occurs inside the plant, too, from doors that don’t seal properly to inefficient fans. A site survey is the first step in learning where these facility deficiencies exist so equipment can be fixed, replaced, or upgraded. For example, in frequently accessed cooler or freezer areas, high-speed doors are often a better choice than doors with high R-values that have slow operating speeds.

Site Surveys Help Warehouses Improve Safety

It’s critical to know the condition of loading dock and warehouse equipment before a breakdown leads to an injury. Having a trained technician come in for a site survey lays the groundwork necessary to help identify potentially dangerous situations.

At the loading dock, a safety survey can reveal latent flaws in equipment or procedure that lead to trailer separation accidents, long falls, pedestrian vs. fork truck collisions, whole body vibration (WBV or “dock shock”), improper orders of operation, and more.

Inside the plant, a door safety assessment can uncover potential hazards such as downward impacts, upward impacts, lateral impacts, or entrapment. While most industrial doors today come with a variety of engineered and programmed safety enhancements, it’s essential to learn what shortcomings – if any – are present during a site survey.

Available Assessment Plans for Large Facilities

Not all site surveys are the same. Some focus on safety at the loading dock. Others are geared more toward in-plant energy savings related to doors, while another survey can detail plans about the ROI customers can expect on high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) fans.

For more information about Rite-Hite assessments, including door analysis and HVLS fan assessments, please click here.

What Does a Site Survey Say About Facility Operations?

Having a site survey is a clear sign that a business cares about its operations, its customers, and the well-being of its workers. Understanding which equipment should be repaired, replaced, or upgraded shows a willingness to maintain or increase efficiency while also enhancing the safety of materials handling employees. Contact your Rite-Hite sales representative to get started on your site survey.

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