Power of Prevention
Lack of good preventative maintenance in a down economy will ultimately cost operators more.
By Nick DiUlio
Before Peter Riggs became a vice president with the 173-unit franchise Pita Pit, he was a franchise owner. Starting out in the business, Riggs thought he knew what to look for when it came to preventative maintenance and workplace safety. He watched for spills on the floor. He made regular equipment service appointments. He did all the things an owner-operator should do to ensure his location is in top working order. But one day a chair broke, and he realized he still had a lot to learn.“The chair got old and one of its parts just came loose and broke,” Riggs says. “There was no particular reason beyond wear and tear. You know stuff like that happens, but you really don’t think about it in relation to your own business unless someone tells you to watch out for it.”
Fortunately, no one was injured, but Riggs still likes to tell the anecdote because he says it illustrates an important point when talking about site maintenance: Attention to detail is everything. And as owners and operators look to save money during the troubled economy, it’s the small, preventative particulars that often get lost in the mix. And it isn’t just a matter of safety; it’s also a matter of profitability.
“If a table or chair breaks,” Riggs says, “you have to replace it, which is more costly than taking five minutes to regularly inspect these things.”
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