Training & Development
Grass building up under the seat and around an exhaust pipe - some of the grass was already charred and a fire could have broken out
ensure that the operators keep up with maintenance and regular cleaning, and ensure that they report all faults immediately.
Daily checks and maintenance
A good training course is about so much more than just how to drive the machine. As stated above, it’s about setting and adjustments, understanding all the controls and switches, as they are all there for a purpose. Another essential part of a good training course is the daily checks and operator level maintenance requirements.
There can be greasing points hidden all over the machine, and they all need regular attention. The operator’s instruction book will detail all the maintenance requirements, but whoever reads one of those? (see Pitchcare February-March 2016)
It’s not just the operators who need to understand this either. Managers and supervisors need to attend training so that they appreciate that some machines will have in excess of forty greasing points, and this, together with the need for a thorough clean, will mean at least one hour in the workshop per week. Every machine should have a weekly clean and service, and this time requirement should be built into the working week. It’s a small investment compared with the cost of expensive failures and repairs.
A good example of the need to regularly clean the machine is shown here. Yes, that’s cut grass building up under the seat and it’s touching the exhaust pipe! This had already been charred black in places, so a machine fire was only a matter of time. Luckily for the operator (and the owner), that did not happen in this instance.
It’s been a very tough year for municipal mowing in particular. Contractors and councils have been up against record growth with regular wet weather and saturated ground. Machinery and staff have had to work hard in difficult conditions right from the start of the season. In such conditions, it has never been more important to have well trained staff operating your front line
equipment. The potential improvements in performance and reliability should make regular, ongoing staff training an obvious choice.
Staff Retention - what if we train them and they leave?
So often, there is a reluctance to train seasonal staff as they can often leave shortly after training, perhaps to move to a similar position (for more money) or leave the industry completely.
However, seasonal staff are probably more likely to have accidents, due to inexperience, than your regular team. And, if they are using powered equipment then, as stated at the beginning of this piece, by law they must receive ‘adequate training’ (as well as a full set of PPE), regardless of how long they may stay with you.
Staff Retention - what if we don’t train them and they stay?
If they are correctly trained, and made to feel part of the business, they are more likely to stay. They are also less likely to damage equipment or machinery through ignorance or misuse. If they are not trained, they will only know the bad habits of other operators and, once a regular worker, they will continue to cost you money in damage, downtime and poor performance.
So, what is the value of training?
It’s obvious really; it’s a business investment opportunity you simply cannot afford to miss! It works on all levels - for the recipient of the training and in the benefits to the business. Remove the opacity, embrace it and see it for what it really is!
Every machine should have a weekly clean and service
Supervisors and managers need to audit the machinery regularly and ensure that the operators keep up with maintenance and regular cleaning, and ensure that they report all faults immediately
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Operators need to understand ‘all’ the controls and functions
PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2016 I 135
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