Steps That Every Brick and Mortar Business Should Complete Regularly
Commercial lighting maintenance is important, even though lighting systems are exceptionally reliable. The lighting system at your business does more than just illuminate various surfaces and areas. It also aids in the productivity of your business, provides a boost to the safety of the structure, as well as that of your customers and employees, and optimizes the happiness levels of all those that visit or work at your business.
By becoming proactive in maintaining the lighting system at your business, you will reap many rewards. In this guide, you will be introduced to several maintenance steps that should be performed regularly.
Create a Handwritten Maintenance Schedule
The first step to performing commercial lighting maintenance – in any business or organization – is creating a handwritten maintenance schedule. This should highlight all of the steps that you should perform regularly and have an area for the date, time, and name of the person that completed the tasks.
Being that you are just now starting this article, you may only be able to create a very basic schedule. By the time you finish this post, you should be able to return to this step and finish it.
Once finished with your maintenance schedule, simply make copies, share with your employees or maintenance team, and post. When posting, it is best to have one for each month. While it is overdoing it just a little bit, it will keep you on top of your lighting system and you will not be “left in the dark”, so to speak.
Create a Damage and Repairs Document
In addition to the commercial lighting maintenance schedule, you should create a separate document that will attach to the first that allows your designated employees to keep track of any damages noted in certain areas and/or any type of repairs that were resolved or need to be resolved by a professional commercial electrician.
Again, you may find that you need to complete reading this guide prior to creating this list. That way, you know what types of details should be included.
Perform Regular Visual Inspections
Your lighting system consists of all of the various lights on the interior and exterior of your business. This also typically includes any type of lighting that is used in the parking lot or garage that your customers and employees utilize. On a regular basis, you should conduct a thorough visual inspection of every single light in which you are directly responsible.
If you are not directly responsible but those lights are considered to be a part of your business, you should do a visual inspection on those, too. If any issue is noticed, resolve all that you are able to on your own and contact others who may be responsible for other lights associated with your business so that they may resolve those issues, too.
Switches and Controls
All of the lights associated with your business are controlled by either a switch or some other type of control mechanism such as a timer, knob, etc.
You should inspect these regularly to ensure that they are functioning properly, do not seem to be carrying static electricity, and are not providing light shocks to those that touch them. If you notice any breakage, smell anything unusual, see any cracks, feel any shocks, or any other type of issue, you should contact a commercial electrician immediately to evaluate the problem.
Though small, if there is an issue with any of the switches or the controls associated with your lighting system, your business may be at risk for fire or other serious issues.
Emergency Lighting
Many businesses stop at the standard lighting in and around their business and neglect to maintain the emergency lights. You should make this a priority.
The emergency equipment at your business needs to be tested on a regular basis. This includes your security system, exit signs, corridors, hallways, alleys, and other areas.
Not only do these lighting products aid during the event of an emergency, they may deter would-be criminals and accidents from detrimentally impacting your business.
If emergency lights and systems are not working properly, a commercial electrician is just a phone call away. This is much cheaper than paying hefty fines, fees, or the amount from a lawsuit filed against you. So It’s important to include it in your commercial lighting maintenance.
Wiring Systems
The wiring systems in your business are actually part of the lighting system. If you see any wires, they must be inspected regularly.
First, you want to be certain that every wire you observe is properly insulated. Next, you want to be sure that there are no cracks or breakages in the wires.
Finally, you want to be sure that the wires are not in the way of your employees or those that visit your business – such as delivery personnel, customers, and/or vendors.
If you observe any issues, contact a professional immediately. Again, a wire problem carries a very high level of risk to the safety of your building and all of those that frequent the building.
Hire a Commercial Electrician
When it comes to your lighting system and the general electrical system of your business as a whole, it is imperative that you have a commercial electrician as part of your team.
This does not mean that you have to hire them directly to work at your place of employment, it just means that you should know who to call when you need to call so that if you must hire the electrician, you can do it quickly.
You should make certain that the company is properly ensured, highly knowledgeable, highly reputable, offer emergency services, and are capable of completing the tasks that your business requires.
If you are stumped on who to hire, contact us here at Hardcore Electric. We handle both commercial and industrial jobs and are trained to meet all of your needs! If you would like to learn more, call us today at: 720-841-3897
