There’s More to Cleaning the Equipment

BY JOHN BALL

It’s a sad state of affairs when laborers go on social media and mock a company’s desire to have clean equipment on their job sites. Workers should take pride in their work and in their equipment. That’s why I was so happy to arrive at a job site one Friday afternoon to find two members of the Barrett Paving crew cleaning the paver on their own. This is something they do every Friday, of their own volition.

The workers in these photos weren’t told to do this; they just have a good attitude and clean their own equipment because they care about the image they’re presenting to the public and to the inspectors who show up to check out their projects. They go above and beyond and have taken the initiative to make this machine safe. They’re cleaning the areas where workers climb and walk and cleaning the reflective safety tape that catches drivers’ eyes. This is all part of making the machine part of a safer working environment for the team.

They understand the need to see their instrumentation clearly and easily when paving, and that’s easier to do when asphalt and dirt isn’t built up on the equipment. Making instruments and markings visible means they’re giving the paver and screed operator a fighting chance at achieving quality paving results.

They understand that you won’t know something’s wearing out if you can’t see it and monitor it, and that’s a cost item companies need to be tracking.

These workers aren’t just keeping the paver safe and better maintained, they’re keeping it looking good for the company image. That paver is out front showing the public a high standard of quality.

John Ball is the proprietor of Top Quality Paving & Training, Manchester, New Hampshire. He provides personal, on-site paving consulting services around the United States and into Canada. For more information, contact him at (603) 493-1458 or tqpaving@yahoo.com.

LEFT: Getting the bogies clean so they don’t laminate with asphalt. RIGHT: This is a portable, battery-powered car wash sprayer.

On the top deck, you can see the hose leading into the 5-gallon bucket of soapy water. They’re using this setup because there’s no hose hookup nearby.

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