Ownership of a manufacturing building brings with it a plethora of responsibilities to real property as well as the building(s) structure. The size and configuration of the building or buildings should always be well maintained in order to achieve real property value.
The Manufacturing Complex
If your business is composed of an administration, QA/QC lab, manufacturing and shipping and receiving departments, these multiple departments each add to the regular schedule of maintenance.
An administration building may house several business offices, office equipment and a reception area. The QA/QC lab is a hub of constant testing for quality assurance and quality control and also should operate under worker and environmental safety compliance regulations on a state and federal basis.
Manufacturing is the most complex of the building’s structure within a manufacturing site. Manufacturing requires storage of materials for products to be processed. There are processing, production and final wrap (packaging) areas before manufactured goods are sent to shipping and receiving for distribution. All of these areas require maintenance.
Building Maintenance
When your business is manufacturing, the interior and exterior of the processing, production, lab, final wrap and packaging and shipping and receiving building structure require constant maintenance and possibly building repairs for structural integrity.
The exterior structure should be regularly inspected. This includes the roof, siding and foundation. Weather and climate play a large role in the wear and tear of building exteriors. Generally, there are existing local and state regulations that include annual inspections for external safety and fire hazards.
The interior of a manufacturing building also requires compliance inspection of processing, production and packaging equipment to insure they operate properly and safely. Thus, the plant manager of a manufacturing facility has the duty to perform or appoint an employee to perform daily inspections, monitor safe performance of employee workflow and provide reports for interior building repairs.
Lighting, HVAC and duct work should be inspected for operational efficiency. Flooring, stairs, elevators, windows, doors and safety exit signage should be replaced or repaired.
Repair broken doors and replace cracked windows. Sprinkler systems, smoke and radon detectors and other monitoring equipment should be calibrated by the manufacturer of these types of equipment at least once a year. This also applies to electrical supply systems for the entire building.
If fuels such as oil or LNG are stored in a manufacturing building as part of the manufacturing process, these should be properly stored to avoid a fire hazard.
The simplest way to ensure your manufacturing building is properly maintained is to create a Standard Operating Procedures Manual (SOP) as a maintenance guide. In addition, provide a Workplace Safety and Emergency Policy accessible to all employees. This should include contact names should an emergency or safety issue arise.
Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max.
