How can municipalities use mobile inspection checklists to improve safety, while also saving time and money?

That was the topic of a presentation by our president, David Lefevre, at the 2014 American Public Works Association (APWA) Congress & Exposition, which was held last month in Toronto.

Many municipal public works departments are in need of more-effective inspection and auditing processes as well as better ways to manage the data generated, and mobile technology can be the answer to that need, David explained.

Increased Inspection Efficiency

Traditional paper inspection processes require personnel to keep up with paper inspection forms. Everyone must be sure to have the right forms in the right place at the right time.

Compare that to smartphones, tablets, or laptops, which personnel will already be carrying because these mobile devices offer so many other valuable functions during work. To do their inspections, audits, and risk assessments, personnel just have to keep up with their device, not additional paper forms, pens, clipboards, etc.

The productivity benefits of mobile inspections include:

• Any inspection/audit/assessment form that personnel need is right there on the mobile device.
• Personnel have immediate access to whatever information they might need to perform the inspections, such as building codes or equipment manuals.
• A mobile format can quickly guide personnel through the inspection process, reducing the time it takes to complete inspections.
• With mobile devices, results aren’t trapped on a piece of paper until they’re turned in and seen by the right people—they are instantly communicated, and there’s no miscommunication.
• If you’re manually keying in inspection results from paper onto a computer, mobile devices eliminate that time-consuming job.

These efficiencies can free up considerable time for business-critical tasks.

Reduced Repair Costs and Downtime

The immediate communication of results allows maintenance managers to better schedule preventative and corrective maintenance. They know about problems as soon as they’re reported—and can anticipate when problems are getting ready to occur—so the issues can be fixed before they escalate into costlier problems.

Operations managers also benefit from the instantaneous communication of equipment status because they can more quickly react to problems in order to prevent operational downtime due to insufficient equipment.

If the mobile inspection forms are tied into inspection management software—as The Checker Mobile is—management, maintenance, and operations benefit from the ability to identify trends in non-compliant items, thereby allowing for proactive remedial steps  to be taken that reduce costs and keep operations flowing.

Valuable Data in Reports and for Analysis

There’s a lot of valuable information in the data gathered from inspections—and mobile inspections allow that data to be easily aggregated, managed, and used for strategic direction.

For example, The Checker Mobile, a cloud-based software solution, can be used to generate reports that allow for better predictive scheduling of maintenance and operations based on the realities revealed by inspections, audits, risk assessments, etc.

This data can also be used for purposes such as business planning, equipment and/or vendor evaluation, and identification of best practices for improving safety and extending the life of equipment.

Increased Safety and Liability Protection

Mobile inspection forms virtually eliminate the possibility of human oversight or miscommunication (e.g., a note that can’t be read). This is critically important for safety and for liability protection.

Mobile devices also encourage heightened safety and regulatory compliance by providing reminders of inspections that need to be done and automatically catalouging the documentation of proper inspections.

Takeaway

Mobile inspections can help municipalities improve safety, reduce inspection costs, increase inspection accuracy, lower maintenance expense, extend the life of equipment, gain analytical insight, ensure regulatory compliance, and guard against liability claims.

Do all these benefits sound like something you’d like to bring to your municipality? Why not try a sample?

Image courtesy of Bin im Garten, Creative Commons.