Maintenance Shops:Get Organized This WinterBy Holly Gibson

A sturdy, spacious workbench is amust for the mechanic's work station.

How you set upyour shop not only

makes you moreefficient, but alsoreflects what youexpect from your

employees.

A a golf course superintendentor sports turf manager, you mightpend as much as one third of each

work day based out of your mainte-nance building. How you set up your shopnot only makes you more efficient, butalso reflects what you expect from youremployees.

If your shop is clean and well-orga-nized, your employees will know they areexpected to perform in the same way. Ifequipment and supplies are placed hap-hazardly, employees will be more like-ly to approach their jobs in the same man-ner.

Fortunate superintendents have newfacilities that they helped design.However, most have old buildings, oftenaffectionately called "the barn" or the"maintenance shed." It is difficult toimagine a "shed" as a clean, high-techmodern facility. However, that is whatit should be.

As operations slow for the winter,the offmonths are the perfect time to putfull-time employees to work reorganiz-

A well-designed fertilizer storage area. Fertilizer is kept off the floor andforklift access is easy.

ing the maintenance building. Certainchanges can be accomplished with somesweat, plywood, and paint while otherimprovements will demand more moneyand time. If you can't accomplish every-thing at once, rank the items and makea multi-year plan. Add your plan toyour maintenance budget along withjustification for the changes.

Go With A Zone Plan

Just as your home is broken down intoliving areas with common needs, themaintenance facility should be similar-ly designed. Jerry Cheesman, a formerinstructor at Lake City CommunityCollege in Lake City, FL promoted the

continued on page 32

November/December, 1991 31

Maintenance Shopscontinued from page 31

zonal idea to his students. The conceptinvolves designating certain areas foraccomplishing specific functions.

To design a zonal-concept mainte-nance facility, you must first list thetasks you want to accomplish in yourmaintenance facility. These tasks includedaily equipment maintenance, employ-ee breaks, employee counseling, chem-ical mixing, parts storage, and officeadministration. Some operations willhave chores that others don't, such as golfcart maintenance.

Most tasks will fall into 11 differentzones. The following is a discussion of eachzone and what it should include.

Administrative Zone. This includesoffice space for you and your staff. Thesize and function of your staff will dic-tate who needs private offices and whocan share. In general, you want theseoffices to be insulated for both sound andtemperature. It's hard to prepare a bud-get when you are listening to a reelgrinder.

Also, many of you work with com-puters, and they need a steady source of

You should have atleast one room where

you can haveconfidential employee

conferences.

electricity and a temperature-controlledenvironment. Ifyou have a computer-con-trolled centralized irrigation system,then you want the computer located ina safe place where it won't be knockeddown or unplugged.

You should have at least one room witha door that closes so you can have con-fidential employee conferences.

The employee break room is probablybest located adjacent to the adminis-trative offices. Employees are out inthe weather for most of their work day.They need a chance to come inside forbreaks. What you include in the breakroom varies from site to site. Microwaveovens, refrigerators, stoves, ice machines,sinks, soft drink and snack machines, andfurniture are some options. You canalso include a bulletin board for posting

job opportunities, employee informa-tion, and general flyers. The goal is to giveemployees a chance to relax and revive.

Locker facilities for both men andwomen can be included. Also, some sitesprovide lodging for temporary employ-ees.

Equipment Repair Area. This is themechanic's territory. The mechanicneeds an area where he can expect otheremployees not to bother his things or hiswork. The area should be large enoughto accommodate the largest piece ofequipment. Take care to have the ade-quate lighting, ventilation, and electri-cal power. Locate storage cabinets, workbenches, and tool storage close to this areaso the mechanic won't have to go far toget tools.

Parts Inventory. You can save your-self many hours of downtime by keepingparts available in your parts inventory.Locate the parts storage near the equip-ment repair area. The key to good inven-tory is knowing what you have andwhere it is located. At a minimum, stockparts you need frequently or parts thatwould cause you significant downtime dur-ing crucial periods.

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Bins or shelves are often the easiestway to organize the parts. Devise a sys-tem that works and write it down soeveryone who needs to know is aware ofthe system. You don't want your mechan-ic to be the only person who under-stands the system. If he leaves, you'llspend hours or even days sorting outparts.

Keep a record of parts that the mechan-ic uses. This record will help you reorderand track equipment problems.

Daily Maintenance Area. Thereshould be a designated place for equip-ment operators to conduct daily main-tenance checks on equipment. This areashould not interfere with the mechanic'swork. However, employees need accessto oil, grease, fuel, and necessary tools.

Make provisions for proper disposalof wastes. When employees change theoil, they should dump the old oil into adesignated 55-gallon drum. Have a fun-nel nearby so employees can avoid spills.Put someone in charge of calling a des-ignated recycling facility to collect the oilwhen the drum is full.

Fuel should be stored according to allapplicable regulations. Contact your

local EPA offices for information. Prohibitsmoking around fuel.

Equipment Washing Area. Thisarea should be a concrete pad of sufficientsize for the largest piece of equipment youplan to wash. It needs to drain into anappropriate container if you plan towash off equipment exposed to haz-ardous materials. Your local EPA office

Organize thestorage area so

daily-useequipment is easily

accessible.

can tell you which standards your oper-ation must comply with for pesticiderinsate.

Locate the area adjacent to waterand electrical outlets. You can put steamcleaners and air compressors nearby. Besure drainage from the area is careful-ly controlled. Place a covered containernext to the site for employees to dis-

pose of contaminated cleaning rags.Have the same recycling company thathandles the oil handle these items.

Equipment Storage Space. Yourequipment will last longer if you protectit from the elements. Sun, moisture,and frost can take years off equipmentlife, especially in severe climates. Organizethe storage area so daily-use equipmentis easily accessible.

Doors should be wide and tall enoughso that equipment can be moved in andout efficiently. They should be equippedwith locks for security reasons. Takeexpansion into account when design-ing and building the storage facility.

Chemical Storage and MixingArea. This part of the maintenancebuilding is likely to change the most inthe next decade. B.J. Cannon, instruc-tor at Lake City Community College, LakeCity, FL, says he encourages his studentsto design maintenance facilities withpreventative measures in mind.

One facility designed at the college hasthe chemical mixing and storage area pro-tected by a six-foot-high chain link fencetopped with barbed wire. Adjacent to the

continued on page 34

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Maintenance Shopscontinued from page 33entry area, there is a private room witha washer, dryer, and shower. Anyemploy-ee who has come in contact with haz-ardous materials can remove his clothesand place them into the washing machine.After taking a shower and dressing withclean clothes, he can exit the room froma second door.

You can add this type of decontami-nation facility to almost any mainte-nance building. By following proper pro-cedures, employees exposed to pesticidescan clean up efficiently and keep con-tamination to a limited area.

The chemical storage area needs to beseparate from other portions of themaintenance facility. The area musthave locked doors to restrict entrance.Shelving is important for keeping smallcontainers of chemicals separated andorderly. Larger containers should bestored on concrete floors.

Irrigation parts should be stored separate from the equipment parts inventory.

In the mixing area, all safety devicesand tools necessary for measuring andweighing materials should be organizedand easily available. Provide a solid,sturdy table for mixing operations.

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be in the room in the event of accidentsor spills. Absorbent pillows should bequickly accessible. Check with your localEPA office for the latest regulations forchemical mixing facilities.

Fertilizer Storage. Provide a raisedarea away from liquids where you canstack fertilizer bags. Allow adequatespace for traffic and equipment to reducethe chance of bags punctures. The areashould be accessible to forklifts for pal-letted products.

Seed Storage. Seed should be keptcool, dry, and away from chemicals.Store bags on shelves or wood pallets.Allow room for loading and unloading.Provide space for pregerminating seedin drums or containers.

Irrigation Inventory. This sectionshould be separate from the equipmentparts inventory. Shelves with bins andcompartments for frequently neededparts are advised. Store repair manualsneatly on bookshelves for quick access.There should be a work area and alarge, solid table next to electrical out-lets. Keep all testing equipment andrepair tools in this area. Provide accessand room for the utility vehicle usedby the irrigation specialist.

The key to a successful storage facil-ity is planning it according to your needsand keeping it organized. Make allemployees responsible for putting awayand maintaining their equipment andtools. Schedule time for clean up and orga-nizing.

As your needs change, you can alterthe maintenance facility. It is impor-tant to stay in contact with regulatoryauthorities so you can efficiently complywith regulations.

Proper maintenance shop planning,design, and organization now can saveyou countless headaches down the road.