hiring-mechanical-contractorFor those companies that run consistently with no scheduled breaks in production, it is important to know who to call when repairs need to be done. The costs associated with a lack of production extend far beyond the hours that are lost. It is crucial to get back on track, and in order to do so you must guarantee that you are hiring someone who is fully capable of completing the task at hand. Here are four major things to consider when hiring a mechanical contractor.

  1. Safety is the most important feature of any mechanical contractor, and one of the first things you should do is ask for what should be an impeccable safety record. It is likely that someone who is not safe is not a very good planner either, which means the proper steps are not being taken to accomplish a task. Unsafe practices jeopardize everyone on the property, and if they have hurt themselves, there is a chance they will hurt others.
  2. The next item to inquire about is the client list. Whether or not a mechanical contractor can boast of the richest clients is irrelevant. What you are looking for is consistency. If a mechanical contractor has worked for the same clients for several years, this is proof that all tasks are executed well. Nobody continues to employ someone who performs poorly.
  3. Major mistakes are another factor to consider. You need to know what mistakes have been made and how they were handled. If at all possible, talk to the clients wherein the major mistakes took place, and get their perspective. It is inevitable that mistakes happen. It is how a mechanical contractor handles a bad situation that proves their worth. The ability to be honest about mistakes and learn from them is invaluable.
  4. Once you have chosen your mechanical contractor, the next step is to encourage their completion of a pre-job hazard assessment. Before any project is set in motion – and again at the start of each day – a plan should be laid out. This daily plan details what the contractor will be looking at, the actions they will execute and what could go wrong. This provides an opportunity to mitigate any errors that might occur. If something unfortunate does happen, the contractor can clearly look back and view the steps that were missed. This assessment of a situation is a chance for the entire organization to learn and improve.

It is essential that your company is up and running again as quickly as possible following a mechanical failure. With these steps, you can ensure that the mechanical contractor you hire will expertly provide the services needed. You can’t predict when things might go wrong in a business that runs all hours of the day, but you can control the solution. The right mechanical contractor will turn things around safely, promptly and efficiently.