Operator Tips: 7 Ways to Help your Operators Stay Safe and Efficient

7 Ways to Help Your Operators Stay Safe and Efficient

When it comes to street sweeping, safety and efficiency are paramount. You want to sweep routes productively leaving behind cleaner streets while also keeping your operators and those around them safe. Here are a few tips to increase safety and efficiency.

1. Follow standard safety procedures. This should go without saying, but it’s critical that all operators follow the safety procedures in place. Before even starting, ensure each operator understands those procedures.
2. Understand that specific street sweeper. There are so many types of street sweepers. If your fleet includes different street sweepers, train operators on each specific machine. Some require a CDL. Some don’t. Operators should not only have the proper licenses, but also extensive familiarity with that specific sweeper before moving to sweeping regular routes.
3. Prioritize upkeep. A well-kept sweeper helps both safety and efficiency. It also extends the life of your street sweeper. First, if the sweeper is well maintained, then that reduces the chances of a problem while sweeping a regular route when it is more difficult to address. Second, if the sweeper is properly maintained, it’ll be more efficient. Less caked on dirt and debris helps it perform better. A walkaround inspection prior to operation is standard and helps ensure proper upkeep.
4. Plan for the weather. Street sweepers are essential for helping reduce debris on storm drains and reducing flooding. This is often true during spring street sweeping with heavy rains, but weather events occur all year long. Your operators need to understand how to handle those and a plan should be in place in the case of severe weather that pops up.
5. Optimize speed. Street sweeping requires a precise speed to productively clean streets, construction zones, and airports. Each operator should understand the right speeds and be familiar with how to move around obstacles in the sweeping path. Likewise, operators should understand how to make proper turns including not turning too fast.
6. Understand your load. Driving with a full hopper is different than driving with an empty one. Ensure your operators understand how weight increases the time needed to slow down to a complete stop. Likewise, ensure your operators know how to safely dump the hopper.
7. Help your operators. One of the best ways to help your operators stay safe and efficient is by removing barriers. This means increasing communication to alleviate parked vehicles in the sweeper’s path. Alert locals about when and where street sweeping will occur, so they can move their vehicles out of the way in advance.With the right training, your operators can sweep safely and efficiently. A thorough upfront training will help your sweeping operation in the long run. With an established dealer network that provides dependable sweepers across the globe, Elgin offers a variety of sweepers that help increase operators’ visibility, comfort, safety, and efficiency. Fill out this form for more information.