Week of 10 Sept. 12: Housekeeping Checkup

Jim Thompson (jthompson@taii.com)


 

You will recall we declared this the year of housekeeping.

How have you been doing? Still finding it a struggle? It is pretty simple, once you decide it is important.

First, set the standard you want to maintain.

Second, assign your entire property, fence to fence, top to bottom, to a manager.

Third, clean up and hold accountable from now on.

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As safety, production and maintenance improve, don't forget what caused the improvements. It was housekeeping. We said nothing about safety, production or maintenance when we talked about housekeeping, but they all improved anyway. That is the way it works.

Someone once said an asset is an asset only when it is making you money. If it is not making you money, it is a liability. So, all those dead pipes, all that dead piping, all those tanks and pumps abandoned in place--guess what--they are liabilities. A chunk of concrete, a hunk of iron only fits in one of two categories: assets or liabilities.

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A pump abandoned in place is difficult to work around. It is a trip hazard. Potentially, some bad fluid can mysteriously occupy it causing a huge clean up. It can be hit with a fork truck. You get the idea.

The silliest situations I often see are where there are great interior areas of abandoned equipment. A new process is needed, but there is no space. What does the mill want to do? Build more space! Obviously not the correct answer.

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If you have trouble, personally or corporately giving up items, you are not alone. There is an entire business, the storage locker business, built on the premise that large portions of the population are hoarders. As successful as that business appears to be, they must be correct.

Doesn't mean you must continue down that path. You can break the habit. When your mill site, as a whole breaks the habit, you can break out of being one of the pack and be a leader. I have seen it happen many times.

So, this week, tell us how you are coming along. You may do so here.

For safety this week, we clearly know that safety has a direct correlation to housekeeping. Have a poor safety record? I'll bet you have poor housekeeping, too.

Be safe and we will talk next week.


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