We recently spoke with a customer that bought a PowerMate to enhance jobsite safety. The company in question had been using a regular non-powered hand truck for water heater deliveries and wanted something to help offset the lost-time injuries they had been experiencing of late. (Moving water heaters can be back-breaking work, especially removing old water heaters encrusted with calcium from local hard water.)

The company bought two L-1 stair climbers and added the machines to their tool closet assuming the technicians would start using them right away. The company elected to take a pass on the training option offered by PowerMate. To their general surprise there was reluctance on the part of the technicians to use the PowerMate machines even though they knew that using the PowerMate on a regular basis would substantially reduce injuries.

We call this an issue of compliance and it is easily addressed. Lack of compliance can sometimes happen when skilled technicians are provided a new tool without training. Technicians know that without proper training there is a risk of misusing the machinery. This is how technicians are trained. You don’t become certified to install gas appliances without a few hours of training for example. Technicians know the value of training and come to expect it when the rules change. The introduction of a piece of safety moving equipment without a proper training program just does not make sense to them. Non-compliance using the new machinery is their response.

Training provides operators with the knowledge base and skills they require to use the machines with confidence. In the case of this particular client, once the technicians had the training they requested there was universal agreement on the superiority of the new system with full compliance as the result.

PowerMate recommends that everyone not familiar with using our products to take a short training session. This not only provides instruction on the safe and efficient use of the product but also provides valuable tips and tricks for maneuvering heavy loads in specific situations – like tight landings for example.

For more information on PowerMate products and training call: 1-800-697-6283