Inspect your Rig
Review your final quote and make sure everything you ordered is included. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to fully understand your rig. You should never leave with your rig confused or not ready to use it.
Inspect the interior of the rig to ensure you understand where everything is located. Each rig is built slightly different with parts and equipment in different locations. Before you walk out the door, ask your sale rep to take you through the rig and show you where everything is located. Even if you’ve had proper training, it’s still a good idea to become familiar with your rig.
Check the Exterior
Go around the outside of your rig to check for any blemishes, scratches, etc. Check the tires to see where the tread currently is, so you have a starting point to know how quickly your tread is wearing down. Most importantly, if you have a trailer, check the hitch and safety chains. Reports from the NHTSA show approximately 50,000 hitch accidents, annually. Check your lights on the trailer, to ensure your brake and hazard lights are in working order.
Power Up your Spray Rig
Typically, the manufacturer will run fluid through your machine to ensure it is in working order before leaving the facility. Regardless, you should power up the entire rig before leaving. There’s nothing worse than getting to a job site with your shiny new rig and everything is not running as expected. This doesn’t necessarily mean it is broken. It simply means there could be a minor step you are missing in startup that prevents the whole system from working.
Understand Peak Load Requirements
Another major cause of accidents, is overloading your trailer. It doesn’t seem like a big deal to add one more thing, but it can be detrimental to your safety and the safety of others while on the road. When considering peak load requirements, it’s not just the trailer that should be considered, but moreso the tires. Overloading tires is a quick way to puncture a tire or bend a rim and if either of these happen on the road, can be extremely dangerous.
Review Safety Requirements
Safety and PPE are definitely things you will learn about during the process of purchasing a rig. Beyond safety while spraying material, there are other safety concerns. Transportation safety and related OSHA requirements such as the following:
“29 CFR 1910.151. The standard is familiar: Employers must ensure that medical personnel are readily available for advice and consultation, a person or persons on site are trained in first aid, and first aid supplies are readily available. In addition, facilities for emergency drenching or flushing of the eyes and body must be present within work areas where a worker’s eyes or body may be exposed to harmful corrosive materials.” (see OSHA’s 1910.266 App A for First Aid Contents)
