In today’s century, school is one of the most efficient ways of educating, disciplining, and sharpening our children’s skills, knowledge, and other key benefits in their lives. And what better way to ensure that they are safe than having a perfect School Building Maintenance Checklist. It provides safety for students and reduces human errors, which can lead to chances of injury for all people in the school.
While there are many buildings in the school environment, workers find maintaining the buildings and grounds challenging. But a perfect maintenance checklist makes the work easier and faster. A school also needs experts who can generate and plan a good checklist. An ideal day to do school maintenance is when students are at home to avoid distractions. The following are top pointers that can be included in a school building maintenance cost.
Cleaning and Disinfection
This is one of the essential factors in a school building maintenance checklist. Planning a thorough cleaning and disinfecting strategy is important in ensuring that all grounds and edges of the buildings are safe from dust and other chemical substances.
Not only will you deep clean and disinfect the school once, but you will need to continuously clean and disinfect the school on a regular schedule. A school needs experienced workers to conduct cleaning and disinfecting the school. Skills and experience the school will be looking at may include:
- A reasonable level of fitness.
- A punctual, reliable, and trustworthy worker.
- Able to manage time effectively.
- Ability to work both alone and in a team.
- Have knowledge of health and safety procedures.
- Reading skills for following instructions.
- Math’s skills for measuring the correct value for cleaning fluids and disinfectors.
The commonly used disinfectant chemicals are Chlorine, Calcium, Sodium hypochlorite, Phenol, ethanol, and quaternary ammonium compounds.
HVAC Systems
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning are essential in all school buildings, ensuring that students are comfortable and safe. HVAC systems are mainly divided into four categories in different sizes and designs. These four categories include:
- Heating and cooling systems.
- Hybrid split system.
- Duck-free “mini-split.”
- Packaged heating and air conditioning systems.
It would be perfect if a school included an HVAC system that contained all the categories. HVAC systems are important assets in schools as they deal with hot or cold weather. A good HVAC system will supply fresh air and exhaust pollutants, bacteria, moisture, and bad smells. HVAC systems in school facilities should be maintained and treated with care. HVAC systems should have a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly maintenance schedule. Each HVAC systems category has a different maintenance method which includes:
Heating Systems
School facilities use heating systems to warm the buildings when the rooms are used. The following are some important tips for maintaining heating systems:
- Check the thermostat to make sure things are working well.
- Check and replace filters.
- Tune up the heat pump.
- Keep the outside unit clean.
- Clean the internal vents.
- Do Not Overwork the system.
Ventilation System
A good maintenance routine for ventilation systems would include:
- Check and clean blocked filters and shafts for better airflow.
- Clean dirty heat exchange surfaces.
- Unblock condensate drain
- Check and fix loose belts, nuts, bolts, and bearings.
Air Conditioner
A school facility should ensure that an expert technician maintains an air conditioner system every month or two during the cooling season. The following are important ways to maintain air conditioner systems.
- Check, change, or clean the air filter.
- Clean the coils.
- Check and clean the fins.
- Check the fan and motor for wear and tear.
- Clean the condenser unit of leaves and debris.
Safety and Alarm systems
School facilities should include safety and alarm systems in their maintenance checklist. Safety and alarm systems help detect threats like burglary, fire, carbon monoxide poisoning, and water damage. Safety systems or plans are essential for use when a threat is detected.
Students and other employees in the school use these safety plans to stay safe until the threat is eliminated. Safety and alarm systems should be maintained and treated with care every month. The following are tips for safety and alarm maintenance.
- Update the alarm system regularly.
- Keep the sensors clear of dust and debris.
- Check all safety systems to see whether they are in order and visible.
- Keep updating safety measures and add new ones to all the school buildings.
The commonly used safety and alarms systems include fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers, exit lights, signage, and egress plans.
Plumbing fixtures and Systems
The plumbing system is an important asset in a school facility that many students and staff widely use. The Plumbing system might run into problems and needs to be maintained and fixed regularly.
Not only might it start to malfunction, but it is good to remove dust and cobwebs that might clog your system. The plumbing systems include water heaters, sinks, showers, and toilets. The following are tips to maintain a perfect plumbing system:
- Check tank leaks
- Clean toilets and sinks more than a thrice a day.
- Install mesh drain covers.
- Clean and flush your water heater.
- Clean showerheads with vinegar.
Kitchens Assets
The favorite class for all students is always lunchtime. Students usually prefer schools with quality meals delivered by the school. It is good for a school to purchase good kitchen assets. Including the kitchen assets in the school maintenance checklist is a perfect idea.
Kitchen assets should be maintained regularly to avoid food going bad due to malfunctioning assets. Some kitchen assets include fridges, refrigerators, ovens, slicers, and food processors.
Roof Inspections
If there is no proper roof inspection strategy, it can cost the school to replace the entire roof system, or the roof might fall and cause serious injuries. Roof inspections help to detect damage or structural issues.
When the roof is inspected and maintained regularly, it ensures a safe environment for students and staff. Technology has introduced smart devices like drones to check dangerous and high-up places that cannot be accessed.
Conclusion
A perfect school building maintenance checklist offers many benefits to the students, teachers, and other staff. The pointers above should be available for any school maintenance checklist. This means that the school will be safe and comfortable for students and staff throughout the rest of the school year.