Why stuck manholes are making your organisation less efficient

Smooth operations are key to organisational success.

Delays impact productivity and project schedules, as well as push back deadlines. Some can’t be avoided, but some can – identifying where delays can be avoided or at least minimised should be a high priority for any operations director. Despite this, organisations worldwide have largely failed to recognise how stuck covers and manholes prevent their operatives and workers from being as efficient as possible.

The impact on efficiency

Any employee who needs to access underground infrastructure will inevitably encounter stuck and/or seized access covers at some point and they will generally use a variety of tools and techniques to try to open them. Due to a lack of standardisation concerning equipment, practice and processes, wasted time is the result.

Without defined procedures, operatives do not know how long they should spend trying to move a stuck cover. Common ad-hoc methods include the use of screwdrivers and crowbars as leverage. Using a hammer to strike around the edges of a cover is another frequently used technique. These methods require operatives to exert themselves, often stooping and bending, which increases the risk of injury. Unsure of how best to proceed if these methods fail, operatives may call colleagues for support, resulting in more employees being unproductive.

How the CoverUp Key can help make your operatives more efficient

The CoverUp Key is the only tool designed specifically to move stuck and seized access covers. With a unique, patented slide-hammer mechanism, the key delivers repeated upward impact force to the underside of covers. Known as cyclical impact, this force is proven to be the most appropriate type of force to be used when trying to free a stuck cover. Impact overcomes friction more effectively due to micro movements between surfaces as the impact force is applied.  This method is more efficient than a single applied lifting force. Operatives need to exert less effort and – thanks to the key’s ergonomic design – do not need to bend or stoop, significantly reducing the likelihood of injury and associated downtime.

Implementing defined processes with the CoverUp Key

As the only tool designed for this purpose and priced economically, the key offers an easy-to-implement solution. Providing employees with the key and establishing standard procedures to follow when stuck covers are encountered is essential. For example, if employees know they are to attempt to move any such cover using the CoverUp Key and, if unsuccessful after 10 to 20 strikes, move on to a new task and schedule remediation of the stuck cover another time, overall productivity will improve.

Conclusion

The lack of established processes and best practices for dealing with stuck access and manhole covers is causing inefficiencies and delays within organisations. However, the CoverUp Key offers a simple, cost-effective solution.

Operations professionals should audit current practices and assess how frequently stuck manhole and access covers impact projects and objectives. In the likely event that the audit confirms this is a recurring issue, a small-scale trial of the key with a subset of the workforce can be implemented, allowing measurable benefits to both efficiency and employee safety to be assessed.

For a detailed scientific explanation of what makes our key so effective, you can download a copy of our whitepaper ‘How to Raise Manhole and Inspection Covers Safely’. We can also provide a demonstration of the key and help you deploy a pilot programme within your organisation, giving you the opportunity to track its positive impact on a small scale before implementing it companywide.