FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
SIGNAGE Q&A
Fraser Burns, Managing Director at Cygnia Maintenance, answers some frequently asked questions on the areas to consider when reviewing signage needs.
What should business owners focus on before opening again?
Health and safety must without doubt be the first priority. Winter weather and empty premises may have seen signs damaged and health and safety issues that would have normally been raised by diligent shop staff missed. It is not possible to see damage by just looking at a sign, especially signs located at great height. Often it isn’t the signage that has failed; it is the poor condition of background materials and fixings that fasten it to the wall. No business should assume that signage is safe and secure without a detailed health and safety check.
Signage is the first impression your business can make. A clean, illuminated and well maintained sign will present your business at its best and allow you to stand out against your competitors.
What are the most repetitive signage issues your engineer teams see?
Apart from the bus stop signage that we see damaged by delivery drivers on a daily basis! The issues we see all too often are illumination faults, bird mess and signs installed without adequate weather proof flashing.
Worst still we see over cladding and most worryingly signs fixed over old signage and to deteriorating timber sub-fascia and or signs installed with insufficient or inappropriate fixings for the sub-fascia and substrate. These can all lead on to much bigger issues and most are due to either a lack of or inconsistent maintenance and management. These issues all bring potential risk.
How can facilities managers best manage signage risk and ensure staff and customers are safe?
Risk can be managed by quite simply managing the security of fixings across your estate. Our intrusive inspections allow our clients to actually understand what is above their staff and customers’ heads! Suspected safety issues are investigated using market leading portable testers to test the crucial holding force of anchors and fixings of the signage through every level. The issues can then be quickly resolved and managed. The consequences of not taking action can vary greatly; from a poor business image and damage to your signage, to a dangerous incident involving a customer or member of your team from a falling sign.
Ultimately, we would recommend all business owners undertake at least one full estate review annually. This can then be tailored based on findings to best suit on-going needs. This will be dependent upon many factors including age of estate, locations (including localised guttering and drainage) and usage.
The pandemic has reshaped many businesses, especially retail. What advice would you give as the most cost-effective way to manage estate signage when businesses are struggling to find budget?
After a tough year for many businesses we work with our clients to implement maintenance programmes based upon sound risk assessment principles (likelihood v severity).
On a recent Cygnia customer review those that have a Planned Preventative Maintenance programme (PPM) in place had fewer health and safety issues and extended the life of their signage compared to customers who manage their estates on a reactive basis. Within a PPM our engineers are able to identify issues and quickly resolve to avoid the need for signage replacement.
For those clients who are not in a position to undertake a full estate PPM we suggest a review of 5–10 per cent sample selection of the estate with a fully intrusive service to really understand the condition and overall support needed for the entire estate. This gives detailed information allowing further fact-based decision making.
Managing your estate with reactive maintenance support leaves you exposed to potentially unexpected capital expenditure. A PPM programme helps you manage budgets and actually reduce reactive maintenance spend. Our PPM clients receive our essential ‘Sign Health Check’ to test the safety, security and effectiveness of their current signage fixings. A signage asset register can also be built advising age, condition and estimated life expectancy so you are able to forecast spending and be proactive rather than reactive.
Maintenance should be focussed on delivering sustainable solutions. Our engineers can improve both the condition and energy efficiency of your signage. LED retrofits provide much needed efficiency and financial pay back as well as improved visual appearance.
