Beyond A Standard Lighting Inspection: The Benefits of a Structural Rating Plan
Most businesses and municipalities assume more of a reactive posturing with their large lighting assets. Retail parking lot posts, utility poles, and even athletic field lighting often get regularly overlooked … until a problem arises. For many property owners and managers, pursuing inspection or maintenance on commercial outdoor area lighting only occurs after noticing visible damage or, worse yet, experiencing a structural break.
The Benefits of a Structural Rating Plan
Ignoring Your Lighting Assets Can Have a Negative Impact on Your Business or Community
Unfortunately, ignoring the routine upkeep and assessment of your commercial or community lighting assets can have significant and dire consequences. Additionally, standard lighting inspections from electricians who don’t hold proper inspection certifications typically don’t deliver a deep dive into the structural integrity and performance capabilities of assessed structures. Instead, these evaluations often only offer preliminary insight on basic functionality and/or cosmetic blemishes alone, increasing the risk of overlooking a substantial pole compromise that can quickly erode beyond repair or even cause the fixture to fall.
Structural Health Ratings Deliver Big-Picture Asset Intelligence
The best way to maintain the value, longevity, and functionality of your large lighting assets is to go beyond a typical lighting inspection and opt instead for a structural health rating on every pole and structure on your property or across your organization. Unlike other assessments that require few mandatory credentials (if any), structural health ratings are conducted by skilled, qualified, and certified inspectors who hold extensive classroom and infield experience hours. Additionally, structural health ratings on exterior fixtures include more than reactive lighting maintenance and superficial measures by carefully evaluating all components of the structure, including:
- Foundation
- Base Plates
- Fixtures
- Shaft of Pole
- Anchor Rods/Hardware
A qualified and credentialed inspector will systematically conduct a full suite of non-destructive testing (NDT) assessments to pinpoint areas of corrosion and distress, cracks in the baseplate, wall loss, manufacturing defects, and age or fatigue-related issues. After completing the rigorous testing, your chosen vendor assigns a specific grade to every pole as a baseline for remediation and repair recommendations as well as comprehensive asset management solutions in the future.
Consistent Lighting Structure Inspections Can Yield Several Mission-Critical Benefits
Making consistent lighting structure inspections part of your maintenance best practices can deliver a diverse range of benefits, such as:
Increased Safety
An architecturally unsound fixture can pose a serious safety threat to anyone on your property. Conducting a thorough analysis of all in-use fixtures can identify a structural vulnerability before an incident occurs, helping to safeguard any nearby guests for optimal peace of mind. Additionally, maintaining these structures also mitigates your corporate liability, and ultimately, protects your brand’s reputation from enduring the public backlash of subjecting consumers and patrons to unsafe equipment.
Cost Savings
Yes, routine assessments and upholding a high structural health rating on every individual pole will initially incur more upfront costs for companies currently not performing any assessments at all. However, consistent evaluations can identify areas of distress, corrosion, and fatigue while in their initial stages, allowing you to implement preventative measures before they become unmanageable. Over time, systematic analysis and management of these assets can help you avoid large-scale repairs and replacements. Your chosen certified inspector will have the technical expertise needed to make strategic remediation suggestions for the most budget-efficient solution available.
Product Longevity
As with any capital asset, consistent maintenance plays a critical role in preserving, and in many cases, prolonging the lifespan of any piece of equipment. The same is true of area lighting. Methodically testing each pole allows owners to stay ahead of wear and tear concerns, reinforcing and repairing each structure as needed for extended product longevity. Exo Inc.’s team of certified outdoor commercial lighting inspectors helps business and property owners identify structural and functional compromises for long-term benefits. Contact us to schedule a no-risk property assessment today.
Get Started with Exo
Ready to Work With Us?
Our team would love to talk to you, so we can learn about your lighting company’s goals and primary areas of concern. Contact us today, and we’ll help you take the first step in creating a comprehensive lighting asset management program. Give us a call at 281-259-7000.
