It happens to the best of us.
Just when you think everything is running smoothly, the proverbial wrench gets thrown into the works and you now have an emergency on your hands.
And for some reason, it always seems like emergencies happen at exactly the wrong time.
Why can’t the emergencies happen to the morning shift guy? I mean, he’s just eating Entenmann’s cakes over there, no problems, clocks out at 4:58, then you come in, and it’s like the worst gasket emergency of all time.
Anyway, we’re all adults here and it’s no time to point fingers.
You’ve got a crisis to deal with.
And here’s some good news: we actually love to deal with custom emergency replacement gaskets. We can even ship them the same day.
Let us take care of the hassle, and why don’t you take it easy with a few selections from this short list of things you can do while we’re sweating it out on your custom order.
Get a headstart on the repair
Getting time back on the clock is a major advantage. Take this opportunity to get a jump on any repairs that are needed to remedy the emergency.
Depending on the severity of the situation, now might be a good time to…
● Alert any parties that need to be aware of the incident.
● Order other replacement parts.
● Schedule a work detail to address the issue that caused the emergency.
● Check other systems, pipes, fittings, gaskets, etc. to determine if there are any other issues that may be part of the chain of events that led to the emergency.
Obviously your facility will have a manual or a standard operating procedure that should address these concerns, but nonetheless, this is a great time to start the process of fixing what went wrong.
Eat at least one of the Entenmann’s cakes the day shift guy brought in
This one really should be first.
He’s got them stocked up over there – crumb cake for Monday, crunch cake for Tuesday, lemon loaf cake for Wednesday; it’s a veritable buffet.
You should ask first, but there’s probably enough to share.
Each of them is in fact a whole cake, after all. Indeed they’re delicious, but no one needs to be eating one everyday.
Live it up a little, kick that can of Maxwell House to the curb, brew the nice coffee you brought in, get down with that cake and a plastic fork, sit back, and laugh your head off at how good you have it.
Maybe just do that once, though.
Catch up on your backlog
You’re so responsible. Look at you going right to this point and skipping the cake one!
Seriously, if you’re not dealing with a mission-critical issue, now might be a good opportunity to knock out that list of tasks that you normally wouldn’t make eye contact with.
Emergencies tend to focus our attention on the moment. Other important tasks may be just as important, but because you’re so busy with everything else, they get shelved for a later date.
Dust off that clipboard and power through the top three priorities on your backlog.
And make the morning shift guy help. It’ll be good for him.
Do something fun!
Fun is relative, right?
For some people, fun is synonymous with organizing a closet or catching up on your backlog (see above).
Maybe you’ll find something that does it for you in this list of fun things to do with your downtime:
● Try stacking M&Ms for the new Guinness World Record.
● Take a walk outside (people do that?).
● Set up a lunch break board game club at work.
● Check out this drummer going bananas. He really hits his groove about a minute in.
● Go peaceful with nature sounds from this Rocky Mountain River.
● Wait for Old Faithful to erupt – and watch it live.
● Clear out your inbox.
Whatever you do, you won’t be worrying about that gasket order.
Build an emergency plan to sidestep future issues
Emergencies come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they’re serious and dangerous, requiring immediate remediation. Other times they don’t threaten life or property, but they do threaten your business’ bottom line.
Regardless of the emergency, it’s smart to think ahead and plan for the worst. Here are a few pointers:
● Work with your team or supervisor to document your emergency plan.
● Consider what kinds of gaskets you should keep on hand. How many?
● Make a list of critical suppliers and note which ones are open after hours or can help with custom emergency replacements.
● Create or update your inventory system to identify gaps in critical supply counts.
● Regularly check systems, follow maintenance guidelines, and communicate with your team about the importance of safety and upkeep.
Start your own industrial blog
When I search for “hottest trends in pipe fitting,” do you know what I get?
That’s unacceptable in this day and age. With so many level-headed industrial workers out there, there should be some really cool blogs, too.
The possibilities are endless…
Try crafting
Hear me out on this one. I know this doesn’t necessarily fit the mold, but you can make some killer crafts in no time.
Look at what some of these folks are doing…
● Who doesn’t want a chair made out of belts?
● Or a cool beer holder complete with an opener on the side?
● Or (what appears to be) an oil lamp made out of a beer bottle?
Or start with the basics that anyone can do.
Just don’t create another emergency.
Last but not least
Don’t worry.
We’ve got you covered. Your emergency is important to us and we take your problem seriously- even if we like to have fun on our blog.
Gorilla Gasket
1012 N 1st St
Artesia, NM 88210
(575) 336-1446
Find us on Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/GorillaGasket