There are some advantages to working from home. There is also a downside! The office is always but a few steps away and both business telephone line and computer work on regardless. Finding a balance between home life and work commitments can be a stiff test. Fortunately I seem to get it right most of the time. At least that is my story but I think Veronica would concur. Hope so!
Inspection jobs started up immediately after Easter. So close in fact that the first one in Keighley needed to be combined with saying goodbye to family at Manchester Airport. Convenient geographically at least.
Wednesday: Post installation inspection. A large new extension to an existing and clearly very popular play centre. Very good to see business success leading to an expansion of a facility especially during this severe economic downturn. And a new team leader appointment seemingly working so well there. The owner seemed very pleased and certainly she appeared to me to have the right range of organisational and team management skills during our brief encounter. So very important staffing and staff management. Now that the design, manufacture and installation of these indoor play facilities has markedly improved over the last 20 years their safety more and more depends upon the operational systems in place and how well they are applied. And that comes down to staff and their management. Get that right and everything else falls into place.
Thursday: Today I’m heading for a Sure Start children’s centre in Greater Manchester. And quite the smallest multi-level indoor play frame I have ever inspected! Tucked into an alcove in a community play room it almost resembled a rather deep bookcase! Certainly it tested my own climbing capabilities. Must lose weight! Unknown supplier and an interesting use of perforated plastic panelling instead of mesh netting. Some repairs and maintenance needed and these were identified and photographed for my Report.
Monday: The first of two trips this week to Ireland. That means a very early start to get to East Midland Airport on time for the BMI Baby morning flight to Belfast International. But it doesn't stop there for the job is almost on the Donegal coast way over to the west. Breathtakingly beautiful journey along generally quiet roads and the drive through the Glenveagh National Park was stunning, a wilderness landscape so remote and so hauntingly beautiful. New play centre located in a health club that is itself located within an impressive hotel. Already in use whilst I was there and a small child found my clipboard and Biro whilst I was inspecting a horizontal roller squeeze and when I got back to it to make notes it had been totally scribbled upon! Occupational hazard - force a smile and press on!
Wednesday: An even earlier start for an even earlier flight this time by RyanAir to Dublin. And if that’s not enough there’s the morning traffic into the city! Only 45 minutes to the site I had been told! Well, two and a half hours after touch-down I was walking through the new play centre’s front door! But a great new site and a lovely client to do business with. He makes good coffee too!
Nick Balmforth is an inspector of Soft Play areas and is renowned for his expertise and knowledge of creating and operating safe Indoor Play areas. This blog is an excerpt of his diary which he shares with the Shareandcompareplay.com community in the hope that regular communication and insight will benefit the industry and raise standards.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment