What advice does XML-MED give you to better control your EPI consumption?

15 April 2022

Let’s make it simple! The pandemic is not over yet. The number of positive cases is still rising. But under such circumstances, how can you better control your consumption?

In this article, we give you some tips on how to plan your expenses on PPE in order to optimize them.

As a purchaser or user, it is not always easy to receive all the exact information and spendings on your products.

However, it seems that certain information such origin, usage (sectors,…), who it is intend to, the individual consumption, the consumption by sectors,… is not always available. And we know well that this information would be indeed very useful to plan and optimize budget and purchasing process.

Our advice:

Split your orders by department or by activity

To budget more accurately, it is best to order by department or activity. This will give you a better overview of the costs related to the activity. This will structure the elements and more easily spot eventual consumption differences of each department.

You could, for example, check on residual stocks in some departments and dispatch them to other ones before buying new equipment.

Monitor usage

Encourage your employees to record their individual consumption. To do this, provide them with free-use products that they can take when they need them. Provide any user-friendly system (record, app,…) that will allow them to record the number of pieces they need.

By recording the consumption per person, it also allows you to identify under- or over-consumption of certain equipment. In the same way, you can find out why certain products are consumed too little or too much, and adjust if necessary.

Is there a reason why protective equipment has to be changed so often? Does the PPE suit the activity it’s supposed to be used for?

Does the PPE provide sufficient comfort to work safely? Do employees know that this product is also available?

These questions will be answered more efficiently by linking your orders to your employees.

Record episodic purchases separately

Some non-routine products are often bought for special occasions, but were never calculated in the initial budget.

To avoid this, set up a fairly substantial “security” budget which will allow you to avoid dipping into another product’s portfolio.

A well-known example is the arrival of Covid-19 which has resulted in unplanned additional expenses.

Be organised - use software

We also recommend that you create a table with the number purchased and the number used.

This will give you an overview of consumption and potential new orders.

Also read: FOLLOW OUR ADVICE AND BUY YOUR PPE WISELY…

As a conclusion

If you always keep track of your safety equipment purchases, after only a few months you will notice trends and changes in consumption and will be able to take the necessary measures.

You will also have all the arguments to make savings when necessary or to invest if needed.

We hope that your next budgets will be much easier to draw up. 😉