Gone are the days when property inspectors would get away with using a flash light, a dust mask, a note pad and an electrical tester. The modern property inspector needs to be more sophisticated than this if he or she is going to deliver unique in-depth reports. The risks involved in a typical property inspection have risen with the modernization of society, making it necessary for an inspector to have equipment not only for data collection and analysis but safety too. Here are some of the things any inspector should have.

Respirators

Now, there are some inspectors who find the respirator cumbersome and especially uncomfortable to wear in the heat. It is a relatively heavy piece of equipment to tote around and many inspectors would rather just use a regular dust mask. The danger with using a regular gas mask is that it does not keep out organic hazards like bacterial and fungal organisms. Dust masks are also powerless against carcinogens like asbestos particles.

There are two types of respirators available; the half-face and full-face respirator. The half-face respirator covers the nose and mouth and is harnessed around the years to stay in place. The full-face respirator on the other hand covers the nose, mouth and eyes. It is harnessed around the head. The full-face mask provides better overall protection, and in addition does away with the need for safety glasses.

The combustible-gas detector

Old school property inspectors trusted their nose when it came to testing for combustible gases. This is because many combustible gasses would usually have an odor that our noses can easily pick out. Today, however, there are combustible gasses that have odors which cannot be detected by the nose. In other cases, the amount of gasses in the air might be too small for the human nose to pick out. Sometimes the inspector has flu and is inhibited from catching odors that he or she is able to detect when not infected. For these reasons, it’s important to have an industrial-grade combustible gas detector. This will not only help catch those rare combustible gases but also protect the inspector from being hit with an Errors and Omission suit should a building catch fire.

Multimedia device

The property inspection field today has at its disposal some of the most impressive software and apps that developers can build. It would therefore be a sham if a serious inspector did not have the devices to take advantage of these products. Multimedia devices like smart phones, tablets and laptops easily replace still cameras, video cameras, note pads and infra red cameras, to name a few. They also make it easy for the inspector to share reports and pictures easily with other inspectors and clients.

Other tools that a property inspector should consider having include random monitors, carbon monoxide detectors and analyzers, voltage indicators, a pair of nice gloves and traction roof boots for easy movement when inspecting roofs.