diff --git a/InvenTree/InvenTree/tasks.py b/InvenTree/InvenTree/tasks.py
index ca84f93ee7..96f53e1e4c 100644
--- a/InvenTree/InvenTree/tasks.py
+++ b/InvenTree/InvenTree/tasks.py
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import logging
 
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 
-from django_q.models import Success
 from django.core.exceptions import AppRegistryNotReady
 from django.db.utils import OperationalError, ProgrammingError
 
@@ -52,6 +51,12 @@ def heartbeat():
     (There is probably a less "hacky" way of achieving this)?
     """
 
+    try:
+        from django_q.models import Success
+        logger.warning("Could not perform heartbeat task - App registry not ready")
+    except AppRegistryNotReady:
+        return
+
     threshold = datetime.now() - timedelta(minutes=30)
 
     # Delete heartbeat results more than half an hour old,
diff --git a/InvenTree/InvenTree/tests.py b/InvenTree/InvenTree/tests.py
index 5fadb7b68d..0da45e9373 100644
--- a/InvenTree/InvenTree/tests.py
+++ b/InvenTree/InvenTree/tests.py
@@ -273,6 +273,9 @@ class TestSerialNumberExtraction(TestCase):
 
 
 class TestVersionNumber(TestCase):
+    """
+    Unit tests for version number functions
+    """ 
 
     def test_tuple(self):
 
@@ -282,3 +285,18 @@ class TestVersionNumber(TestCase):
         s = '.'.join([str(i) for i in v])
 
         self.assertTrue(s in version.inventreeVersion())
+
+    def test_comparison(self):
+        """
+        Test direct comparison of version numbers
+        """
+
+        v_a = version.inventreeVersionTuple('1.2.0')
+        v_b = version.inventreeVersionTuple('1.2.3')
+        v_c = version.inventreeVersionTuple('1.2.4')
+        v_d = version.inventreeVersionTuple('2.0.0')
+
+        self.assertTrue(v_b > v_a)
+        self.assertTrue(v_c > v_b)
+        self.assertTrue(v_d > v_c)
+        self.assertTrue(v_d > v_a)