Twelve Strategies for Facilities Maintenance

Proper maintenance of a facility can save you money by extending the life of your facility and your equipment. Plus, proper maintenance can also keep people safe from harm. As part of your business operations, maintenance should be actively approached and include both cleaning and making minor and major repairs. Consider the following strategies to successfully maintain your facility:

1. ​Develop a daily, weekly and monthly maintenance plan. Schedule and prioritize the areas of your facility that need more frequent attention.
2. Develop an annual or other term-period maintenance plan. Schedule and prioritize the areas of your facility that need less frequent attention.
3. Designate staff versus professional maintenance. Maintenance done in-house might be cheaper, but for the more complex projects you may need to hire outside experts.
4. Anticipate scheduling all professional maintenance in advance so that it can be performed on schedule.
5. Expect that part or all of a facility might need to be closed to keep guests and staff safe during maintenance.
   
6. Warn guests and staff of any closed area and provide any alternative directions for facility use despite the closed section.
7. Conduct regular visual inspections of the premises with daily inspections to areas of frequent use or of greater potential harm.
8. Plan for funding of large capital maintenance projects.
9. Secure adequate insurance for the facility and minimize exclusions to the insurance policy.
10. Document all maintenance. Documentation is good to ensure that your staff is adhering to the maintenance schedule and may be used as evidence in the event of a lawsuit or an insurance claim.
11. Adjust your maintenance schedule as needed. Emergencies may occur or new events may be scheduled in your facility, which may change the priority of a maintenance schedule.
12. Periodically evaluate your maintenance schedule and make appropriate changes and updates.