When something goes wrong inside your facility, you’ll probably ask yourself whether something could have been done to prevent it. In some cases, the answer is no. For the most part, however, problems can be avoided by simply paying attention and putting the proper precautions in place -- this is the essence of proper preventive maintenance. Whereas reactive maintenance involves quickly responding to an incident, preventive maintenance aims to minimize or avert the problem entirely. As facilities like schools and businesses transition to winter weather, preventive maintenance must become a top priority. Let’s go over five reasons to prioritize preventive maintenance in your building, regardless of the industry you’re in.

Five Reasons to Prioritize Preventive Maintenance in Your Building

1. Identify Potential Problems Early On

The best approach to preventive building maintenance is one that covers every room and feature within a facility, with close attention paid to systems and assets that involve more moving parts or have been around for quite some time. In older buildings that feature two-pipe systems, for instance, late fall and early winter is the time when cooling systems are turned off, and heating systems are turned on -- this is the ideal time to closely inspect components like the large boiler to see if any repairs are necessary. Failing to take this time can result in heating inefficiencies and increase the risk of fires, whereas prioritizing preventive maintenance will help uncover any budding problems so they can be resolved in a timely and safe manner. The earlier these issues are caught, the easier (and cheaper) they are to fix, too.

2. Keep Occupants Healthy and Safe

Preventive maintenance is also necessary for maintaining a safe environment for those inside the building. More often than not, workplace injuries and illnesses stem from a lack of proper maintenance. Slips, trips, and falls, for instance, are more likely to occur when floors are allowed to become wet and/or dirty, or obstructions aren’t removed in a timely fashion. As for illness, diseases more easily spread in facilities with poor indoor air quality (IAQ), often resulting from outdated air filters, poor ventilation, lack of efficient purification, and so on. Structural concerns also pose a major threat to occupants - preventive maintenance is meant to ensure a building’s integrity to avoid such outcomes. Simply put, comprehensive property maintenance services who focus on preventive measures make facilities safer, healthier, and more comfortable for everyone inside.

3. Save Time and Money in the Long Run

A school or business’ physical location is often one of its greatest assets, but it can also become its greatest liability if it’s encumbered with large repairs on a regular basis. While some major repairs are unavoidable, many of them result from a lack of proper preventive maintenance. As mentioned earlier, regularly inspecting your facility and its assets allows you to catch warning signs in their early stages and nip them in the bud. In doing so, you can save loads of time and money over the long-term, as investing in smaller fixes is far less costly and time-consuming than tackling major repairs and replacements (which also often result in facility shutdowns and other interferences). If you’re looking for ways to trim the fat of your expenditures, then focusing more on preventive maintenance (and therefore less on reactive maintenance) is the way to go.

4. Improve Efficiency

Reducing the need for repairs and replacements isn’t the only way preventive maintenance helps you bolster your bottom line. However, staying on top of pre-emptive maintenance also improves operational efficiency in more ways than one. Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software is a staple in modern preventive maintenance protocols. This software allows facility management and maintenance staff to schedule and map out routine maintenance tasks, organize and analyze information in a comprehensive database, automate certain duties, and more. Ultimately, this digitized system makes it easier to stick to a strong preventive maintenance regimen as well as point facility maintenance services in the right direction in terms of where to look and which tasks to prioritize over others. And when your building’s equipment receives the proper care at the right time, it will run more efficiently.

5. Protect Your Assets

Last but certainly not least, preventive maintenance is necessary for ensuring your assets stand the test of time. Just as retaining an existing customer is less costly than acquiring a new one, holding onto your current equipment is more cost-effective than replacing it every time something goes wrong. In any industry, certain objects, features, and systems will need to be replaced over time, but it’s simply not practical or sustainable for a business to constantly change out the equipment they currently use for newer versions. Conducting regular inspections and making necessary adjustments and repairs to your various assets allows you to get the most use out of them over time and, in turn, save time and money.

The Power of Prevention

Deploying a quick and effective response to a sudden problem is undoubtedly important -- however, it’s better to anticipate the problem so you can avoid it altogether. Developing a strong preventive maintenance program for your facility allows you to identify budding concerns, ensure the ongoing health and safety of all occupants, reduce costs, improve efficiency, and protect your assets. At The Budd Group, we have the experience and resources to create and deliver optimized preventive maintenance solutions for our clients across all industries.

To learn more about our services and values, give us a call today at 800-221-8158!