What is emergency maintenance?

Emergency maintenance requests typically bypass regular scheduling, as organizations prioritize a rapid response to restore the safety, function or integrity of equipment, facilities or systems. Because of the priority given to repairing a piece of equipment with emergency maintenance work, it is common for this strategy to result in interruptions and delays.

This type of maintenance is necessary during situations when there are safety hazards, equipment failure or property damage. Common examples of emergency maintenance issues include:

• Natural gas leaks
• Water leaks
• Fire damage
• Exposed electrical wires
• Burst pipes
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system failure
• Broken water lines

Emergency maintenance can be both costly and inefficient. The best way to avoid emergency maintenance is through proactive maintenance. An organization with a proactive maintenance strategy uses preventive and predictive maintenance capabilities such as machine learning, data analytics and asset health monitoring to perform planned maintenance on assets before they break. 

However, even with a comprehensive proactive maintenance strategy, emergency maintenance will still likely occur. Equipment and systems can fail unexpectedly due to various factors, such as overuse, environmental conditions or human error. Being prepared for emergency maintenance helps organizations react to and address these unforeseen failures, in both facilities and equipment.

Emergency maintenance is a reactive maintenance strategy. Reactive maintenance, sometimes called corrective maintenance or breakdown maintenance, refers to an equipment maintenance strategy where maintenance is done after an asset has failed. For example, if a hot water heater fails in the middle of winter, a plumber is called to fix it as soon as possible to restore a comfortable environment.

Reactive maintenance strategies might seem cheaper initially but are considered less cost-effective over time. Fixing issues as they arise can lead to higher costs due to unplanned downtime, more extensive repairs and potential damage to other equipment or systems.

Proactive maintenance, also called routine maintenance or planned maintenance, stands in contrast to reactive maintenance. As its name indicates, planned maintenance entails using checklists maintenance records, work orders and performance metrics to help technicians spot opportunities to perform planned maintenance on assets before they break. Planned maintenance strategies might also use data to better anticipate and proactively address asset degradation or malfunction. Some common proactive maintenance strategies include:

• Preventive maintenance: A preventative or preventive maintenance program is the act of completing regularly scheduled maintenance activities to prevent unexpected failures in the future. Learn more.
  
  
• Predictive maintenance: Predictive maintenance builds on condition-based monitoring to optimize the performance and lifespan of equipment by continually assessing its health in real time. Learn more.
  
  
• Reliability-centered maintenance: Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) is a customized maintenance process with the goal of maximizing equipment uptime while reducing the need to replace assets, thus reducing maintenance costs. Learn more.

Maintenance software plays an important role in successful proactive and reactive maintenance strategies. For example, organizations can use a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), which centralizes maintenance tasks and information and facilitates the processes of maintenance operations.

Work order management is typically viewed as the main function of a CMMS. It might have capabilities such as automated work order generation, crew scheduling and assigning, status and downtime tracking, materials and equipment reservations and more.

Once the work order is addressed, the maintenance team might perform a root cause analysis. A root cause analysis helps identify what caused the failure and note any extenuating circumstances that hastened the timeline or circumstances of the failure.

A CMMS can help maintenance teams or property management companies complete root cause analyses. The core of a CMMS is its database, which contains asset information such as performance metrics and asset availability. It has the capabilities to generate reports, organize information and perform analyses.

Emergency maintenance can be beneficial for addressing urgent issues quickly, but it is better used as a complement to a robust proactive maintenance plan. Balancing both strategies can help mitigate any downsides to emergency maintenance while maximizing its benefits.

• Flexibility: Being prepared for emergency maintenance allows businesses to adapt to unexpected situations, addressing urgent issues as they arise without being tied to a strict maintenance schedule.

• Real-time assessment: An emergency approach allows for real-time evaluation of equipment needs and maintenance concerns, which can provide insights into areas that require improvement or increased attention. 

• Lower implementation cost: Companies can allocate resources to urgent maintenance issues as needed, potentially saving costs in situations where preventive measures might not be feasible.

• Cost: Emergency repairs are often more expensive and difficult to budget for than planned maintenance, as they can require immediate attention and expedited parts. If the incident occurs outside of normal business hours, overtime labor can also increase costs.

• Operational disruption: Unplanned downtime due to emergency maintenance situations can disrupt workflows and impact productivity, affecting overall business performance.

•  Unpredictability: Relying too heavily on emergency maintenance can lead to inconsistent equipment performance and unexpected disruptions in operations. 

• Resource strain: Emergency situations can overwhelm maintenance teams, leading to shortages and burnout among staff, while also leaving insufficient resources for nonemergency maintenance issues.

Some emergency maintenance use cases across industries include:

A sudden breakdown of a critical machine, such as a conveyor belt, can halt production. The factory must call in a technician to repair it immediately to minimize downtime and maintain productivity and profitability.

A malfunction in critical medical equipment, such as a defibrillator or MRI scanner, requires immediate corrective action. Medical staff not having access to this equipment might comprise patient safety and the operational capabilities of the hospital.

A structural failure, such as collapsed scaffolding, needs urgent repairs to prevent accidents and helps ensure worker safety onsite. It might also impact the accessibility of the site, impacting construction timelines and productivity.

A severe train or bus breakdown on a busy route requires rapid repairs to avoid disrupting service and causing delays for passengers. Beyond service disruption, a breakdown might cause several broader impacts, such as traffic congestion, loss of revenue and strains due to resource allocation.

A water main break or clogged toilet that leads to flooding or sewage backup is an immediate threat that must be addressed immediately to restore service and prevent serious property damage. Utility issues, particularly involving plumbing, can have serious and expensive impacts on other parts of the property, causing electrical issues and power outages.

A server crash or cyberattack that results in the loss of access to critical systems demands emergency IT support to restore function and protect data. If not resolved quickly, the organization can face significant operational disruptions, leading to delays in projects and decreased productivity.