Your Guide to Crafting a Daily Maintenance Facility Checklist

Imagine if just a small daily routine could save you thousands of dollars in unexpected repairs and downtime. 

According to a study by Deloitte, implementing a predictive maintenance program can reduce maintenance costs by up to 40% and increase productivity, with a 70% reduction in downtime. ^[1]

But the first step is to devote a portion of your time and create a daily maintenance facility checklist. This will give you a starting point and advantage right from the start, so implementing different types of maintenance is easy. 

Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through the exact steps you need to create a comprehensive checklist that will keep your facility running at peak condition every single day. 

Understanding the Basics of Maintenance Facility

There are some foundational elements of facility management best practices you need to understand in order to grasp every important aspect of a checklist you’re about to create.

Facilities maintenance management is important for two reasons: your equipment has optimal performance and lasts longer. But to achieve that, you need to know how to maintain and manage physical assets, as this will help you prevent breakdowns, reduce downtime and save money in the long run.  

What Is Facility Maintenance?

Facility maintenance refers to the regular upkeep and repair of a building’s systems and equipment to make sure they operate efficiently and safely. It involves activities such as inspecting, cleaning, lubricating, and repairing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. 

Key Roles in Facilities Management

Maintenance manager	Responsible for overseeing the entire maintenance process, including planning, scheduling, and supervising maintenance activities. The maintenance manager makes sure that all tasks are completed efficiently and on time.
Facility maintenance worker	These workers perform the hands-on tasks necessary to maintain and repair equipment, systems, and structures. Their duties include inspections, routine maintenance, and emergency repairs.
Maintenance planner	This role involves planning and scheduling maintenance activities to make sure that all necessary tasks are performed regularly and efficiently. They coordinate with other team members to minimize disruptions to facility operations.

Key Elements of Facilities Maintenance

Preventive maintenance

Preventive maintenance involves regularly scheduled maintenance tasks that prevent equipment failures before they occur.

Predictive maintenance

Predictive maintenance relies on data and monitoring tools to predict when equipment failures might occur, allowing for maintenance to be performed just in time to prevent a breakdown.

Reactive maintenance

Reactive maintenance focuses on repairs after the equipment failure already happened. It usually addresses unforeseen issues, and the goal is to restore equipment to its operational state and minimize damage. 

Why You Need a Daily Facility Maintenance Checklist

Facility maintenance checklist is your secret weapon to always know who, what and why when it comes to your equipment. 

You’ll be able to always stay on top of maintenance activities, and make sure that technicians always perform their daily tasks without fail. Even better, they’ll see things that could go undetected otherwise. And identifying potential issues before they become major problems that drain your budget is extremely important for every facility.

Plus, you’ll completely eliminate the guessing game. You’ll always know who is responsible and have a clear record of what has been done and by whom. 

Key Components of a Daily Maintenance Checklist

But what does the maintenance checklist look like, and will you be able to replicate it at your facility? Let’s break down the most important activities:

Inspecting Equipment

Regular inspections of equipment that your facility relies on to do the most important aspects of work is a no-brainer. Inspections should cover all critical equipment, looking for signs of wear and tear, loose connections, and any indications of malfunction.

For example, a manufacturing plant has a daily inspection of conveyor belts to check for tears or misalignments. Maintenance workers walk along the conveyor belts each morning, checking for any signs of damage or misalignment. This proactive approach helps prevent unexpected breakdowns and keeps the production line running smoothly.

Checking Safety Systems

Daily checks of fire alarms, emergency exits, and other safety equipment can prevent accidents and ensure quick response in emergencies.

How do you check the safety systems at your facility?

Conduct a visual inspection of fire alarms to ensure they are unobstructed and free of dust. Press the test button on each alarm to verify it sounds properly. Check emergency lighting by simulating a power outage and observing if the lights activate. Record the test results and any maintenance performed.

Monitoring Environmental Controls

Environmental controls such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are part of almost every facility because they create a comfortable and safe environment. Daily checks of these facilities mean they’ll always operate effectively.

Check for Leaks and Spills

Regularly inspecting all areas for signs of leaks or spills can prevent damage and create a safer environment. This includes checking plumbing fixtures, pipelines, and other areas prone to leaks.

The technician should walk through the facility with a flashlight, checking under sinks, around toilets, and along pipelines for any signs of moisture or water accumulation. They should also pay attention to any unusual sounds, such as dripping or hissing, indicating a leak. After that, they should fix minor leaks immediately and report major issues for prompt repair.

Assess Lighting and Electrical Systems

Conduct a walk-through of the facility, turning on all lights to check for any that are not functioning. Replace burnt-out bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives. Open electrical panels and inspect for any signs of corrosion, loose connections, or overheating components. Document any issues and schedule necessary repairs.

Step-By-Step Guide to Creating Your Maintenance Facility Checklist

Before we start, it’s important to know that you’ll need to collaborate with experienced staff members and carefully plan your daily maintenance checklist. 

1. Conduct Asset Management

Before creating your maintenance checklist, it’s essential to have a detailed inventory of all assets. Asset management involves tracking and managing all equipment and machinery within your facility, including their condition, location, and maintenance history.

When you complete this step, you’ll know exactly which equipment needs maintenance and how often. And you’ll add it to your facility maintenance management checklist.

You can use asset management software to note current conditions, locations, and past maintenance activities. Guided by this data, you’ll easily complete all the next steps for an effective maintenance checklist. 

2. Assess Your Facility’s Needs & Consult with Your Maintenance Team

What are your facility’s actual needs? Power plants and small businesses hardly have similar requirements.

Because of that, you have to consider the types of equipment you have, the critical systems that need regular maintenance, and any unique requirements based on your industry or operational goals.

For example, a data center might prioritize cooling systems and backup power generators, while a manufacturing plant might focus on production machinery and safety systems.

When creating your maintenance checklist, don’t make the mistake of not involving the maintenance team in the process. Their hands-on experience and insights are invaluable for identifying essential tasks and potential problem areas. Gather feedback on current maintenance practices and discuss how to improve them.

3. Prioritize Tasks

Not all maintenance tasks are equally important. And not all mistakes and oversights cost you the same. You need to prioritize tasks based on their impact on safety, compliance, and operational efficiency. 

4. Incorporate Different Types of Maintenance

You want to be covered on all fronts to make sure all your hard work isn’t in vain. Integrating different types of maintenance into your checklist will help you with that.

Preventive Maintenance

By adhering to a structured maintenance schedule, you’ll avoid expensive repairs and have a safe working environment. Preventive maintenance tasks are typically based on manufacturer recommendations, equipment usage patterns, and historical performance data. 

It involves regularly scheduled tasks designed to prevent equipment failures before they occur. Conducting regular visual and functional inspections of equipment helps identify potential issues such as wear and tear, loose connections, or minor defects that can be addressed before they escalate.

We’ve also written about how to create a preventive maintenance checklist that will be helpful for your facility. 

Predictive Maintenance

Predictive maintenance uses advanced technology to monitor the health of equipment in real-time and predict when maintenance is required. By utilizing data from sensors and other advanced monitoring devices, this approach can anticipate potential failures before they occur, allowing you to react on time. 

Predictive maintenance includes sensors, vibration analysis that detects imbalances in rotating machinery, thermal imaging to identify components that are overheating, and oil analysis to monitor the condition of lubricants.

How LLumin flags and fixes issues in real time

Corrective Maintenance

This type of maintenance is crucial for addressing unexpected issues that arise during operations. Although it is necessary to restore functionality, corrective maintenance is often more disruptive and expensive compared to preventive or predictive maintenance. It typically involves immediate action to fix the problem and return the equipment to its operational state.

For example, when a generator fails, corrective maintenance involves diagnosing the issue, repairing or replacing the faulty component, and restoring power generation.

Condition-Based Maintenance

This type of maintenance relies on real-time data from various IoT sensors and monitoring devices to assess the health of equipment and make informed maintenance decisions. Unlike preventive maintenance, which follows a set schedule, condition-based maintenance is performed as needed, based on the condition of the equipment.

5. Use Digital Tools for Efficiency

Finally, there are some digital tools that will make this task less overwhelming and more fail-proof. Digital checklists can be easily updated, shared, and tracked, providing real-time visibility into maintenance activities. And we’re not talking about spreadsheets with hundreds of rows and columns. 

A CMMS is a specialized facility maintenance software designed to manage all activities related to it. It centralizes all maintenance-related information, automates routine tasks, and provides powerful tools for tracking and reporting. A CMMS can significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your maintenance operations.

And when you’re already improving your operations, it only makes sense to do it with the best facility maintenance management software. 

LLumin CMMS + has all the features you need to create and manage a facility maintenance checklist, including tracking task completion, automated work orders, and detailed reports. 

LLumin isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Our goal is to integrate our software into your operations, not the other way around. You can monitor the status of maintenance activities in real-time. Maintenance technicians can update task statuses on the go using mobile devices, providing instant visibility into ongoing work.

Plus, you can generate detailed reports on maintenance activities, equipment performance, and resource utilization. LLumin’s reporting tools help you identify trends, track KPIs, and make data-driven decisions to optimize your maintenance strategy.

The daily maintenance checklist is available 24/7 to your maintenance team and you can create and customize it to fit all specific needs of your facility. When it comes to compliance, you’ll be covered on all fronts. Simply store all safety documentation and compliance records in LLumin CMMS. 

Use the system to track safety inspections, monitor compliance with regulations, and make sure that all necessary documentation is readily available for audits.

Facility Maintenance Checklist Case Studies

Manufacturing Plant: Granite Falls Energy

Granite Falls Energy, a biofuel manufacturer in Minnesota, had problems with outdated CMMS and inefficient facility management. This led to frequent equipment downtime that cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

They managed nearly 5,600 assets and had to handle 300 preventive maintenance work orders each month. Tracking all this data manually was practically impossible.

After implementing LLumin CMMS+, Granite Falls Energy transformed its maintenance operations. The new system automated work order management, integrated asset tracking, and provided real-time data access. 

This resulted in a 30% reduction in unplanned downtime and millions of dollars in savings over five years. By leveraging predictive maintenance tools and a comprehensive daily checklist, the plant improved operational reliability and reduced maintenance costs.

Food Processing Facility: Mataura Valley Milk

Mataura Valley Milk (MVM) in New Zealand required a smart approach to maintain food safety compliance while saving on administrative and repetitive tasks. 

The plant produces nutritional milk powders and needed to ensure that all equipment met stringent safety and regulatory standards. However, their old system was unable to track and prioritize maintenance tasks effectively.

What they really needed was software that kills not one, not two, but three birds with one stone: automated workflows, safety compliance tracking, and customizable reporting. The maintenance team could now organize tasks, track inventory, and generate auditor-approved reports with ease.

Heavy Equipment Manufacturing: Caterpillar

Caterpillar, the heavy equipment manufacturer, had an outdated system that was inefficient, hard to use, and not supported by the IT department. Tracking maintenance activities under those circumstances required a lot of manpower and manual labor. 

However, after implementing LLumin CMMS+ to address these issues, they automated work order generation, improved productivity, and enhanced OSHA compliance. 

With LLumin, Caterpillar’s maintenance team could quickly generate and manage work orders, track asset conditions, and maintain detailed records. This transition led to increased operational uptime and better facility management trends.

If you want to experience similar results first-hand, there is no better time than now to schedule your free software demo and get a full grasp of how LLumin can help you tick all the boxes on your maintenance checklist.  

Conclusion

Creating a daily maintenance facility checklist is a game-changer for keeping your operations running smoothly and efficiently. By combining preventive, predictive, and condition-based maintenance with digital tools like LLumin CMMS, you can significantly reduce downtime, extend the lifespan of your assets, and maintain a safe, compliant environment. 

So, are you ready to transform your maintenance process? Schedule your free software demo today and discover how LLumin can simplify and enhance your facility management.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is a maintenance facility?

A maintenance facility is a designated location where equipment and machinery are serviced, repaired, and maintained to ensure they operate efficiently and safely.

What does facility maintenance do?

Facility maintenance encompasses a variety of tasks aimed at ensuring the efficient operation and safety of a building and its systems. It involves routine inspections, preventive maintenance, and repairs of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. 

What does maintain facility mean?

To maintain a facility means to perform regular upkeep and repairs on the building, equipment, and systems to keep them in optimal working condition and prevent breakdowns.

What does a facility maintenance worker do?

A facility maintenance worker performs various tasks, such as inspecting, repairing, and maintaining equipment, systems, and structures within a facility to ensure they function properly and safely.

What is the role of facilities maintenance?

The role of facilities maintenance is to ensure the smooth operation and longevity of a facility’s infrastructure and equipment through regular inspections, preventive maintenance, and timely repairs.