Every business has a different strategy for managing its electrical repairs, and most businesses will necessarily need to take a long-term, medium-term, and short-term approach to different electronic and electrical components.
Planned maintenance of vital and legally required equipment is an example of thinking long-term, annual PAT testing is medium-term, and more reactive maintenance is a short-term approach, applicable in many specific instances.
Whilst it always pays to be prepared, reactive maintenance is a strategy that understands that contingencies can sometimes occur, and it is important to have an emergency option.
Reactive maintenance is any form of repair work that is unplanned and undertaken as a result of a component failure or breakdown. Everything from an emergency callout, to corrective maintenance to keep failing electrical equipment going.
It is not always the best approach, and it cannot be used in cases where compliance regulations require planned maintenance, such as emergency equipment, lighting and fire alarms, but there is a remarkable scope to use it in cases where proactivity is not legally required or necessary.
Here are some of the biggest examples of when it is the best approach.
When You Need Urgent Repairs
Ultimately, sometimes important components break outside of your maintenance cycles, and they need to be fixed urgently, otherwise they could pose an immediate safety or business continuity risk.
Whilst relying on reactive maintenance is not ideal, if the alternative is disruption and danger, it is easily the best option.
When It Is Cheaper To Replace Than Maintain
Some parts of your electrical system are better replaced than maintained. This is particularly true for consumable electronics such as lightbulbs.
When You Have No Other Options
In some cases, you have no alternative but to repair it on an ad-hoc basis, particularly if you have no other choice but to do so. Any maintenance and repair is better than nothing.