You're managing facility maintenance with limited funds. How do you decide which tasks take priority?

My facility is a hospital. First and foremost is patient safety. Preventative Maintenance is the best course of action. Of course, financial restraints do not always allow that. So you think about what keeps the structure. Sound to best serve your customers. You repair the items in that priority. Whenever a maintenance issue becomes a life safety issue it moves to the top of the priority list.

first indicate the criticality of each facility and required repairs and affected risk from production, safety, environment point of view. based on we can get the priority of facility maintenance tasks and we can plan and schedule it

First thing is a complete inspection. First action rust and rot. Stop deterioration of the stricture. If necessary value engineer structural repairs until funds are raised. But all efforts must insure life safety codes and industry standards.

A need that puts the safety of the occupants in danger needs to be addressed first thing. The owner of the building does not need a lawsuit for not repairing/maintaining the unit/machine/valve, etc.

One thing I have found helpful in prioritizing the tasks in our research facility is first of all categorizing the maintenance tasks criticality in order of potential impact to customer service, facility operational disruption, as well as facility assets health. This will help us in making sure which tasks takes preference over the other during unprecedented events.

When faced with limited funds, you have to prioritize your needs. Ask, what will have the biggest positive impact and what will you lose if certain items are not repaired.

If you receive written directives from (gov.)ie Fire Marshall, codes administration,zoning,then you already have your starting point and it will be necessary to remedy regardless of budget restraints. Always request a delay of compliance on anything that's not of immanent danger. Very few thing are so you should be able to negotiate manageable terms. As long as you have safe working area , building gov. Just doesn't want to delay a schedule and during that time a fail or an accident.

We do not have to follow OSHA or the local fire department inspections because we are a state agency BUT we do try to follow the codes and OSHA, we still have training that are OSHA approved and have fixed deficiencies that the local fire department has pointed out. We are cognizant of the public and employee needs and will take care of issues as they arise.

Energy saving investment will definitely be fruitful. From smart LED to smart metering panels definitely save energy. A one time cost first should look heavy but in the future saving energy results should be exceptional. Also improving the power factor should be a great plus plus.

Replacing old light fixtures with LED is an important step in energy reduction, it may feel expensive at first, but you should see a reduction in electricity usage and the cost of continually replacing bulbs.

Energy efficiency would probably even be on my horizon yet. If we've taken proper care of rust and rot all structural members weather proofing and coatings all openings like doors, windows, flues, vents, roofs, sidings. Your buildings body. No standing water around your perimeter or sidewalks. No Pot holes in parking flooring with no trip hazards. No trees bush's or tall grasses close to the building. Electrical up to code. Now we can talk about upgrades in efficiency.

I wouldn't replace the fixtures just the bulbs. Most current instant start ballasts work with LED bulbs. Replace the bulbs yourself and you'll save energy = money.

In a high energy industry like Cement then some may see replacing fixtures as futile, but in reality if you replace the complete fixtures or just change out the lamps to more efficient types then you are always aiming to be the best. You may even get away with less units in the area as the efficiency is so much better in the modern LED’s in light distribution and even getting a higher Kelvin to give the feel of daylight. The most important part of energy efficiency is to fully costs any improvements along with the cost of replacing them and then calculate the return on your investment.

Take into consideration the operating life of whatever you have in your charge. An old HVAC system coming to the end of life needs to be put into the budget for replacement with an energy efficient unit, older water systems, cooling towers, lighting inside/outside, audio visual, everything has a shelf life. Upper management needs to realize this, just because it's not a new painting for the wall some things are not seen but will be felt if allowed to grow old and not replaced.

Factors influencing task priority: 1. Seriousness: Assess criticality to operations or mission. 2. Safety Concerns: Prioritize based on occupant safety, to avoid liabilities. 3. Regulatory Compliance: Meet local authority regulations promptly. 4. Tenant Impact: Address quality of life/comfort-related issues promptly. 5. Financial Impact: Evaluate potential costs of delays. 6. Requester Influence: Consider influential tenants or longstanding complaints. 7. Common Sense: Use practical judgment, addressing major issues promptly over minor ones. 8. Necessity & Cost: Balance urgency & financial implications, prioritizing crucial yet cost-effective fixes. By considering the above, FMs optimize efficiency, satisfaction, & minimize risks & costs.

Changing HVAC filters are cheap and easy compared to down units because of 1st line maintenance was not followed. Changing filters in ice machines, drinking fountains the same reasons. Pushing some grease into a motor fitting that runs HVAC/ cooling tower, a gear is cheap and easy maintenance.

You should already have programmable t-stats unless you have a building like mine that has cGMP clean rooms and you must run your labs ac 24 /7. Then you need a bigger budget. Utilities around here cost almost $2 / sq.ft. P.S. I know of a company around here that is a smallish CDMO that I would buy if I had a couple of $million laying around doing nothing.

This should be just common place it very little cost or time and should be in your first schedule of values. And on the first supply list.

I believe a cost benefit analysis is a granted. if you have a maintenance man or crew. He figured the needs from the wants and budget the first week on the job, and articulated said schedule to all interested parties the second week or you need a new chief. Barring complications. At least a schedule with attainable critical path on repairs and a full maintenence schedule implemented immediately. And a complete cleaning.

To prioritize tasks effectively: 1. Meeting Deadlines: Ensure all tasks to meet deadlines are prioritized and scheduled promptly, adhering strictly to timelines. 2. Tenant Demand: Respond promptly to daily tenant complaints and maintenance requests as they arise. 3. SMART Goals: Setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals helps FMs clarify their priorities. By defining clear objectives, teams can stay focused on what truly matters. 4. Reassess your priorities regularly: as your workload and circumstances change, your priorities may shift. Regularly reassess your task list and adjust your priorities as needed.