Preventive maintenance, often shortened to PM, is planned work intended to maintain equipment condition, verify performance, identify deterioration, and reduce avoidable failure or risk. It is not simply a recurring cleaning visit, and it should not be treated as a generic checklist copied across unrelated devices.
Key takeaways
- PM content should reflect manufacturer recommendations, risk, evidence, regulation, and facility policy.
- Inspection, cleaning, measurement, replacement, software review, and functional checks may all be involved.
- Complete documentation connects the equipment, procedure, tools, findings, corrective work, and return-to-service decision.
01
What determines the work?
The maintenance plan may draw from manufacturer procedures, device risk, failure history, environment, utilization, regulatory or accreditation requirements, recalls, service data, and an approved alternative-equipment-maintenance program where applicable. Interval and task content should be controlled and traceable.
02
Typical task categories
Depending on the device, PM can include visual inspection, cleaning, filters, fans, lubrication, wear items, cables, connectors, batteries, motion, alarms, accessories, electrical safety, image quality, output, calibration checks, software status, backups, cybersecurity coordination, and review of error history. Not every category belongs on every device.
03
A finding changes the job
When inspection reveals damage, drift, failed testing, contamination, or a recall condition, the work may become corrective maintenance. The technician should follow escalation, equipment-status, parts, and return-to-service processes rather than simply marking the PM complete. Deferred work should be visible and risk-managed.
04
Documentation is technical evidence
A useful record identifies the equipment and location, procedure and revision, date, technician, instruments and calibration status, measured results and limits, parts used, configuration changes, deficiencies, corrective actions, equipment status, and required review. Check marks without results can obscure what was actually verified.
Related terminology
Terms with a published definition link directly to the glossary.