The Coronavirus pandemic has presented some serious challenges for businesses of all kinds. And yet, building maintenance teams can take these times of shutdown or slowed business to complete regular and scheduled maintenance to prepare for business to pick back up.

As long as commercial real estate is open, building maintenance teams are responsible for keeping it sanitary and in good working order, even if only a few people are using it each day. Here’s what building maintenance teams should know about upkeep during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Building maintenance is essential under guidelines

While each state has guidelines concerning what business is considered essential, most states deem maintenance workers essential. This means that managers and technicians can continue to report for work. However, there are some considerations you should make to protect your team:

  • Daily temperature checks: ensure your team members don’t show up to work sick and infect others. Have them take their temperature in the morning before reporting to work.
  • Regular hand washing: enforce washing hands every hour and whenever an employee moves from one maintenance project to another. 
  • Avoid touching your face: encourage your team to avoid touching their face during the workday. If they need to do so, they should wash their hands thoroughly first.
  • Face coverings: the challenge with COVID-19 is that contagion starts before symptoms do. Wearing a face covering can reduce the spread of the virus if someone shows up to work a day or two before exhibiting symptoms.

Maintenance needs continue even while the facility is closed

Even while a facility is not in use, maintenance needs continue. Ignoring building maintenance could lead to complications when your building or facility reopens. Continuing to do upkeep and completing preventative maintenance now could lead to a better return to business, once you’re permitted to do so.

Make the most of this downtime by reviewing information in your computerized maintenance management solution (CMMS). Look for all planned maintenance and complete work orders now while things are a little slower. You can also use this time to review your assets and create annual maintenance budgets based on forecasts for the longevity of an asset.

Maintenance tasks you should consider during the pandemic

Now is the time to work on preventative maintenance or projects that you can foresee right now. Here’s a list of projects you might consider while your building has less traffic.

  • Plumbing fixes/maintenance
  • Pest control
  • Clean the windows
  • Landscaping and groundskeeping
  • Preventative maintenance on all assets
  • Painting
  • Testing alarm systems
  • Maintenance HVAC and ventilation systems
  • Installing or replacing fixtures
  • Any maintenance that requires you disconnect utilities

Adopt or upgrade your computerized maintenance management solution (CMMS)

Consider how you’ll facilitate minimal contact between your maintenance team and other staff members. If current processes include paper forms, lengthy phone calls, or other manual intake processes, now is the best time to adopt a CMMS or upgrade to one that better fits your needs.

Eagle CMMS offers a work order portal that would help your maintenance team complete low-contact maintenance requests. The tool also includes Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and connectivity with the internet of things (IoT). Call Eagle at 262-241-3845, or send us an email or schedule a demo.

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