Corrective Maintenance
Corrective maintenance is work performed to restore an asset after a defect, abnormal condition, or failure has been identified.
What this term means in maintenance
Corrective maintenance is work performed to restore an asset after a defect, abnormal condition, or failure has been identified.
What corrective maintenance covers
Corrective maintenance removes a known defect or restores equipment to an acceptable condition. The asset may still be operating, operating with reduced capability, or already failed.
Planned and unplanned corrective work
Corrective work can be planned when an inspection finds a defect that can safely wait for parts, labor, or a shutdown. It becomes urgent when the condition creates immediate safety, quality, environmental, or production risk.
Practical example
A routine inspection identifies a damaged coupling guard. The machine can remain safely isolated until a replacement is fabricated. The team creates a corrective work order and schedules installation during the next planned stop.
Difference from breakdown maintenance
Breakdown maintenance begins after the asset can no longer perform its required function. Corrective maintenance is broader and may be initiated before complete functional failure.
Common mistake
Temporary repairs should not disappear after production restarts. Any remaining permanent correction should be recorded as follow-up work with an owner and target date.
How this term differs
Corrective Maintenance is work that removes a known defect and may be planned before functional failure. It is related to Reactive Maintenance, Breakdown Maintenance, and Preventive Maintenance, but these terms describe different records, measures, roles, strategies, or decisions and should not be used interchangeably.
Related concepts
Related maintenance terms
Keep exploring connected CMMS, reliability, and maintenance planning terms.
Breakdown Maintenance
Breakdown maintenance is repair work performed after an asset has failed and can no longer perform its required function.
Work Order
A work order is an authorized record that defines maintenance work to be performed, including the asset, priority, scope, assignee, instructions, labor, parts, status, and completion evidence.
Mean Time to Repair
Mean Time to Repair, or MTTR, is the average time required to restore a repairable asset after failure.
Glossary FAQs
- Is corrective maintenance always unplanned?
No. A detected defect can be planned and scheduled before it becomes a breakdown.
- How is corrective maintenance different from preventive maintenance?
Preventive maintenance is performed before a known defect is identified. Corrective maintenance removes a defect or restores an unacceptable condition.
- What should a corrective work order include?
It should identify the defect, risk, required correction, asset, priority, responsibility, evidence, and completion details.