---
title: "Preventive, corrective and breakdown maintenance"
subject: "Construction Management"
chapter: 9
key: "semester_8/construction_management:preventive-vs-corrective-define"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/construction_management/preventive-vs-corrective-define
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Preventive, corrective and breakdown maintenance

Construction Management · Chapter 9: Project Maintenance

- Asked in: 2077 Chaitra, 2 marks; 2068 Bhadra (old course), 3 marks; 2078 Kartik, 3 marks (asked 3 times)
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_8/construction_management/preventive-vs-corrective-define
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_8/construction_management/chapter-9

## Question

Define and differentiate preventive maintenance and corrective (breakdown) maintenance with examples.

## Short answer

Preventive maintenance is scheduled work like repainting or servicing to avoid failure, while corrective maintenance is repair after failure, such as fixing a burst pipe. Preventive is planned, cheaper, safer, and extends life; corrective is unplanned, costlier, and causes more downtime.

## Answer

#### Preventive maintenance
**Preventive maintenance** is planned work done at regular intervals to prevent breakdown, such as inspection, cleaning, lubrication, adjustment and minor repair, carried out while the item is still working. Examples: repainting the exterior walls every 4 years; servicing a lift or generator monthly; clearing roadside drains before the monsoon.

#### Corrective (breakdown) maintenance
**Corrective maintenance** is repair or replacement carried out after a fault or failure has happened, to restore the item to working condition. When the failure is sudden and the work must be done at once, it is called **breakdown maintenance**. Examples: repairing a burst water pipe; patching potholes after they appear; replacing a failed pump.

#### Differences
| Point | Preventive | Corrective / breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Before failure, on schedule | After failure |
| Planning | Planned and scheduled | Unplanned, urgent |
| Cost | Lower over life | Higher, often with damage to other parts |
| Downtime | Short, planned | Long, unexpected |
| Safety | Higher | Risk before repair |
| Life of asset | Extended | Shortened |
| Example | Waterproofing a roof on schedule | Repairing a leaking, damaged roof |

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Preventive maintenance is carried out when the item is:
   A. Completely failed
   B. Under demolition
   C. Still working
   D. Not yet built
   Answer: C. It is planned work done at intervals while the item is still working. (Key point: Preventive definition)

2. When is corrective maintenance called breakdown maintenance?
   A. When it is scheduled yearly
   B. When failure is sudden and work must be done at once
   C. When done by contractors
   D. When it is cheap
   Answer: B. Sudden failure needing immediate work is breakdown maintenance. (Key point: Breakdown maintenance)

3. Which is a corrective maintenance example?
   A. Servicing a lift monthly
   B. Clearing drains before monsoon
   C. Replacing a failed pump
   D. Repainting every 4 years
   Answer: C. Replacing a failed pump happens after failure, so it is corrective. (Key point: Example classification)

4. How does downtime compare?
   A. Preventive: long and unexpected; corrective: short
   B. Preventive: short and planned; corrective: long and unexpected
   C. Both are equal
   D. Preventive has no downtime ever
   Answer: B. Preventive downtime is short and planned; corrective is long and unexpected. (Key point: Downtime)

## Related in Construction Management

- [Preventive maintenance is better than corrective](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Apreventive-better-than-corrective) — Construction Management, chapter 9, asked 4×
- [Preventive maintenance in roads and buildings](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Apreventive-importance-roads-buildings) — Construction Management, chapter 9

## Related in other subjects

- [Types of maintenance and their comparison](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Findustrial_engineering_and_management%3Atypes-of-plant-maintenance) — Industrial Engineering and Management, chapter 7