The challenges of maintenance work in the university of Sierra Leone.

Abstract

Building maintenance is very pivotal and should be given priority by the institution. Maintenance problems often emerge if the building performance does not meet the expected requirements and the built quality. In addition, maintenance costs and maintenance of buildings are ignored during the design and construction phases, culminating in structures that are challenging and costly to maintain. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the current and potential challenges that the university's maintenance workers will face. Structured questionnaires were designed to collect data from the university's maintenance department heads and maintenance staff. The data were analyzed with Microsoft Excel (2019), Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, and the average index formula (AIF), and the results were then presented in tables and figures. The findings revealed that, in order of importance, the lack of a computer-based maintenance system, exacerbated by financial issues, preventive maintenance failures, and technological issues, are the current challenges faced by maintenance staff in implementing proper maintenance activities. Finally, the findings indicated that potential challenges to the effectiveness of the appropriate maintenance management system include aging inventory systems, inconsistent maintenance, a shortage of spare parts, and staff training.