A maintenance specialist is a skilled laborer who has mastered at least one aspect of his profession and implements those skills for an employer. This person is usually employed by a company in a supervisory role to ensure that a particular need is maintained. Professions like welding, plumbing, electrical diagnostics and carpentry can include maintenance specialists, and these individuals will make sure that everything is running smoothly in these respective environments. While a maintenance specialist may only be labeled as an expert within one of those categories, he will have extensive knowledge of any field that may be related to the position he holds.
A good example of a maintenance specialist’s daily routine could be seen within a hospital, where there are thousands of different rooms and corridors that have to be kept in perfect condition at all times. While a layman in the field could probably rewire a faulty electrical outlet without supervision if the need arose, the maintenance specialist would likely be on-site to ensure that the work is conducted efficiently and under the state and hospital guidelines. During this same time period, another skilled worker could be installing a new sink under the same maintenance specialist’s direction in another section of the hospital while a team of laborers tear out drywall in a section that is scheduled to be remodeled. The maintenance specialist will have ample knowledge to guide and instruct each of his apprentices, plus have the required abilities to step in if a problem arises.
Maintenance specialists are present within all facets of industry ranging from fast food restaurants to nuclear power plants. Each of them would have different areas of specialty dependent on what the actual job requires, and very few of them would be considered an expert in every maintenance category. In the hospital scenario, for example, there may be a team of maintenance specialists overseeing several different workers at once, and although any one of them could adequately complete the project, they would defer to the team leader of that skill. Large corporations often have maintenance specialists at a regional level that can be dispatched to assist local area managers throughout their assigned territory.
To become a maintenance specialist, a worker generally needs to have at least ten years direct experience in any relevant field, excellent communication skills, and certifications that prove he could handle virtually any situation. Leadership skills are also crucial within this type of profession since there is an inherent danger working within many of the industries, and the candidate must have true dedication to the place of employment. A maintenance specialist is often the first employee to work everyday and the last one to leave, plus he is generally on call 24 hours a day in case of an emergency.