Maximizing uptime in high-containment animal facilities: A risk-based approach to maintenance coordination

In high-containment animal facilities, an unplanned shutdown is never just an inconvenience — it can derail months of research and trigger compliance exposure. Jason Tearle presents a risk-based scheduling framework that synchronizes preventive maintenance, statutory inspections, and planned shutdowns with active animal study timelines, minimizing facility downtime without compromising safety or regulatory standing. Drawing on operational experience in Pirbright's high-containment environments, he outlines the coordination protocols, communication structures, and decision criteria that align engineering, animal care, and research teams around a shared maintenance calendar — turning a persistent operational tension into a managed, predictable process.