An example of preventive maintenance is ___.

• A. conducting thermal imaging
• B. measuring emissivity
• C. vibration analysis
• D. examining electrical connections and wiring for damage

Answer: (D)

Preventive maintenance involves performing planned, regular tasks to keep equipment in good working condition and prevent failures before they happen. Examining electrical connections and wiring for damage fits this approach because it directly targets a common failure path: loose or damaged connections can overheat, arc, or cause fires if left unchecked. Regularly inspecting and tightening or repairing these connections reduces the chance of sudden outages and equipment damage, and it’s a straightforward, repeatable task you schedule in advance.

The other options are more about detecting problems while the system is operating rather than performing routine maintenance ahead of time. Thermal imaging helps you spot hotspots but is a diagnostic tool used to identify issues; measuring emissivity is a parameter used to interpret infrared readings rather than a maintenance task itself; vibration analysis looks for signs of wear in rotating machinery and is typically categorized as condition monitoring to predict failures. While valuable, they aren’t the classic preventive maintenance activity of a scheduled inspection to prevent trouble, which is why examining connections and wiring for damage is the best example.