Track defect findings to closure
Every failed inspection checkpoint, from detection to verified correction
When an inspection checkpoint fails, that failure is a finding: something is wrong on a specific asset, and someone has to fix it and prove it was fixed. The Defect findings tab collects every failed checkpoint across all your inspections in one list, so nothing gets lost inside an individual inspection report.
Where to find it
Open Inspections and choose the "Defect findings" tab. The list shows every checkpoint currently recorded as failed, newest first. Reading the register is available on every plan.
The five statuses
A finding's status is worked out automatically from the corrective work order linked to it โ you never have to keep the two in step by hand. Only the final verification is something a person records.
Open
The checkpoint failed and no corrective work order is active yet.
Work order created
A corrective work order exists and is waiting to be started.
In progress
The corrective work order is being worked on.
Resolved
The corrective work order is finished, but nobody has confirmed the defect is really gone.
Verified & closed
Someone checked on site and confirmed the correction worked. This is the only status a person sets.
Raising a work order from a finding
If a finding has no work order yet, click "Create work order". FreeMaint raises a corrective work order pre-filled with the asset, the location and the failed checkpoint, and links it to the finding. Clicking twice never creates a duplicate. If your template already creates work orders automatically on failure, findings arrive here with the link already in place.
Verifying a correction
Once the repair is done, go back to the finding and click "Verify & close". Confirm you have checked on site that the problem is actually gone. This step is deliberately separate from finishing the work order: a completed work order proves work happened, not that the defect was corrected. ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 both require this verification, and it is recorded against your name. If the defect comes back, reopen the finding.
Repeat findings
When the same checkpoint fails again on the same asset in a later period, the new failure is recorded as its own finding and both are tagged "Repeat". Two open findings for the same checkpoint is a signal, not a duplicate: it means the problem was seen twice and still is not fixed. Use the "Repeat findings only" filter to spot chronic problems worth a deeper fix.
Narrowing the list
- Search by checkpoint, asset or template
- Filter by status to see only what is still open
- Filter by severity, which defaults to the risk level set on the checkpoint
- Show only repeat findings
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