What does an emergency impairment refer to under administrative rule 9.02?

An emergency impairment refers to an unexpected condition in which a system or component becomes out of service and cannot function as intended. This situation typically arises without prior notice and can lead to potential risks or hazards, necessitating immediate attention and possibly emergency measures to mitigate the impact on safety and operations.

In contrast, planned outages for maintenance are scheduled in advance and involve pre-emptive measures to ensure systems are functional once the work is complete. Routine wear and tear indicates a gradual decline in performance due to normal usage, whereas a minor fix that does not affect system operation implies that the system is still fully functional despite needing some attention. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for ensuring rapid response and effective risk management during unanticipated system failures.