Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released the Fall 2021 Better Buildings, Better Plants progress update. The report highlights more than 250 manufacturers and water utilities that have introduced energy efficiency and decarbonization measures, cumulatively saving $9.3 billion in energy costs and 1.9 quadrillion British thermal units (Btus)—more energy than the state of Wisconsin consumes […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced its preliminary Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards for fiscal year 2021. Patrick Kapust, Deputy Director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented the list virtually during the 2021 NSC Safety Congress & Expo, a tradeshow held live in Orlando, Fla., and virtually Oct. […]
When it comes to restroom breaks, office workers in the U.S. say that touchless restroom fixtures are the No. 1 feature that would make them feel safer when using their workplace restroom, according to a new survey. In the Healthy Handwashing Survey, conducted by restroom equipment manufacturer Bradley Corp., touch-free washroom fixtures received the highest safety ranking, […]
From surveys, we know that nearly 50% of U.S. consumers want to change their consumption habits to save the environment. In fact, one environmentally-focused survey found four out of five people describe themselves as likely to choose a brand that prioritizes environmental sustainability. This desire also impacts where employees want to work, as companies that […]
Facility teams are responsible for maintaining, inspecting, and fine-tuning a variety of equipment and facility systems, including air handlers, generators, boilers, elevators, and other equipment for safe and efficient operation. Remembering the sizes of different belts, filters, and other applicable parts is part of the job, so facility teams rely on O&Ms (also known as […]
The National Safety Council, a major U.S. nonprofit safety advocate, released results of a survey conducted as part of an ongoing effort to assess the risks of cannabis in the workplace, and the group said the results are clear: Employers must do more to educate and protect their workers. The survey, conducted between April and […]
New York was one of the first states in the U.S. to suffer a major outbreak of COVID-19, so it stands to reason that any steps that may help safely reopen facilities and operations there are noteworthy for just about anywhere else across the country. The Cleaning Coalition of America, a trade group representing cleaning […]
Despite rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations driven by the delta variant, executive leaders are pushing toward a post-pandemic return-to-work model that puts employees in the office at least two days a week. HR and IT/security professionals have been feeling squeezed between a rock and a hard place trying to meet workforce health, safety, technology, data […]
Florida International University (FIU) and Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) have unveiled a solar-powered energy microgrid—the latest project to emerge from a decades-long partnership between the university and the utility. In the event of an outage due to severe weather, the FIU-FPL microgrid is capable of supplying backup power to FIU’s engineering center for approximately 24 hours […]
Eighty percent of U.S. companies have sustainability initiatives in place, according to a new study released by Honeywell. Businesses around the world are taking notice of their carbon footprint, and sustainability has fast become an important investment—and commitment—for companies across all industries. A company can achieve numerous benefits by investing in a sustainability roadmap—from lowering […]