Category: Design and Construction

Manual workers pouring cement through pipe on roof.

Construction Industry Faces Recruitment Challenges

The American job market has been seeing historically low unemployment levels for some time now, meaning it’s harder for employers to find qualified job applicants to fill key positions. But some industries are feeling the sting of the tight labor market more painfully than others.

Warehouse worker

10 Warehouse Safety Measures You Need Right Away

Workers in warehouse and storage facilities in the United States continue to experience a large number of injuries requiring days away from work. A great many of these injuries are musculoskeletal disorders, with the most common being sprains, strains, and tears.

Businesswoman holding her back in pain while working at her desk

Four Steps for Improving Workplace Ergonomics

It’s no secret that ergonomics programs often struggle to make an impact. All too often, they start off with a flurry of training and assessments and then fizzle out when people realize that there’s more talking about ergonomics than implementing ergonomics improvements. The ergonomics program starts to feel like more cost than benefit to management, […]

Close up of xeriscaped landscape bed

How Xeriscaping Can Reduce Water Use and Maintenance

As green buildings become more widespread, it’s important to not overlook how we can turn outdoor spaces into more sustainable designs. Xeriscaping is one landscaping method that creates a low-water natural space that is not only easy to maintain, it’s beneficial to the environment.

photo of a restroom

Question: How Many Bathrooms Are Required at Your Facility?

Every facility needs bathrooms, and your organization’s bathroom requirements will change as its employee population grows. But have you stopped to consider whether or not you are required to provide a specific number of toilets based on the size of your company? Recently, a question came in to the experts at Safety.BLR.com regarding the ratio […]

IoT Smart building concept

How Facilities Managers Can Help Create Agile Workspaces

The environment where people work can have a huge effect on their morale, motivation, and performance. An office’s physical design can make a big difference for employers, and it’s up to facilities managers to help their tenants create the best possible workplace. Here are some tips for creating a more agile workplace at your building.

Manager safety leadership

OSHA’s Alliance with CPWR Focuses on Hazards Related to Facility Construction

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has renewed its alliance with CPWR—The Center for Construction Research and Training—to provide guidance and training resources for construction safety. PWR and the agency agreed to a new 5-year alliance to address hazards that are of concern to facilities managers, including falls, elevator construction safety, emergency response and […]

Rainwater capture at a small facility

Water Recycling: The Future of Conservation

Water conservation technology of today goes far beyond low-flow appliances and fixtures. Many buildings are now being constructed with onsite non-potable water reuse systems (ONWS). These systems allow wastewater from the building or water collected on property from precipitation to be stored, treated, and reused for purposes like toilet flushing and irrigation.

Smog on the NYC skyline

Are We Entering a New Era of Green Buildings?

You may have heard that New York City (NYC), the most populous city in the United States, has passed a groundbreaking law limiting building GHG emissions in an effort to meet its ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target—80 percent by 2050. The new regulation is having a major impact on building owners and facilities managers […]