Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Facility managers have numerous tools available when it comes to construction, rehab, or demolition work at their facilities. Increasingly, robots are among those tools. Among their appeal is that the operator controlling the robot is at a distance, away from potentially unsafe or outright dangerous work. While the robots assume most of the risk, however, […]
The process of hiring a quality contractor can be complicated and tiring. Many contractors will claim they are the perfect candidates for a job or that their workmanship is superior to others offering the same service. When it comes to investing in your facility, you want to hire the most qualified contractor for the project.
Whether you’re building a new facility, or maintaining and/or renovating an existing structure, there’s always a fall risk involved. Falls are the leading cause of fatalities in the workplace, particularly in construction, accounting for one-third of industry worker deaths, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH and OSHA, along with […]
Last week was Global Asbestos Awareness Week—check out this infographic from the Mesothelioma + Asbestos Awareness Center (MAA) for valuable information regarding this persistent environmental, health, and safety hazard.
Making your facility sustainable through solar power has many benefits beyond the immediate and long-term impacts to your bottom line. It’s helpful to the local and global environment through a reduction in your carbon footprint, and it makes a statement to the communities in which you operate. Although solar installations are typically associated with roofs, […]
The electrical grid in the United States – including generation, transmission, and distribution – is based on alternating current (AC). However, an increasing number of devices required by modern life (e.g. computers, mobile devices, and LED lights) run on direct current (DC), requiring that the power be converted before it can be used. As it currently […]
Saving money and preventing workplace injuries right from the drawing board are the simple principles behind “Prevention Through Design” (PtD). One common example of PtD is lockout/tagout practices for machinery, but the practice has many applications in the facilities management space. Basically, PtD is the control of workplace hazards by addressing them during the design […]
At last year’s annual conference of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), ASSP’s outgoing President Jim Smith presented a session titled “The A1264.1 Standard: Wall and Roof Openings; Stairs and Guardrails/Handrails.” The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards 1264.1 and 1264.2 could be helpful for facilities management professionals looking to design their workplaces with […]
The modern facility manager is at a bit of a cultural crossroads where new ideas and expectations about how a building should function bump up against older designs, and of course, budgetary concerns. Concerns about money and wanting to get the most out of existing furniture and fixtures are legitimate but attracting younger workers to […]
On Monday, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its annual list of Top 10 States for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the world’s most widely used green building rating system. To create the list, states were ranked based on the number of LEED certified square feet per person. Combined, the states that […]