Category: Maintenance and Operations

CDC: Aim for 5 Air Changes Per Hour in Buildings

On May 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its “Ventilation in Buildings” guidelines to include a discussion on “How much ventilation is enough?” to help prevent airborne disease transmission. “When possible, aim for 5 or more air changes per hour (ACH) of clean air to help reduce the number of germs […]

4 Main Issues as More Employees Return to Work

A new report from worktech company Eptura highlights macro trends at workplaces across the globe, including a wave of office returns and four main issues emerging in today’s post-pandemic work environment. The Workplace Index Report draws on a representative sample of more than 6,000 organizations within Eptura’s global customer base to showcase emerging patterns in […]

Springtime Cleaning Tips for HVAC Coils

With warmer weather on its way, now is the ideal time for facilities to add coil cleaning to the spring-cleaning checklist. Conducting maintenance helps to ensure that HVAC systems are operating efficiently, and clean coils are a large contributor to keeping equipment running smoothly. “Effectively cleaning your coils can have a big impact on reducing […]

Facility Manager vs. Property Manager: How to Know Which One Is Ideal for Your Business

Can you differentiate between the responsibilities of a facility manager and a property manager? Both roles sound similar, but they are distinct roles with different key responsibilities. It’s critical to understand the scope of each role in the context of a manufacturing business to decide which role you should hire for and what to expect […]

Utah Governor Issues Water Conservation Order for State Facilities

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has issued an executive order requiring water conservation at state facilities with the goal of increasing Utah’s drought resiliency. Utah is one of the driest states in the nation; in fact, some portions of the state have experienced drought conditions nearly every year since 2000. Under Executive Order 2023-07, each state […]

IFMA Leader Talks World FM Day, Industry’s ‘Very Bright’ Future

Happy World FM Day! Global FM, a group of leading facilities management (FM) associations, spearheads the annual celebration every May. The event brings together the FM community and highlights the positive impact that FM professionals have on businesses and people’s lives. To commemorate World FM Day, Facilities Management Advisor spoke with Don Gilpin, President and […]

Understanding Workplace Fungal Threats

A Michigan paper mill recently had to close for intensive cleaning following an outbreak of workplace fungal infections. There were 21 confirmed cases, including 1 fatality, and 76 people at the mill were classified as having probable cases of blastomycosis. Fungal diseases like blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever), and histoplasmosis can infect anyone, according to the […]

Predictive Maintenance, the Future, and You

Predictive maintenance is nothing new to many facilities managers. Today, building managers, facility operators, and others are discovering how beneficial and cost-efficient it is to know what is happening inside their infrastructure and how their operations are running—and when disaster might strike. Shutting down operations for hours, days, or weeks in the middle of peak […]

It’s Time to Tackle Building Efficiency 

We’ve seen emissions rebound after dropping during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Transport has the highest reliance on fossil fuels, accounting for 37% of CO2 emissions from end-use sectors in 2021, while building operations accounted for 27% of total energy sector emissions (8% direct emissions and 19% indirect emissions from electricity production and heat use). […]