Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
When patients visit a healthcare facility, they are not thinking about how many kilowatt-hours of energy the facility is using, or how the facility may be reducing its cubic feet of natural gas consumption annually. When patients visit a healthcare facility, they are thinking about the care they’re going to receive. As healthcare facility managers, […]
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and ISSA–The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association announced the launch of the Healthy Workplaces Coalition, a new coalition of more than 40 national organizations, industry leaders, and trade associations collaborating to support and advance federal policy aimed at helping businesses and organizations better afford and implement health and safety improvements […]
In the 1950s, benzodiazepine drugs were first introduced by pharmaceutical manufacturers. These drugs were found to treat a wide range of problems, including anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, muscle spasms, nervous tics, even ringing in the ears, better known as tinnitus. By the 1960s, the most famous of all the “benzos,” as they were called, was […]
In any building, the foremost objective of facility management is to provide a conducive environment that enables building users to gain the maximum benefits from being in that space. Achieving this objective requires a skillful administration of certain functions to optimize the four major areas of facility management—people, place, process, and technology. Facility management that […]
Based on inspections over the last several years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found many chemical storage and distribution facilities “are not developing safety precautions; instituting maintenance, monitoring, and employee training measures; and preparing risk management plans to remain in compliance with Clean Air Act (CAA) and Emergency Planning and Community Right to […]
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. As buildings age, facilities professionals must decide whether they want to continue making repairs to roofs, restore an existing roof, or purchase a new roof. Before making this decision, facilities professionals should consult with someone who […]
One of the highest costs of facilities management is cleaning and maintenance. And in today’s world, there is an increased emphasis on cleaning for health. As a result, it has become a non-negotiable budget item for facilities managers. What Is Cleaning for Health? Pre-pandemic, if a facility appeared clean, it was deemed clean. Now, spaces […]
There’s no area of facility management that isn’t guided by one procedure or another—from attending to an endless stream of work orders to fixing a faulty HVAC unit or ordering a new batch of spare parts. Procedures are fundamental in facility management, but to do justice to this post, let’s start by briefly distinguishing between […]
Have you heard of the term “indiscriminate disinfecting?” What about the term “hygiene theater” or “Safety First”? These are all terms that have evolved since the beginning of the pandemic. Because the pandemic has likely changed professional cleaning forever, these are terms that facility managers (FMs) who work with and hire cleaning professionals need to […]
In Massachusetts, the Baker-Polito administration recently announced investments totaling more than $120 million to four public colleges and universities to renovate and expand campus facilities that further students’ skills in STEM fields. An additional $400 million will be invested over the next five years for critical building infrastructure. Salem State University, Massasoit Community College, Springfield […]