Category: Maintenance and Operations

Hazardous Chemical Compliance in Storage and Distribution Facilities

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: Should You Repair, Restore, or Replace Your Roof?

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 […]

Cleaning for Health Can Be Cost-Effective Using an Outcome-Based Approach

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 […]

Establishing Strong Procedures for Facility Management

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 […]

New Terms to Ensure Effective Cleaning

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 […]

Mass. Investing Millions in Facility Upgrades for Public Higher Education

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 […]

U.S. Dominates List of World’s Top 10 Busiest Airports

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport regained its title as the world’s busiest airport for passenger traffic in 2021, after losing the top spot to China’s Guangzhou Bai Yun International Airport in 2020, according to a new report from the Airports Council International (ACI) World. The trade association’s report, which lists the top 10 busiest airports worldwide for […]

Energy Department Announces $500M for School Upgrades

As part of the new Biden-Harris Action Plan for Building Better School Infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a Request for Information (RFI) for a $500 million grant program from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for K-12 public school energy upgrades. According to the DOE, the program will help deliver cleaner and healthier classrooms, […]

How FMs Can Maximize Effectiveness in Hybrid Work Environments

In these pandemic days, everyone is talking about hybrid workplace arrangements. Nearly three-fourths of companies say they’re using or planning to use a hybrid work model, yet few articles are discussing how hybrid work will affect the role of facility managers. Hybrid working affects facility managers’ jobs in unique ways, and they will need to know how […]

Top 50 U.S. Cities for Termites, a.k.a. ‘Wood-Eating Machines’

There seems to be a changing of the guard, as the city of Angels has apparently become the city of… termites? Pest control specialist Orkin revealed Los Angeles is claiming the top spot for the first time on the company’s annual Top 50 Termites Cities list. Miami, the historic frontrunner, has fallen to second place, […]