Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
I really thought we would have flying cars by now. Growing up watching cartoons like the Jetson’s or movies like Back to the Future, we were led to believe that everyone would be flying around with jetpacks and hoverboards. Unfortunately, no one has invented anti-gravity boots yet, so we still need tools like ladders to […]
How many employers have a presence in your facility? Do you have two or three contractors renovating a tenant’s office space, another contractor running your on-site cafeteria, some consultants evaluating your production unit, a medical group doing on-site wellness screening, and a crew of temporary employees in the warehouse? All of those workers represent different […]
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 […]
If you operate a facility where workers or tenants could come into contact with dangerous chemicals, hopefully you have eye wash stations installed throughout the building. Equally important is making sure that everyone in the facility knows how to act in case of emergency. When an chemical splashes into your eyes, you need to act […]
Workplace fires and explosions have the potential to kill hundreds and injure thousands of workers each year. One way to limit the amount of damage from such fires is to make portable fire extinguishers an important part of your fire prevention program. OSHA says employers must choose one of four options regarding workplace fire extinguishers, […]
Two federal agencies have issued warnings about the hazards of working in cold weather. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reminded employers and workers that frostbite and hypothermia can occur when working in cold, wet, icy, or snowy conditions. While exposure can be a concern for facility managers who handle their own […]
Technology has opened the doors to many trends, but none might be more ubiquitous than walking down a street or through a facility and seeing everyone with earbuds in or headphones on. There is evidence showing that, for some, listening to music while they work increases overall productivity. However, many workplaces have an explicit (or […]
Winter is here, and many parts of the country are seeing snow. With the seasonal changes come the hazards of outdoor work in cold conditions, snow and ice removal, and other dangers. At its Winter Weather resource site, OSHA lists 10 common winter weather hazards that employers should train employees to recognize.
On average, the United States Postal Service processes and delivers over 493 million pieces of mail (letters and packages) per day. That does not include the additional millions of packages per day handled by other shipping companies such as United Parcel Service or Fed-Ex. On an average day, all of this goes off without a […]
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 […]