Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
While many people think keeping facilities safe is solely dependent on security access control measures like biometrics, keycards, and other electronic locks, nothing could be further from the truth. Lesley Groff, Senior Supervisor of Buildings and Grounds at UGI Utilities Inc., recently spoke during the Facilities Management Advisor webinar “The Facility Manager’s Role in Maintaining […]
Every day, facility managers have their hands full juggling their day-to-day duties, not to mention putting out proverbial fires, so they need to trust that their team members or other workers at their organizations will notify them of unsafe conditions in their buildings. Far too often, however, people witness actions or conditions in the facility […]
In August of 1986, a postal employee threatened with losing his job walked into a post office with a mailbag full of guns and ammunition and opened fire. He did not say a word—he just started shooting and killing. Six postal workers were wounded, and 14 were killed. That was one of several shootings that took […]
In early October, a major bird-collision event occurred in Chicago. While there were other collisions across the city, one building, McCormick Place, killed nearly 1,000 migrating birds in a single night. Although weather patterns played a role, McCormick’s reflective glass walls and bright lighting are known to be the problem. Collisions with glass result in […]
Over the last couple of decades, challenging economic conditions, changes in consumer habits, and rising rents have taken their toll on many of the traditional indoor shopping malls Americans used to flock to for their shopping needs. As brick-and-mortar stores slowly left some malls, causing them to close, online shopping picked up momentum, proving to […]
When it comes to sustainability, we have all heard the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Though, there are many practices that you can implement at your facility to achieve additional waste diversion, starting with a physical waste audit. Understanding your waste generation is a first critical step in achieving 100 percent waste diversion, also […]
OSHA’s illumination standards for construction (29 CFR 1926.56) and shipyard employment (29 CFR 1915.82) set minimum lighting requirements in terms of foot-candles, a term that has been somewhat indistinct for employers and one that OSHA itself has acknowledged does not provide clear direction on how much light is needed for specific tasks.
On Tuesday, June 25, 2019, Illinois became the 11th state (plus Washington D.C.) to legalize recreational marijuana, while 33 states have now legalized medical marijuana. And as many states become more lenient with their marijuana laws and regulations, organizations should seek out everything there is to know about marijuana and workplace safety and wellness.
As the new school year draws near, college students across the country are preparing to move to campus in a dormitory or off-campus housing. Through their annual “Campus Fire Safety for Students” campaign in September, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Center for Campus Fire Safety (CCFS) are working together to help ensure these residences are as safe as […]
With COVID-19 cases surging and the fear of contracting the next highly transmissible contagion widespread, American workers are placing a renewed emphasis on cleaning, according to a new survey by the Cleaning Coalition of America. The survey finds that U.S. workers increasingly value enhanced cleaning of the workplace and feel safer seeing professional cleaners on site—a […]