Category: Safety

New ASHRAE Standard Covers Airborne Disease Mitigation in Buildings

ASHRAE has announced its newly approved standard for airborne infection risk mitigation in indoor spaces. ASHRAE Standard 241, Control of Infectious Aerosols establishes minimum requirements to reduce the risk of disease transmission by exposure to infectious aerosols in new buildings, existing buildings, and major renovations. Infectious aerosols are tiny, exhaled particles that can carry disease-causing pathogens […]

Georgia Piedmont Technical College Awarded $1.65M for Campus Safety Upgrades

Georgia Piedmont Technical College announced it has been awarded $1.65 million to integrate technology that will help provide a safe learning and working environment for students and staff. The funds are part of Georgia’s $83.5 million in COVID-19 relief funds through the Public Safety and Community Violence Reduction (PSCVRG) Grant Program. A total of 118 […]

School’s Out! Essential Campus Projects to Tackle During Summer Break

Now that the academic semester is over and school campuses are largely deserted, it’s the perfect time to do major maintenance projects and intensive cleaning jobs that couldn’t be done when the campus was buzzing with activity. Plan for Summer Classes Facilities teams should work with school leadership to determine what areas will be used […]

Florida Healthcare Facility Cited for Nearly 200 Workplace Violence Incidents in 2022

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced “shocking” findings of a workplace safety investigation into a behavioral health and substance disorder facility in Jacksonville, Fla. According to the federal probe, workers at the UHS of Delaware Inc.-Wekiva Springs Center LLC (operating as Wekiva Springs Hospital) were assaulted, confined by patients, and suffered broken bones, […]

What We Learned From… FM NOW: Secure Buildings Summit

Held on June 20th, our FM NOW: Secure Buildings virtual summit covered critical topics for facility security, including system integration, live events, and active shooters. If you missed any of the webinars, here’s a rundown with key takeaways and links to FREE on-demand recordings. Opening Keynote | Design Development Considerations for Security Systems Integration Speaker: Frank Santamorena, […]

How Facilities Managers Can Maintain a Safe Workplace

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 […]

5 Steps for Hurricane Preparedness and Facility Resilience

As the Atlantic hurricane season looms, businesses must take proactive measures to protect their facilities from the potentially devastating impact of severe storms. With experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting a range of 12 to 17 named storms in 2023—with five to nine of them being hurricanes, including one to four Category […]

Louisiana Awards Schools Over $20M for Security Upgrades

The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) has awarded over $20 million to harden the perimeters of K-12 schools across the state. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) approved the LDOE’s Stronger Connections Grant program allocations to 39 traditional public and public charter systems. According to the LDOE, the funds will be used […]

Back to Basics: Emergency Exits and Keeping the Way Out Clear

Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. During a fire or another emergency, your employees need a clear exit route and clearly marked and unlocked exit doors. Your employees’ exit route must remain unobstructed by equipment or stored items, and employees must be […]

Using Robotics to Improve Workplace Safety

Despite concerted efforts to reduce both serious injury and death on the job, workplace fatality rates in the United States have remained largely unchanged over the past three decades. To help reverse this devastating development and assist organizations on their safety journeys, the National Safety Council (NSC) recently released a white paper through its Work to […]