Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Facilities professionals should choose the right type of paint for their commercial, industrial, educational, and governmental buildings, taking into consideration its appearance and durability. No matter what option you choose, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends reading all instructions, selecting products that don’t emit harmful vapors, and providing adequate ventilation through open windows and […]
What makes quality customer service so important? Let’s find the answer in the numbers: 94% of customers will want to make another purchase if they enjoy a good customer service experience; 60% of business leaders say there is a strong link between high-quality customer service and improved customer retention; and 88% of customers feel the […]
Local officials, federal agencies, and military engineers went the whole nine yards in partnering with the National Football League (NFL) to enhance security for the 88th annual draft that concluded in late April. In the months leading up to this year’s highly anticipated draft, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T); […]
Restrooms are visible evidence of the overall standards in a building, and with the continuing heightened awareness around hygiene in buildings, restroom upgrade projects are moving up in priority. In research conducted by Zurn Water Solutions into the impact of COVID-19 on the restroom experience, respondents ranked “touching fixtures” as their top concern in public […]
Effective managers continually source innovative solutions and implement them. This requires a ready eye and ear for opportunities. Access control is the next opportunity that is almost literally knocking at the door. The access control model pre-COVID is gone. Smart solutions in touchless access control like mobile access, cloud-based systems, video intercom, and facial recognition […]
The World Health Organization has called stress “the health epidemic of the 21st century.” According to the annual StressPulse Survey conducted by employee assistance program (EAP) provider ComPsych Corporation, stress and personal relationship issues are the most common reasons for employee absence, accounting for nearly half (47%) of employee absences—handily beating out medical issues. Given […]
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $90 million for 25 projects across the country to help states, cities, Tribal Nations, and their partners adopt and successfully implement updated energy codes for residential and commercial buildings. Building energy codes establish energy efficiency standards for new buildings, additions, and major renovations. According to the DOE, modern codes […]
In a recent school pilot, a robot patrolled Santa Fe High School around the clock to survey the sprawling campus for potential threats and send messages to authorities—even enabling a remote security team to question an intruder. Robots on school grounds are only one of many ways that American schools can keep students, staff, and […]
Distributed energy resources (DER), including electric vehicle (EV) chargers, rooftop solar PV, and battery energy storage, are rapidly expanding in commercial buildings, according to a report from Guidehouse Insights. The report forecasts global spending on DER in commercial buildings to reach $17.6 billionin 2021, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1% to […]
In a move aimed at better protecting the health of custodial staff, federal employees, and the environment, the Biden administration is directing government contractors to purchase cleaning products for federal buildings that are free of toxic “forever chemicals.” This change is the result of a collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the […]