Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Renovations bring many changes that can affect a building’s security. Doors are often left unlocked so construction crews can move in and out, and traditional measures like cameras may go offline to accommodate rewiring or repainting. These shifts create opportunities for theft and unauthorized access. Facilities managers must adapt quickly to keep people and property […]
U.S. Steel Corp. faces $118,214 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for seven serious violations and one other-than-serious violation related to an explosion at its Clairton Coke Works plant last August, the agency announced Feb. 18. OSHA investigators concluded that U.S. Steel and MPW Industrial Services Inc., the cleaning services contractor, exposed workers […]
Have you ever strained to understand an announcement in an airport or missed critical instructions over a facility’s intercom? These moments of audio confusion are more than minor frustrations. In environments where safety, efficiency, and coordination are vital, the clarity of sound systems is a direct contributor to operational performance. The requirement for precise, intelligible […]
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. Are you and your employees prepared for cold winter temperatures and extreme weather hazards? Even if your facility or worksites are outside the country’s “snow belt,” you need to be mindful of cold-weather hazards. Workers unaccustomed to […]
Not being compliant isn’t some clever cost-saving strategy. Regulators are not only watching; they’re charging more than ever. For example, new penalties announced at the beginning of 2025 for International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) violations are now capable of reaching more than $1 million per incident, and that’s before you even think about legal […]
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. Have you ever walked into a building and felt immediately safe and organized? From clean hallways to working elevators, much of that confidence comes from compliance frameworks quietly working behind the scenes. A fire alarm that sounds […]
The lunch menu on the cafeteria screen probably isn’t saving lives. But what if that same screen could? Conversations with facilities managers across manufacturing, healthcare, and corporate environments reveal the same frustration: When something goes wrong, whether it’s a chemical spill, a weather emergency, or a security incident, there’s no reliable way to instantly communicate […]
Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. This piece was originally posted by sister publication EHSLeaders, which is hosting a webinar on workplace violence prevention on Dec. 8. Free registration is available here. Twenty-year-old Amber Czech, a welder at a manufacturing facility in Cokato, Minn., was recently killed at work. According to charges filed by the Wright County Attorney’s […]
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has kicked off its annual Fire Prevention Week, which is celebrated throughout North America every October and is the oldest U.S. public health observance on record. The 2025 campaign will run Oct. 5-11. This year’s theme, “Charge into Fire Safety: Lithium-Ion Batteries in Your Home,” aims to educate everyone about using […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced it has noticed that many facilities are unknowingly violating hazardous waste disposal regulations. The Agency is encouraging businesses, schools, and other small facilities to double-check how they handle hazardous waste to avoid costly violations. “A common issue is shipping regulated amounts of hazardous waste without first obtaining the required EPA […]