Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
As the latest season of “The Pitt” wrapped, viewers watched a familiar pattern unfold: healthcare workers navigating not only high-stakes care, but sudden, escalating workplace violence. Nurse Emma Nolan is first grabbed during a tense interaction, then later attacked in a confined patient room with no ability to call for help. In a separate incident, […]
Industrial facilities depend on effective thermal management to keep people safe, equipment running reliably, and energy use under control. For decades, jacketed insulation systems have been the default solution for managing surface temperatures on hot and cold process equipment—particularly in food and beverage environments where consistency, sanitation, and employee safety are closely linked. But as […]
Automatic door safety has never been more critical, as automated entrances now play a central role in accessibility, code compliance, and overall customer experience. Modern standards increasingly position automated doors as essential infrastructure, but when these systems are not properly serviced or calibrated, they pose real risks, underscoring the need for consistent maintenance and professional […]
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. Many workplaces are staffed by workers with different employers—a host company, contractors, and staffing agencies. If you own or operate a facility, you have complete responsibility for the health and safety of your own employees and a […]
Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. The views expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of Facilities Management Advisor. I was on a call with an operations director at a big ag plant. She’d been running the place for years, knew her equipment inside and out. Her question was one I hear in […]
As the spring flooding season returns, commercial, rental, and private property owners face more than visible water damage. Hidden contamination in air, building materials, and water systems can create health risks, regulatory issues, and tenant concerns if not properly addressed. Targeted environmental testing after a flood helps: In this post, we highlight five key areas for facilities managers to evaluate during post-flood cleanup. […]
Building new data centers is a large, complex project involving numerous subcontractors and trades. There are also numerous hazards on a data center worksite, which can include falls from heights; heat stress; struck-by hazards; contact with equipment; caught-in hazards; electrical hazards, including arc flash, electric shock, and electrocution; respirable silica dust; occupational noise; and musculoskeletal […]
Repeated safety incidents are driving the healthcare worker burnout epidemic and threatening patient care across America. That’s according to a new report from Canopy, a safety platform provider that surveyed over 1,000 healthcare leaders and staff nationwide. The report found that more than one in four healthcare workers face safety incidents daily or weekly—a crisis […]
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 […]