Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
It’s 2:00 a.m. and an alarm sounds at a distribution center. The police respond as soon as they can, employees are notified as quickly as possible, and managers brace for news of theft or vandalism. Only, it turns out to be a false alarm triggered by a roving street cat. Nothing stolen, nothing damaged, only […]
Facilities Management Advisor’s “Under Construction” series highlights some of the latest, most interesting facility project announcements every month. “The Shining” Hotel October represents spooky season with Halloween, so it’s only fitting that a scary destination tops the month’s list. The Stanley Hotel, a landmark in Colorado that famously inspired Stephen King’s best-selling novel “The Shining,” is […]
Violence in healthcare is a significant problem, with both physical and financial consequences. In 2022, the American Hospital Association (AHA) reported that nearly 17,000 hospital workers experienced nonfatal injuries or illnesses related to workplace violence that were serious enough to require time off. The AHA also recently reported that workplace and community violence is costing U.S. hospitals over $18 […]
It’s late November at a major international airport. A woman walks calmly past a line of travelers, glides through what appears to be an airline personnel lane, and approaches a gate. She doesn’t show a boarding pass. She didn’t clear a traveler security checkpoint. Yet she boards a flight bound for Europe, undetected, unverified, and […]
Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are in a unique position relative to active shooter threats and other types of workplace violence. As opposed to other types of critical infrastructure such as banks and factories that are tightly locked down under multiple layers of security, hospitals are generally open and accessible to nearly all members of […]
There is no such thing as perfect, airtight security. This is a hard truth that facilities managers have to accept. Any security setup is going to have gaps somewhere. Our job is to minimize those gaps to reduce the odds of a malicious actor slipping through and help keep the facility safe amidst a rising […]
Until recently, physical keys and plastic ID cards were the backbone of campus access control and services, often tied to disjointed systems. Today, students expect seamless integration of campus services, including building access, dining, vending, laundry, copy and print, transportation, and more—all accessible on their phones. Much like concert tickets, debit and credit cards, airline […]
Did you know that workplace violence resulted in the death of 524 workers in 2022? This was a 9% increase compared to 2021. Unless urgent measures are taken, workplace violence will persist, and innocent lives will be lost. One effective solution to ensure that workplace violence is reduced is the use of duress systems. This article will […]
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 […]
From bullying to tragic shootings, school violence is a threat facing every community across the country. Statewide school safety tip lines, currently offered in over 20 states, can play a major role in helping protect students and staff. In fact, officials from Texas and Wisconsin recently revealed encouraging stats about their respective programs. Texas The […]