Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Summer is approaching, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has renewed its Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards National Emphasis Program (NEP) of outreach and enforcement. The new NEP replaces and updates a 2022 directive aimed at protecting workers from outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards, directing agency resources to where they can have the greatest impact […]
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, […]
Facilities management often includes landscaping and other outdoor maintenance. If you’ll be working outside this season, beware: Ticks are making their return fast and furiously. During Tick Awareness Week (May 3-9), the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) is warning about the potential health threats ticks pose and the best ways to keep these parasitic pests away […]
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 […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) renewed the agency’s Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards National Emphasis Program (NEP) on April 10. OSHA updated its 2022 NEP to protect workers from outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards, directing agency resources to where they can have the greatest impact by focusing inspections and outreach on industries and workplaces where […]
Industrial facilities management isn’t just about keeping the lights on; it’s about ensuring the heavy machinery overhead doesn’t become a hindrance to safety or compliance. In high-traffic warehouses and logistics hubs, commercial doors serve as the primary gateways for revenue, yet they remain one of the most overlooked mechanical assets on the balance sheet. When these massive steel barriers fail, the impact goes beyond repair costs. Breakdowns can lead to […]
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. […]
Contact with electricity or exposure to it remains one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities and injuries in the United States, according to an analysis recently released by the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI). ESFI gathered data on fatal and non-fatal occupational electrical injuries from the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Occupational Safety […]
An incident unfolds in a parking garage. Someone is assaulted. A medical emergency occurs. The immediate response is to call 911, yet the call will not connect. This scenario is not hypothetical. Facilities managers and technology leaders regularly report persistent signal gaps in below-grade structures. One client described it as a recurring concern: not whether […]