A routinely audit can timely detect any possible malfunctions and also suggest recommendations that would help in maintenance. The audit gives a detailed assessment of the wear and tear that has occurred over time and due to other conditions, such as, weather, chemical spillage etc.

One of the major disasters that man has been fighting for the longest time is, fire. Often times, by the time one can smell the noxious gases and detect something wrong, it has already past the time where one can contain it.

A fire safety audit in a building needs to be in strict adherence with the National Building Code of India that lays emphasis on fire prevention, fire protection and life safety measures. It is an effective way to assess whether fire safety systems are in place and in compliance with the code. As part of the audit the various aspects of fire safety such as, fire and explosion prevention, protection and emergency management are systematically and critically assessed.

What does the Scope of the Audit Entail?

. The fire audit first looks into the adequacy and relevancy of the components, facilities and equipment present as on today’s dateat the premises, making a report of the expected performance.

. It also makes recommendations to be complied with for the existing rules, standards and regulations.

. The aspects covered in the fire safety audit are related to design, operation and maintenance and the review of inherent fire hazards in a building.

. In its ambit, it can also include an active system test to ensure the operation of all systems as per the design of the audit.

Main Focus Areas in a Fire Audit

. To identify all the significant probable fire hazards

. To identify the people most susceptible to the fire hazards

. Assess the current SOPs in place

. Make recommendations on the additional measures required

. Explore the possibility of having an emergency safety plan in place

. Assess the availability of fire fighting equipment such as hydrants, extinguishers etc.

. Impart training and drills on the instructions and code of conduct in case of an emergency

The role of Preventive Maintenance in Controlling Fire

. Saves you from a safety equipment malfunction

. Increased protection of the building and the equipment with regular testing, inspections and proper maintenance

. Adds to the accountability of your building management services provider

. Ensures that the facility management company is compliant with the fire safety code

. Keeps a count of the total number of equipment required to ensure the safety of all the occupants

. Keeps everyone in sync with the fire protection drill and the process thereof

. Keeps you aware of all the fire safety exits and escape point, in case of an emergency situation

Understanding the Important Steps of Inspection and Fire Prevention

. It is true to say that a fire can rarely be detected. However, what one can do is make sure that the fire safety standards are maintained in your building. For this one has to ensure that there are regular inspections and checks conducted that adhere to the legislative requirements.

. The inspection is carried out on the basis of a checklist that covers many areas such as the ownership, structural details, active and passive fire safety equipment in the building, SOPs and drills followed at present.

. Basis this checklist there are various recommendations made on the remedial actions that need to be taken by the user/ owner and the time by which these need to be completed.

. Fire Prevention purely relies on the upkeep and maintenance of fire safety equipment and safety measures such as securing safety exits and spreading awareness about their appropriate usage.

What are the Different Types of Fire Safety Equipment?

1. Fire Extinguishers – This is among the most common hand-held firefighting equipment available. The extinguishing agent inside the extinguisher is used to combat the flames. The substance used are:

–Dry powder

–Water

–CO2

–Foam

–Wet Chemical

2. Fire Hoses – This puts out a large fire, by letting out a large stream of water. It comes in a fire hose reel that extends up to 30 metres.

3. Fire Buckets – It maybe the simplest form of fire safety equipment but is still useful. The buckets are made of plastic or metal and contains water or soil to douse the fire.

4. Fire and Welding Blankets – Another way to put out a fire is by smothering it. Blankets ranging from a size of 1.2m x 1.2m to 1.8m x 1.75m can be used depending on the kind of dwelling it is being used for.

5. Flamezorb – This is a non-toxic, easy to clean powder that efficiently smothers a fire. Every bag of this powder can fill up 10 litres of a fire bucket.

Precaution is always better than cure and the same rule is applicable in case of fire safety. One must be aware and request for a routine fire safety audit and ensure that there is enough fire safety equipment in the building in case of an emergency.

The post Fire Safety Audit: The First Step To Prevent A Fire first appeared on Facility Management Company.

What happens if the lift door opens and someone is already inside? Do you get in or wait for the next lift? In the wake of Covid-19, practicing precautions and also investing in lift technologies is important to avoid the spread of the virus via lifts. As people transition back to normal routines, lifts are the easiest way to access offices as well as residential places, and ensuring that people are aware and practice lift hygiene and security guidelines goes a long way in ensuring their overall safety in these times.

Lifts are close quarters and to compound this, used by millions of people every day which means they can be a ripe place for virus spread. Hence, not only should facility management or building management install the necessary measures and guidelines to ensure safe lift use but also, they should ensure that lift users are aware of these measures and adhere to the guidelines. For anyone using a lift, you need to know how to maintain personal hygiene and safety inside a lift. Here are some guidelines for facility management to implement and tenants to follow:

• Passenger Limit

Building management services following the guidelines of social distancing by public health institutions have put a limit on the number of passengers in lifts which ranges from 2 to 4. While it can be difficult to micromanage and enforce this, by putting visible warnings to take the stairs or limit the number of passengers in every lift, people can adhere to this regulation for the most part.

• Tooth pick at Lift Lobby And Inside

Another simple step to follow, is to stick a thermocol piece outside the lift and inside as well. These thermocol pieces will have Toothpicks stuck on them. The sole purpose of these is that, passengers should not touch buttons themselves. A cut out bottle can be hung to throw the used toothpicks.

• Mask within the Lift & Wall facing

It is suggested to not remove the mask when travelling in the lift, as virus particles maybe in the air. Also, it is best to face the walls when there are more people getting in.

• Install Hand Sanitizer Dispensers in Lobbies

Facility management should install hand sanitizer dispensers in lobbies and lift entrances to ensure that residents and workers make use of them to sanitize, as lift buttons are especially touched a lot. Facility management also ensure frequent disinfection of lifts to maintain hygiene and safety for users. On the other hand, anyone who uses a lift should follow guidelines and also sanitize themselves before getting in the lift and after leaving it.

• Time Restrictions

Aside from capacity restrictions where facility management limits the number of passengers per lift, they can also employ the use of time restrictions to avoid traffic jams by staggering tenant start times.

• Create Designated Areas

Besides signs of lift guidelines to ensure capacity restrictions and cleanliness, creating designated areas in the larger lifts to ensure proper social distancing for the passengers is another safety measure that can prevent the virus from spreading. Smaller lifts can have a single passenger rule to avoid contact and practice social distances. Especially use case can be seen in Hospitals.

These rules and guidelines as enforced by building management services are great to ensure that even while people get back to normal routines, they do not put themselves at risk of contracting Covid-19.

The post Lift Hygiene & Security Guidelines During COVID first appeared on Facility Management Company.

Digital transformation is projected to boost up by the end of 2023 with more than 53% spending of all Information and Communications Technology (ICT) investment as predicted by IDC. The preceding year i.e. 2019 alone recorded a spent of $1.25 trillion by global organisations. It embarked on enormous competitive advantages and efficiencies for Facility Management Companies.

The intervention of technology via apps and other end-to-end digital services has smoothened every function of Facility Management. Elaborately, processes are now simpler and more accurate with better efficacy, contrary to being costly, paper-based with high labour intensity.

Informed Facility Management companies have already started to turn field data into strategic intelligence to generate better business outcomes. They gained immediate real-time visibility across locations by deploying intelligent tools on manual workflows which were digitizing outdated and connecting granular data from the field with service validation platforms.

Here are five digitally enabled services and tools with the potential of end-to-end automation and reinventing Facility Management across global organisations.

• App-enabled Surveys

Third-party vendors can take up mobile app-enabled site audits like QA inspections, shift end reports, compliance, etc. Audits can be standardised by SLA criteria and building type to save labour hours. It acts as quality assurance and accountability of the vendors. These apps highlight areas which need more attention which helps to drive a corrective plan which may include trainings. Moreover, these reports can be used for self-assessment to ensure client satisfaction.

• Real-time Monitoring Tools

The promptness of issue detection and resolution aids FMs in preventing escalations. Mobile auditing apps facilitate standardisation in terms of quality and performance. This ensures quality assessment across millions of square feet of real estate. Prompt communication of building issues enables quick resolution. The issues may vary from thermostat malfunctioning to a cracked windowpane i.e. including the biggest and the smallest problems. These monitoring tools act as the eyes and ears of FMs for raising tickets and enhancing safety and efficiency real quick.

• Image Management

Reporting through images has gained immense importance via apps that enable to capture and communicate with pictures which are geo-stamped and contain the exact time of a specific day. For vendors, it helps in verification of a task or service that has been performed with its magnitude. The amount of on-site visibility such tools provides is salient when linked to analytics platforms. Apps also enable segmentation through their searchable and filterable features to speed up the entire process while eliminating subjectivity.

• Validation Apps

Score carding, calibrating and aggregating vendor performance is crucial in FM. Though self-reported scores may differ from the vendor as performance metrics and methods of assessments differ. To optimise a business, FM expectations need to stack up against actual performance across geographies. Here, vendor validation comes into play to refrain from guesswork and drive actual numbers. Score carding and benchmarking the service providers not only establishes accountability but also mitigates the risk of business operations. It ensures optimally maintained workplaces in terms of safety, hygiene, functions, compliance and enriched human experience, ultimately.

• Intelligent Analytics

Advanced business dashboards identify and illustrate trends, micro as well as macro across geographies. Building and operational data are collated into centralised platforms for the purpose of gaining insights and driving corrective plans. They help in identifying top-performing and underperforming segments and potentially pinpoint risks. These dashboards bear critical importance for better management of facilities and vendor service for asset-specific management. An ideal integrated platform captures granular data, facilitates real-time implementation through streamlined reporting with low or no-code innovation.

Facility Management is on a constant quest to improve the overall human experience through consistent field execution and becoming more proactive for maintaining properties. The job of getting everyone on the same page through a shared view of distinct portfolios is now providing brighter visibility for making informed decisions. Faster resolution of issues is a product of transparent flow of communication which reduces risk exposure, creates overall efficiency and improves profitability of the business in the long run.

The post Tech Tools for Facility Management first appeared on Facility Management Company.

Our current world is under the influence of various environmental issues. Globalization has successfully linked people in the Integrated Facilities management system from different countries, but this has managed to convert many small local problems into international problems as well. As such, today, every society is under the influence of the good or bad consequences that come from one’s building management services.It is however imperative that we raise awareness on various concerns relating to one’s building management services, and how our actions can lead to serious environmental issues that must be addressed without delay. Precisely, each facility management system can make a difference to the environment in a positive manner. The emphasis should not only be on the awareness of the issue, but also on motivating the Facilities management staff on providing the necessary assistance to get started. For this purpose, practical solutions are provided that can be applied in everyday life without having to spend too much time or effort.

Being environmentally friendly means having a lifestyle that is parallel to the facility management system. It’s also about taking small steps towards Mother Earth to make this planet a better place for our facility management system communities and generations to come. A good way would to start with is by conserving water, driving less and walking more, consuming less energy, buying recycled products, eating locally grown vegetables, joining Integrated Facilities management environmental groups to combat air pollution, creating less waste and also planting more trees.

Some of the other ways to dwell in an environmentally friendly way can be read below:

1. Get to know the building management services resources better:start living with greater awareness of the resources that you use in your everyday life. Pay attention to how you choose to heat, travel, use water and use products manufactured by production practices. Consciousness is what will enable you to start making decisions that respect the environment.

2. Practicing Conservation:With your new awareness of how facility management’s natural resources are used in your life, begin practicing conservation. It can also merely be turning off the lights when you leave the room and as complex as a variety of decisions when it comes to building management services. Your smart building management staff can help you assist with more details on the same, which needs an extra effort from the occupants to take the initiative and understand the terms.

3. Conserve Water:you need to save water because it takes a lot of energy to pump water from a river or lake to your home. Water conservation reduces the amount of energy required for filtering. Some ways to save water are: showering with small showers, repair leakage leaks, maintaining an open tap while washing your teeth, recycling water from your home, collect rainwater in your grass.

4. Change your travel habits:Driving and flying are two areas where you can make a real impact on environment friendly practices. Choose travel options that consume less fuel, or choose to travel less(if possible. And try to finish the job over a call or video conference), or choose more direct routes to save fuel. If your office is nearby, try to ride a bicycle instead of a car. This will reduce the carbon footprint and keep you healthy in the longer run.

5. Reduce the use of harmful chemicals: Dangerous chemicals such as paints, oils, ammonia and other l solutions, when disposed in open air, can lead to environmental pollution which is hazardous for the air that we breathe. Contaminated air and water can have severe consequences for human health and lead to respiratory issues that could be fatal and may also lead to death. The building facility services must be careful of where to dispose these harmful chemicals in a safe manner, so as to not affect the environment or the health of its building occupants.

The post LIVING BETTER IN SOCIETIES
A quick guide on simple conservation practices first appeared on Facility Management Company.

Concierge services have gotten advanced way beyond the hospitality industry since its very inception. Back in the earlier days, concierge services were about assisting guests in booking reservations, hotels, providing transportation assistance and aiding in other related tasks.

The jet age (in which we are), concierge services at any business are more concerned about simplifying life (from health and medical care to entertainment and transportation assistance etc), It has climbed up the table of needs in most organizations and also in the employees’ compensation or benefit packages.

Organizations and concierge services

Building management services offer building concierge services, which entail the provisions of additional pre agreed services as contracted for by the employer, for his employee, or by the management or property owner with the concierge (been on site as an extension of the management staff or a representative of the Integrated facilities management).

How concierge services affect the workforce

From recruiting to climbing up the ladder to the top, the provision of concierge services to the workforce of any organization greatly affects the decision making process and maintenance of human resources.

Every employee wants to know that the organization cares for their well being and is looking out for them. This is not achieved with merely offering the financial benefits and incentives, as it could just imply a commensurate pay or a reward or compensation for a good performance appraisal results. Employers who hope to achieve this will look towards making their employees happy and less stressed, there’s no greater motivation for the modern workforce considering that career prospects are becoming less important to lifestyle and wellbeing.

Benefits of concierge services.

The integration of the concierge services into businesses and organizations is beneficial to alleveryone.

For property management services offering concierge services, they are open to first hand information as concerned with their responsibilities on the properties they manage with the concierge on site. This also gives them the privilege to focus on more facility management issues.

For the organization’s management or a business owner, there’s an assurance of total dedication and concentration on its employee whose little errands and personal run-arounds are being taking care of. This generally improves employee efficiency and productivity, which helps the organization’s staff retention and productivity.

For an employee, concierge services mean a whole lot than just the ease of stress. It also provides oneself with the peace of mind and ample joy on the job, alongside a sense of fulfillment not only on their business or organizational duties, but also the fulfillment as an individual looking up for help which indirectly shapes the business accurate image through its response.

The post CONCIERGE SERVICES AND ITS NECESSITY first appeared on Facility Management Company.

Several things make an organization’s building differ from a residential habitat. There are very few yet certain things they hold in common; one of which is the fact that they are both constructed to provide and ascertain one of the three basic needs of man; SHELTER.

Shelter is widely believed to be a building, designed to give protection from bad weather, danger or attack.  With this in view, the whole planning process of any house-able building is strategically carried out, bearing in mind the safety of people who will be having contact with the building.

This intention goes beyond setting up blocks and cement, roofing, painting, plumbing and the popular essentials, that include other in-out construction processes with respect to the type of building that is to be erected.

Firms offering professional building management services look after the health and safety of occupants and visitors as one of their primary responsibilities among others. They ensure being potentially efficient especially to keep in line with the blue print presented by clients (house or organization owners).

It’s also a cogent duty for these facility management services providers to advice, assist and monitor the installation of necessary gadgets and devices with respect to safety and health while also drawing out measures that will act as a guide for the occupants.

On the note of identifying your organization’s position on health and safety, there is need to consider the existence and execution of important and proper measures, which need to be put in place by your organization.

To know your organization’s position for health and safety, let us consider the following:
It should be noted that the list is inexhaustible, yet it may further depend upon the different activities that should or which takes place in the work facility.

STANDARD DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION:
Ascertaining the safety of an organization’s human workforce starts from the choice of location for the business.The foundation laying, the use of quality building and construction materials, and ensuring continuous maintenance management of the facility are crucial to the process.

EFFICIENT SECURITY NETWORK:
An efficient physical security is the most paramount step to ensure the protection of an organization’s assets and facilities. Mind you, assets are more than machineries; the employees of any company are the most important assets that can be imagined, hence safeguarding them should be prioritized.

MECHANICAL ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM:
Unauthorized access of whatever kind must be avoided in the work place either by an outsider or by an employee as this might trigger safety questioning issues and could be very dangerous.

Therefore a comprehensive but clear plan must be developed and put into practice. Installations of mechanical identifications systems will help to curb unsanctioned access to parts of the facility, equipments or information.

ELECTRIC/ELECTRONIC ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM
Electricity is something we cannot do away with in any work place, when not properly managed ,it comes with its hazards such as fire outbreak, shock and burns. Facility management services ensure a well wired building with proper insulation and restrictions to unauthorized people into the control room.

SURVEILLANCE CAMERA
This is quite advantageous for the upkeep of an excellent security process and system, it does not only help to see the environment but to also monitor the happenings around the building in order to prompt fast response as need may be for the protection of employees.

EMERGENCY PLANS AND ALARMS
It’s essential that every organization puts in place a standard system to reduce the severity of workplace accidents, injuries and loss. Therefore an emergency plan must be drafted and communicated to employees such that they are not caught helpless when any emergency arises. This plan must include means of passing information, evacuation procedures and the effective counter measures to be taken.

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
One of the major risk factors in any building wired for electrical supplies and usage by humans or machines is fire outbreak. The best available predominant counter measure for such emergency cases is the fire extinguisher. It’s a must for every organizational building.

MEDICAL UNITS AND FIRST AID
The best of organizations provide its employees with health benefits such as health allowances and insurance, however it’s expedient that every organization structure has a ready medical facility to cater to urgent medical situations especially when there are situations that need immediate first aid care.

MAINTAIN A CLEAN AND STERILE WORK ENVIRONMENT.
Management should engage cleaning service agencies or personnels that are readily available as part of the everyday staff, to maintain a clean and tidy work environment such that employees can focus on their own job activities. Cleaning procedures, equipments and personnel are essential to be provided by any organizations who claim to care for its workers.

WELL VENTILATED AND CONDUCIVE WORK ROOM
Installations of appliances such as air conditioners, dispensers, televisions, etc. keep the work room environment well ventilated, conducive and comfortable for employees and helpful for their well being and the work related needs.
The absence of the above listed measures strongly interpret the non-challant attitude of organizations towards its employees. All these can only be effectively put in place by a specialized team called facility management services, to run the show efficiently, throughout.

The post Does Your Organization Look After Your Health And Safety? first appeared on Facility Management Company.

Beyond setting up a befitting structure, building management services supervise installations such as lifts, fire alarms, emergency way out and the likes for either commercial or residential usage. But furthermore, the team stretches its functions to ensure the comfortability of occupants through its luxury facility management schemes.

There are a few cogent things we sweat and beat ourselves up on or try to find solutions to; the most common ones are the health and environment sectors. They directly affect the healthy and comfortable livelihood of people, whereas we could provide a better, more effective, more efficient and less expensive way out yet in a less stressful way, when we maximize the provisions and contributions of the building maintenance services.

One of the basic topics in environmental discussions that garner a lot of attention and have got several scientists researching since the turn of the 20th century till present is global warming; this is a term used to explain the gross increase in atmospheric temperature over the years which is expected to rise further in years to come basically caused by the release of more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This literally means we are bound to have more intensely hot seasons.

Managing the unfriendly climate change mostly in the hotter seasons requires great workable strategy, such that our facilities don’t heat up and become too hot to live or stay in.

Are you planning to build?

Is there a building structure already that you want to set up, such that it winnows out heat and ensures the environment in and out remains serene and cool all the time? Then you must consider maximizing the knowledge and experience of the luxury facility management team who will help you in capitalizing on the usage of the following plants:

Cool Roofs

Cool roofs can be used for any building; be it residential, industrial or commercial, it has been designed in such a way that it absorbs less, reflects more and radiates non reflected heat. The installation of cool roofs help minimize the energy and cost consumption that could have been from the usage of air conditioning or other energy burning system and increases great indoor comfort.

The Green Life

Planting certain trees and flowers in strategic places around a building help with stabilizing and maintaining the coolness beyond expectation. This is possible because plants absorb in the carbon dioxide which is the basic element of heat and they lose water during transpiration. Special plants like Aloe Vera, Areca palm tree, the golden pothos, etc. would do the cooling magic.

Windows, Doors and Insulations

Temperature efficient windows and doors will certainly reduce the amount of energy transfer into and out of the building, along with good insulation use in the ceilings, floors and walls; this ensures an air tight building with very limited energy interaction between the inner part of the building and the outer part, ensuring a cooler home or workplace.

Energy efficient lighting

In most buildings, lighting is one the basic energy consumer, also emitting a great deal of heat. The installation of LED, fluorescent lighting will greatly reduce both the energy consumption and emission of the lighting system which will translate into cooler rooms and work halls.

Dehumidifier

Unlike air conditions, dehumidifier doesn’t blow out cool air; it actually does take moisture out of the air, reduces the presence of humidity and unpleasant smell thereby automatically decreasing the heat level and making the surroundings cooler.

Air conditioning and air handlers

The general perception of the air conditioning system is actually that of the air handler, the air conditioner doesn’t actually blow in cool air into an apartment, air handler does and air conditioning on the other hand removes heat from it. The use of this system helps maintain a cool home and work environment.

Proper installation and fixing of these plants by your luxury facility management team would ensure a wonderful living and/ or smooth working experience as they would take care of all the building management and maintenance service in order to maintain a cool, comfortable and conducive building.

The post How to keep your buildings cool in summers first appeared on Facility Management Company.