The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how building owners, managers, and occupants think about buildings and their importance in supporting human health. Properly constructed and operated buildings can support health, well-being, productivity and can even serve as a place of refuge from the increasing occurrence of adverse environmental events such as smoke from wildfires, or exposures...Read More
Heightened interest in indoor air quality is coming from all corners of public and environmental health, including the CDC and the White House, creating a renewed focus on alternative methods for “air cleaning” or disinfection technologies. Improving indoor air quality is a worthwhile goal, but implementation must be done carefully and without harm. Generally, the...Read More
As COVID-19 precautions fall away, with the suspension of masking and social distancing requirements indoors in most locations, facility managers (FMs) may find that the next stage of the pandemic brings new challenges. While COVID cases have been much lower in recent months than during the height of the pandemic, it’s unlikely that FMs will...Read More
The original BERDO, or Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance, was enacted in 2013 and started as a reporting ordinance modeled after New York City’s 2009 Local Law 84. Large buildings in the City of Boston were required to collect and report their energy use to the city. The City of Boston published the information,...Read More
Having an effective water management program has proven critical for minimizing patient exposure to a wide range of dangerous waterborne pathogens. In fact, one CDC study found that approximately 21% of HAIs can be transmitted via water. However, many hospitals have struggled with the development and implementation of a comprehensive water management program. Pathogens include...Read More
Over the past 10 years, the U.S. has made meaningful improvements in preventing health care-associated infections (HAIs), yet infections remain a major cause of death and disability. In addition to being incredibly dangerous to patients, HAIs also are costly because hospitals are generally not reimbursed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for treating...Read More
As of February 25, 2022, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has officially added perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) to the list of chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer under Proposition 65 (Prop 65). PFOA had already been listed as a Prop 65 chemical by OEHHA in November 2017 as a...Read More
The problem of Legionella bacteria growth in complex water systems has been known for decades, but recent changes to regulatory requirements have created a compliance issue for many healthcare facilities. If your hospital doesn’t currently have an effective water management program implemented with effective “control measures”, it’s time to make creating one a priority. The...Read More
We are fast approaching a point (if we are not there already) where our collective focus will shift from supporting a work-at-home strategy to planning for employees to return to the workplace. There will be a great number of issues to address prior to that happening. From a facility management perspective, one immediate question is...Read More
On average, Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors — and the quality of their indoor environment can have significant effects on their health and well-being. Since indoor concentrations of some pollutants can be as much as five times higher than outdoor concentrations, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) should be a top concern for everyone....Read More
