The First Facility Management Blog

System Sensor, a Honeywell company, has developed a white paper to address placement, testing, and maintenance of system-connected carbon monoxide detectors based on NFPA 720, Standard for the Installation of Carbon Monoxide (CO) Warning Equipment in Dwelling Units.

Currently, the NFPA 720 Technical Committee is in the process of revising the standard, which is expected to include non-dwelling occupancies such as hotels, day care centers, and schools (the standard will mirror NFPA 72). The revised NFPA 720 will most likely include more precise placement, testing and maintenance sections, which, in turn, will force mmanufacturers to design system-connected CO detectors to a uniform code.

Unlike smoke detection devices that have been enhanced over 30+ years, system-connected carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are still in a stage of infancy and do not yet have mature standards to govern their use. To help fire protection professionals, the white paper reviews the requirements of NFPA 720, 2005 edition, focusing specifically on sections 5.1.1.1, 5.1.1.2, 5.4.1.1, 5.5.2 and 5.5.1.

Entitled, “Eliminating Confusion,” the white paper addresses areas of deficiency in the current form of NFPA 720. Copies are available for download from this link: CO%20WP%20Placement%20Testing.pdf

With an estimated population increase of two billion people in the next two decades, unprecedented demand will exist for energy, food, water, land, transportation, waste disposal, health care and infrastructure. The role of engineers will be critical in fulfilling those demands from remote small communities to large urban areas.

“As we enter the first half of the 21st century, the engineering profession must embrace a new mission statement – to contribute to the building of a more sustainable, stable and equitable world,” says Bernard Amadei, Ph.D. Amadei is the founding president of Engineers Without Borders - USA (EWB-USA) and the co-founder of the Engineers Without Borders-International network.

The mission of EWB-USA is to partner with disadvantaged communities to improve their quality of life through implementation of sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training internationally responsible engineering professionals and students.

Amadei says a new generation of engineers must be trained who can better meet the challenges of the developing world and address the needs of the most destitute people on the planet. Today, an estimated 20% of the world’s population lacks clean water, 40% lacks adequate sanitation, and 20% lacks adequate housing.

Amadei is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. At the university, he is leading a new paradigm shift in engineering education and practice called earth systems engineering (ESE). It emphasizes the interaction between the built environment and natural systems.

As part of the ESE initiative, Amadei directs a new program in engineering for developing communities, with a mission to educate globally responsible engineering students and professionals who can offer sustainable and appropriate solutions to the endemic problems faced by developing communities worldwide.

One of Amadei’s goals is to promote sustainable development, appropriate technology, service learning, and system thinking in the curriculum and research of civil engineering programs at CU Boulder and other U.S. universities.

Amandei will serve as keynote speaker at ASHRAE’s 2007 Annual Meeting, June 23-27. His presentation will focus on the challenges and opportunities with practicing engineering as well as the education of engineering. He also will discuss the importance of integrating engineering with non-engineering disciplines when addressing the needs of developing communities.

JohnsonDiversey Inc., a provider of professional cleaning and hygiene products and systems, has substantially reduced the environmental impact of its products through cost-effective, energy-saving initiatives. The company’s environmental performance is detailed in the company’s new Global Responsibility Report for 2006.

“Environmental stewardship is deeply embedded in our culture and how we serve our customers,” said JohnsonDiversey Chairman S. Curtis Johnson. “Protecting the environment is the right thing to do, and it makes sound business sense.”

Reducing use of Virgin Plastic
In this year’s report, JohnsonDiversey details how it has reduced the use of virgin plastic in packaging by 2,800 tons in the past five years, saving 188 million Megajoules per year of energy in the production of plastic. That amount of energy is equivalent to the annual electrical usage of 5,000 homes in the U.S.

This plastic reduction also translates into reducing CO2 equivalents by 2,600 tons, which is similar to removing 514 cars from the road or using 270,000 fewer gallons of gasoline.

The company reduced virgin plastic use by reengineering its packaging and by increasing post-consumer recycled content.

Calculating reduced environmental impact
In addition to reducing the amount of virgin plastic in its packaging, JohnsonDiversey product safety scientists also developed a unique web-based calculator for evaluating the reduced environmental footprint and cost-saving benefits of its products, packaging and dispensing innovations.

The company used the calculator to demonstrate the cost savings and environmental benefits of using Envirobox, a bag-in-box (BIB) packaging, rather than five-gallon plastic pails. JohnsonDiversey calculated that Envirobox packaging saves 2.3 million cubic feet of plastic from U.S. landfills on an annual basis.

“Our customers want accountability in environmental claims,” said JohnsonDiversey President and CEO Ed Lonergan. “They take their responsibility to the environment seriously and want to know how we can help them measure and reduce their environmental impact and build more sustainable businesses.”

JohnsonDiversey defines sustainability as the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit, Mr. Lonergan said, noting that sustainability is built into all
business planning and product development.

“We’re placing great emphasis on our role in helping our customers make the world safer and healthier for people and the planet while also delivering real business value,” Mr. Lonergan said.

Additional Achievements Highlighted in the Global Responsibility Report
• JohnsonDiversey began construction of a large distribution center
near its global headquarters in Sturtevant, Wis. The facility will be a high-
performance green building designed and constructed to earn LEED
certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. At 550,000 square feet, the
facility may become the largest LEED-certified warehouse in the U.S.
• The company reduced workplace safety incidents in 2006 by 32
percent over the previous year.
• The company earned GREENGUARD certification in 2006 for its
Healthy High Performance Cleaning Program. The GREENGUARD Institute, an
independent organization, certifies programs and products that improve indoor
air quality. JohnsonDiversey is the first and only company in the cleaning
industry to earn this certification.
• JohnsonDiversey’s TASKI Swingo XP automatic scrubber-drier for
floors won an innovation award from the United Kingdom’s Cleaning and
Hygiene Suppliers Association. The Swingo XP reduces water use by up to 50% and electrical use by up to 60 percent versus conventional machines.