The First Facility Management Blog

The first infrastructure project to move forward under the new federal economic stimulus package was announced earlier this week on 2/24/09. The project, a replacement bridge in Miller County near Tuscumbia, MO, was approved for construction as a top priority for the State of Missouri at a cost of $8.5 million, which will be funded by the stimulus plan. Because of the desire for rapid and economical construction, steel was selected for the bridge’s main span.

“The Show Me State again showed the nation we are leaders in transportation by having the first economic recovery act project in the country under construction,” said Missouri Department of Transportation director Pete Rahn. “We promised we would be ready to go to make the best use of every dollar we receive through the economic recovery act to create jobs and make our highways safer. We delivered on that promise and then some.”

The new 1,000-ft long, 28-foot-wide steel bridge will replace the existing 75-year-old Osage River Bridge, which is the same length and just 20 foot wide. The bridge crosses a Missouri River tributary near the middle of the state, where the average daily traffic is more than 1,000 cars per day. However, it has been off-limits to large trucks since 2007 because of its poor structural condition.

The new bridge, built by general contractor APAC of Kansas City, will use 395 tons of structural steel for the bridge’s 570 foot main span and will be positioned just upstream from the existing bridge.

“We’re pleased to have a project so close to home–only about 35 miles from our fabricator shop–close enough for our employees to be able to see and use,” said Gary Wisch, DeLong’s vice president of engineering. “We’re also proud to be the steel fabricator for the first project built with funds made available by the federal stimulus bill.”

You’ve heard of modern marvels, right? Well now there is a phenomenon of modern maladies sweeping through the computer based world we call 2009. In order to help keep its visitors up with the times, FacilityBlog brings you this glossary of terms that apply to today’s techno-times. It’s an oldie but a goodie from New Scientist, by way of Peter SJF Bance.

Blog Streaking: Revealing secrets of a personal nature online, which for everybody’s sake would best be kept private. (Some people just crave attention.)

Cyberchondria: A headache and a particular rash at the same time. Extensive research on the Internet convinces you it’s terminal.

Egosurfing: When “just checking” gets out of control. (James T. Kirk would be a good example.)

Google stalking: Snooping online on old friends, colleagues, or first dates (or former failed colleagues who were less than ideal co-workers).

Infornography: Acquiring and sharing information is an addiction. (No comment.)

MySpace impersonation: Many of us pretend to be somebody we are not when online, but some pretend to be a famous personality. (Not me, of course….)

Photolurking: Flicking through a photo album belonging to someone you have never met.

Powerpointlessness: One too many flashy slides. (I love this one!)

Wikipediholism: Excessive devotion to an online collaborative encyclopedia. (No comment again.)

YouTube narcissism: Not even your closest friend wants to see your holiday videos.

Check for the last Wiki condition here.

 

 

This Friday Funny is in honor of Liz Davidson.

Mt. Everest Safety Products, Inc. (MESP) has added the Ladder Lock—a ladder-securing device—to its safety product offerings. The Ladder Lock is a patented, portable ladder safety device that meets OSHA standards for hands-free climbing and securing a ladder. It is designed to help prevent extension ladder slide-offs, blow-offs, and accidents.

The Ladder Lock was developed by MESP because of a void in the market for an easy to use, strong, portable ladder securing device. The result is a device that allows a user to secure a ladder in a matter of seconds to many surfaces including gutters, fascia board, drip edge, 2x framing, 2” tubing, metal wall cap, metal roofing, railings, and plywood. Another feature of this product is its ability to protect gutters from being crushed by a ladder.

John Ferris, president of MESP and inventor of the Ladder Lock, has worked in the roofing industry for over 20 years and knows the importance of ladder safety. He says, “Over the years, I’ve seen dozens of ladder accidents that have resulted in bodily injury and property damage. I developed the Ladder Lock to fill a void in the ladder safety product market. It is the perfect solution for anyone who wants to help prevent dangerous and costly ladder accidents.”

Starbucks Coffee Company, the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world, recently announced the opening of its state-of-the-art roasting plant located in Calhoun County in central South Carolina. The facility employs 100 full-time Starbucks partners (employees) and supplies coffee to the company’s southeastern U.S. stores. The facility is also is an example of the company’s global commitment to green design and has been awarded LEED Silver certification for New Construction by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

“During these challenging economic times, I’m proud we are creating jobs by building something special here in South Carolina,” Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and ceo said. “In this business climate, it’s more important than ever that we make the right investments in our business, while making sure we do it in ways that support our business, the communities we work in, the environment and our people.”

Schultz was joined at today’s ribbon cutting ceremony by state, local and community leaders key to the effort including South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Joe Taylor, Calhoun County Council Chairman David Summers and Mike Briggs, president and ceo of the Central South Carolina Alliance.

“The state of South Carolina is thrilled to welcome Starbucks as the newest major employer in this community,” said Secretary Taylor. “This is the kind of corporate investment that will help strengthen our economy for the future by bringing the right kind of jobs and the right kind of companies to our great state.”

Using green design components certified by a third-party organization is part of the company’s strategy to help achieve the Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ goal to significantly reduce its environmental footprint by 2015. Starbucks invested in a variety of green design elements to help reduce the energy and waste generated by both the construction and operation of the facility. A significant amount – 20 percent – of building materials were from recycled content and over 75 percent of construction waste was recycled. The facility features efficient, state of the art lighting and water fixtures, drought tolerant landscape and a portion of the power used for operations will be green power supplied by wind energy.

“The strength of USGBC has always been the collective strength of our leaders in the building and related industries,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, ceo & founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the increasing role of the retail industry in that effort, Starbucks demonstrates their leadership not only through their LEED certification of this roasting plant, but their commitment to seek LEED certification for stores across the globe.”

Many of the green design elements utilized for the project are also being integrated into the company’s other roasting plants and retail stores. Starbucks has committed to LEED certification for all new company-operated stores by the end of 2010, doing so within standard store construction budgets.

The Building Owners and Manager’s Association (BOMA) International’s survey that produces the pioneering benchmarking publication, the Experience Exchange Report (EER), launched on February 16 with several revolutionary enhancements. This year, the nearly 90 year old benchmarking tool has transitioned to a completely online format with the help of Kingsley Associates, an industry leader in research and consulting services.

The online format will bring about improvements in how users submit and access data. The submitting process will be streamlined, with several useful updates:

• A step-by-step format to help submitters identify where they are in the survey process “Tooltips,” that define what’s needed on each line;
• Automated filters that check data for typos and incorrect information; and
• Comment fields for submitters to clarify information and data input.

 

For EER end users, querying data will also be more efficient and user friendly. Users will be able to customize searches to find the market information they need, which will maximize its utility. A new pricing structure will allow users to access and pay for only the data they need. There will also be discounts for submitters, as well as for users accessing data in multiple markets, and for corporations with multiple users.

These key enhancements come at a critical time, as industry professionals recognize that benchmarking property performance is critical to surviving—and thriving—in a recession. The EER provides comprehensive building operating income and expense performance data in more than 65 line items, and in 2008 covered 300 U.S. and Canadian markets. Property and asset managers regularly use the EER to gauge their performance. Investors and appraisers use the data as a barometer for assessing how a property is financially positioned in its and comparable markets.

 

Trying to change a drab public space into a festive and memorable mecca? If so, then maybe you need to investigate this line of “electrifying” furniture from French Designer Phillippe Boulet. Tables, chairs, chandeliers, and candelabrum are part of the illuminated furniture collection that echos stylish designs from the Rococo age.

With the help of RGB LEDs placed strategically inside each object, they can light up and change colors—either continuously or set on a selected color—thanks to an electronic driver incorporated into the furniture.

The items run on batteries, so they “morph” wirelessly and automatically. Colors can even be changed by remote control, to reflect a special event or mood “du jour.”

So if your facility is in need of some furnishings guaranteed to make an impression, these designs from Phillippe Boulet may be just the thing.

With many areas of the country still experiencing a winter chill, infrared heater manufacturers call on safety inspectors to pay close attention to the proper use and maintenance of their installed equipment. To help them identify potential hazards, the Infrared Heater Safety Council has issued a free safety inspection checklist.

The free checklist provides safety inspectors with easy access to all the information they need to make sure this equipment has been safely installed and maintained, as well as a reminder to make sure the equipment owner is maintaining appropriate clearances from combustibles. The checklist is included in a comprehensive brochure that outlines infrared heater types and proper applications, relevant safety codes and standards, proper clearances to combustibles, information on proper gas connections and ventilation, proper signage, and other important safety guidelines.

“As manufacturers of this heating equipment, we want to make sure our equipment is being used safely and properly, which is why we’ve developed this safety checklist and distributed it to thousands of fire and safety inspectors nationwide,” said Joseph A. Wortman, Jr., chairman of the IRSC, which is an Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) safety education initiative dedicated to the safe use of infrared heating equipment in commercial and industrial applications.

“Many people work around infrared heaters, but likely give little thought to safety or maintenance of this equipment,” said AHRI President Stephen Yurek. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to better understand how to use infrared heater properly to reduce potential hazards, while staying safe and warm.”

FacilityBlog from Today’s Facility Manager and the International Facility Management Association’s Facility Management Journal have partnered to produce FM Alert, a Blog designed to be the facility management profession’s most comprehensive news vehicle. Published regularly with exclusive content, FM Alert will keep industry professionals up to date on breaking news, emerging trends, and the latest innovations and insights.

The blog format is a convenient, efficient, and environmentally friendly way for facility management professionals to stay on top of their ever changing industry. FM Alert articles will also be posted to social networking sites powered by FacilityBlog and IFMA.

“With FM Alert, facility professionals have the opportunity to get the latest FM news and information from two of the industry’s leading organizations,” said Donald Young, IFMA’s vice president of communications. “Blogging creates conversation, and visitors will have the ability to comment on FM Alert Blog postings and make the dialog dynamic.”

Air-Dryr from Davis Instruments uses heat and natural convection to keep the air dry and prevent mold. Areas such as basements, closets, storage units, wine cellars, musical instrument rooms, vaults, pools, and spas are among the smaller spaces subject to mold and mildew, and the compact Air-Dryr is an alternative to dehumidifying bags or fan units with tanks to empty.

This unit is placed on the floor and plugged into a 110/120V outlet. The air is heated above dew point to hold the moisture in suspension so it will not settle on surfaces; then it is released through the top vents of Air-Dryr. As warmed air rises, cooler damp air is drawn into the unit, where it too is heated.

Designed to be left on 24 hours a day, Air-Dryr can handle a high volume of air. The neutral beige housing is made of strong and durable polycarbonate, and an aluminum base panel supports the tubular metal heating element. The units are silent, with no switch, fan, or thermostat. A thermal cut-off turns the unit off if air flow be impeded.

The Air-Dryr 500 from Davis Instruments (which is located in Hayward, CA) handles up to 500 cubic feet, draws 0.6 amps, 130 watts, and measures 14″L x 5″W x 4.5″H. The Air-Dryr 1000 handles up to 1,000 cubic ft., draws 1.1 amps, 130 watts, and measures 13.5″ in diameter and 4.25″ high.

For years, environmental liability associated with naturally occurring substances such as silica, mercury, arsenic, radon, and asbestos has played a significant role in the risk profiles of many construction firms. Nearly all are recognized as hazardous waste or substances by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and therefore present unusual exposure to many property owners, developers, and contractors.  
 
As a result, many owners undertaking construction projects have begun to educate themselves about the impact of environmental issues as well as the associated liabilities. This includes the performance of environmental assessments before buying the property or the onset of development projects as well as the purchase of some form of environmental coverage such as Contractors Pollution Liability (CPL) insurance.
 
However, according to Jeff Slivka, executive vice president of New Day Underwriting Managers LLC, contractors and construction firm owners must be wary of the naturally occurring substance and pollutant exclusions that can be included in Contractors Pollution Liability (CPL) policies. “Some offer fairly recognizable and straight forward exclusions, while others can be far more cryptic,” says Slivka. “Either way, such policy conditions and exclusions can have a significant impact on the coverage. Although CPL policies can provide prudent alternatives for financing environmental loss, the pitfalls can prove devastating for the uninformed.”
 
For those that do purchase CPL insurance, the trick is to understand coverage benefits thoroughly, while securing the optimal coverage afforded in the marketplace. Even though CPL insurance has become a bit more “standardized” over the past five years, CPL purchases can still be fairly difficult, since all 20 plus carriers offer coverages with varying terms, conditions, exclusions, definitions, and agreements.
 
In addition, construction company and property owners looking to protect themselves from environmental liabilities properly should also note that CPL coverage is only one half of the equation.  Optimal environmental liability insurance programs ideally should include Pollution Legal Liability or PLL insurance to cover pollution conditions or events that emanate from designated locations or project sites. This can also include coverage for third-party bodily injury, property damage, clean up costs, and defense costs resulting from the existence of environmental conditions.
 
In addition to the careful review of CPL and PLL terms and coverages, Slivka also recommends the following to contractors, property owners, and construction companies that would like to protect their operations from costly and litigious pollution liabilities:
 
· Identify your environmental risk: There is an abundance of information available from the Internet and other sources to help owners and contractors fully understand their companies’ exposure to environmental liability.  
· Consider environmental insurance as one risk financing alternative: There are many alternatives. But companies who do not purchase environmental insurance seldom have a risk financing plan in place. If you belong to one of those companies, the next question should be, “How are we prepared to finance potential environmental losses?” The answer will say a great deal about the organization’s preparedness philosophy.
· When buying environmental insurance, be sure to cover the four major exposure areas: jobsite operations, transportation, disposal, and owned premises.