The First Facility Management Blog

This post was submitted by Jay Rintelmann, president of Hartford South.

Proper maintenance is a key aspect to extending a roof’s lifespan. Once there is an active leak, it is too late for proactive measures.

Many variables and issues can cause damage and lower the roof’s performance. Check for these five common problems affecting low-slope commercial roofs:

• Proper drainage – Debris from wind and storms can clog drains and gutters. Drains should be checked and cleaned every six months to one year to ensure proper flow of water.
• Ponding water – Older roof systems, and sometimes systems where insulation was not installed correctly, have the propensity to pond water. Ponding can occur anywhere on the roof deck, stressing the roof and causing premature failure of most membranes.
• Flashings – Identify roof membrane problems at vertical surfaces including walls and curbs. Look for holes in the membrane, open laps, hail damage, or membrane slippage.
• Penetrations – Inspect condition of roof at locations where vent pipes, soil pipes, heater flues, electric conduits, or gas lines pass through the roof. These penetrations and pitch pans are often the first areas to fail on a roof, but their lifespan can be extended indefinitely through proper maintenance.
• Walk pads – Facility managers should request that any individuals accessing the roof use these pads while performing maintenance or repair services to equipment on the roof.

Of course, age and severe weather can also affect the longevity of your building’s roof. Most have a lifespan of about 20 years – although the factors mentioned above can cause damage that necessitates a re-roof or repair. So, check your building’s roof regularly, because proactive maintenance can help save money (and hassle) in the long run.

Hartford South specializes in low-slope commercial roofing applications – both re-roof and new construction. Since 1984, Hartford South has installed more than 60 million square feet of product and completed numerous high-profile jobs throughout Central Florida. Clients have included Orange County Convention Center, Orange County Public Schools, Florida Hospital and Rosen Shingle Creek.

Stablebase USA offers a line of ladder stabilizer products designed to be compact, easy to use, and adaptable to various site conditions. These patented products include an Extension Ladder Stabilizer, a Step Ladder Stabilizer (shown here), and a Staging Stabilizer.

The Extension Ladder Stabilizer increases a ladder’s base from 17” to 60”, which significantly reduces the ladder’s tendency to slip or tip. It weighs 11 pounds.

Meanwhile the Step Ladder Stabilizer is adaptable to all step ladders over 6′ in height. A mounting kit is required and available for wooden ladders upon request. When ladder is used close to a wall or platform, the pivoting head of the legs can be adjusted in a variety of angles and lengths to maximize stability, regardless of ground types, and levels. It weighs 15 pounds.

The new roll-formed downspouts from MBCI are designed to offer advantages over traditional press-broken rectangular downspouts. Measuring 4″x5″, the roll-formed downspout provides nearly 43% more area than a 3½”x4″ downspout—while still working with MBCI’s existing gutter profiles. This larger area can help to reduce the number of downspouts required on a building, which generates additional savings in both material and installation labor.

The roll-formed downspouts also facilitate ease of assembly on tall facilities. This is because one end of it is swaged, which mitigates the need to notch one end of the downspout to connect it to the next downspout. This swage feature is advantageous on facilities with eave overhangs where the downspouts must return to the wall requiring the use of at least two elbows. (Click on image to view detail.)

These downspouts are available in 26-gauge in all of MBCI’s standard colors. They are manufactured in lengths of 10′-6″ and 14′-6″ with custom lengths up to 20′-6″. Separate kick-outs and elbows are available.

The odor in a room is enough to elicit a stronger impulse towards fairness, researchers from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University have claimed. They believe their research proves there is a correlation between hygiene and decency, and that by improving our environment we can improve our behavior. The research found an increase in ethical behavior when the scent of a fruit scented cleaner fills a room.

Professor Adam Galinsky, the psychologist who conducted the study, said it shows “morality and cleanliness” are inextricably linked. “Researchers have known for years that scents play an active role in reviving positive or negative experiences. Now, our research can offer more insight into the links between people’s charitable actions and their surroundings.”

Katie Liljenquist, assistant professor of organizational leadership at Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management said: “This is a very simple, unobtrusive way to promote ethical behavior. The data tells us a compelling story about how much we rely upon cleanliness cues to make a wide range of judgments about others.”

The study, titled “The Smell of Virtue,” made subjects carry out several tasks, with some asked to work in unscented rooms, while others worked in rooms freshly sprayed with lemon scented cleaner.

The first experiment evaluated fairness. Participants were given $12 and were asked to decide how much of it to keep and how much to return to their partners who had trusted them to divide it fairly. Subjects in clean scented rooms were less likely to exploit the trust of their partners, returning a significantly higher share of the cash. The average amount of cash given back by the people in the “normal” room was $2.81. But the people in the clean scented room gave back an average of $5.33.

The second experiment evaluated whether clean scents would encourage charitable behavior. Subjects indicated their interest in volunteering and their interest in donating funds to a charitable cause. Participants surveyed in the clean smelling room were significantly more interested in volunteering (4.2 on a 7-point scale) than those in a normal room (3.3). Meanwhile, 22% of participants in the clean smelling room said they’d like to donate money, compared to only 6% of those in a normal room.

Follow up questions revealed that participants did not notice the aroma in the room and that their mood at the time of the experiment did not affect the outcomes.

Liljenquist was the lead author on the piece, which will appear in a forthcoming issue of Psychological Science. Co-authors were Chen-Bo Zhong of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and Adam Galinsky of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. The researchers see implications for workplaces, retail stores, and other organizations that have relied on traditional surveillance and security measures to enforce rules.

This offering is not so much weird as it is scary, but when you think about the jobs in the world that have to be done, well, it kinda puts everything into perspective. Have a look at this video (and marvel at the guts it takes to do this job).

(The background ditty is sung by George Formby, an English entertainer from the music hall tradition.)

With cold and flu season upon us, spending time reviewing your HVAC system, its major components, and air and water distribution is time well spent to help mitigate the spread of type A (H1N1) and other types of Influenza. Some of the precautions may be based on adopting simple common sense measures, while others are related to proper maintenance protocols. In addition, there are system upgrades that can be performed to help mitigate risks. Below is a list of tips to consider during cold and flu season:

• Monitor facilities to ensure that no warm, stagnant water is present (which can provide an environment conducive to the growth of problematic microbes such as Legionella, the cause of Legionnaire’s Disease).
• Monitor areas including cooling towers, pooled water on roofs, or clogged drains that can harbor unhealthy contaminants that can be introduced into the building and circulated by the air distribution systems into occupied spaces.
• One simple change facilities can implement is to upgrade the efficiency of the air filters. As filter efficiency increases, typically their resistance to air flow also increases. Always check to be sure the fan system can handle the resistance being imposed by the filters and other components in the system. Also, select replacement filters based on the specific particles you intend to collect. Viral droplets or droplet nuclei of influenza, for instance, are very small but are typically surrounded by a mucus shell making them larger and easier to remove.
• It is necessary to re-evaluate how and when filters should be changed. Rather than set a simple schedule, it may be more prudent to measure the pressure drop through filter banks and set up basic performance metrics to determine the best model for filter changes.
• Simple measures are the first line of defense. Technicians should wear cut-resistant gloves when performing filter changes or basic maintenance to air dampers and commonly exposed system components. Also, properly fit respirators may help to ensure that the risk of exposure while working above the ceiling or in poorly ventilated areas is minimized.
• A common service and maintenance procedure is to verify correct outside air intake dampers settings and operation. Most commercial spaces should operate at a slightly positive pressure relative to the outdoors to reduce the likelihood of contaminants infiltrating into the occupied areas.
• Check and validate restroom and other critical area exhaust fans to assure they are removing contaminants from the building before they become mixed with the indoor air. Perform preventive maintenance on small exhaust fans to ensure they have not accumulated dirt, reducing their effectiveness.
• Provide staff with basic training and increase overall awareness about the risks of influenza exposure and the likely ways to contract the virus. Also, conduct formal training of staff technicians and subcontract workers in how to work with your building systems to reduce risk and increase health and safety as well as reducing exposure to other harmful airborne particles.
• Direct contact is the most common pathway for the spread of disease. Communicate influenza safety tips and precautions to all building departments – especially those whose primary function includes occupancy of guests, visitors, and the general public.
• Encourage hand washing among all staff. If possible, add hand cleaner and hand sanitizer supplies at air handler locations, equipment controls, railings and access doors.

There are many resources to provide details and more complete planning recommendations including:

• · IFMA Foundation’s Pandemic Preparedness Manual
• · The Center for Disease Control and Prevention
• · The Federal Emergency Management Agency

These tips have been provided by Trane (although the image at the beginning of the article was supplied by Cathy Aste).

Extech Instruments, a supplier of test and measurement equipment for the industrial marketplace has introduced a new photo/contact tachometer, Model RPM10. This device includes a built-in, non-contact InfraRed (IR) thermometer with laser pointer that provides surface temperature measurements ranging from -4 to 572 degrees Farenheit (-20 to 300 degrees Celsius) in locations that are unsafe or hard to reach.

RPM10 Tachometer from Extech Instruments

The RPM10 features a 6:1 field of view, allowing a 1” spot to be measured at a distance of 6”. Combining IR temperature with RPM measurement, the RPM10 is a maintenance tool for evaluating motor performance and detecting bearings or insulation failures.

In the photo mode, Extech’s RPM10 uses a laser light source and measures 10 to 99,999 rpm from up to 6.5’ from the target. In the contact mode, it measures from 0.5 to 20,000 rpm, while linear surface speed measurements range from 0.2 to 6560 ft/min, and 0.05 to 1999.9 m/min. Measurements are accurate to 0.05% with max resolution of 0.1 rpm in either the photo or contact mode.

The characters in the display change direction so that the readings can be seen no matter which end of the tachometer is being used. Readings are displayed on a large, easy-to-read LCD, and the memory stores the last maximum and minimum readings.

The rugged RPM10 is constructed with a soft, ergonomically designed double molded housing and comes complete with tips and wheels for rpm or linear surface speed, four 1.5V AA batteries, reflective tape, a rubber boot, and a carrying case.

3M Building and Commercial Services Division, in partnership with Tennant Company, a manufacturer of indoor and outdoor environmental cleaning solutions, recently awarded St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago, IL with a new Tennant T7 ec-H2O Scrubber-Dryer, an automatic floor-scrubbing machine.

St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago was the grand prize winner in 3M’s promotional contest that capped off a year long 50th anniversary celebration of 3M Floor Pads. In 1958, 3M originated the first synthetic, non-woven floor pad; these pads are still recognized as the worldwide industry standard today. They feature uniform distribution of mineral abrasives throughout the pad to provide superior performance and extend the life of the pad. Additionally, the pads have individual fibers that are coated separately to help produce more consistent results. They are washable and reuseable.

“We are thrilled to present this top of the line cleaning solution to such a deserving organization. The Tennant T7 Micro-rider Scrubber-Dryer with ec-H2O technology equipped with the 3M TopLine Autoscrubber Floor Pad 5000 will allow St. Joseph Hospital to clean better, faster, and safer all while supporting sustainability,” said Ed Michels, marketing development manager, Hard Floor Systems with 3M Building & Commercial Services Division.

“Awarding the ec-H2O machine that cleans with only water and utilizes 3M pads is a perfect way to showcase how far the floor maintenance industry has come since 3M invented floor pads 50 years ago,” added Michels.

The contest asked 3M customers to perform a scratch-off test comparing 3M Black Stripping Pads to a leading competitor’s stripping pad. The scratch-off test gave consumers a firsthand look at how 3M Floor Pads provide consistent performance and high quality results throughout their lifetime. All participants entered into a drawing for the Tennant T7 Micro-rider Scrubber-Dryer. 3M and Tennant randomly selected St. Joseph Hospital from a pool of entries to receive the award.

“To win the Tennant machine was like winning a million dollars in the lottery, I mean it was just fantastic! The hospital has had an automatic floor scrubber on our wish list for a while, but we were never able to afford it. All the employees are extremely excited,” said Daniel Ratliff, director of environmental services with St. Joseph Hospital. “I think our employees are going to be able to do two to three times the amount of work that they were doing before, which is just great. The Tennant machine is going to save us a lot of time and help us cover more area each day. Other staff can then be utilized to strip and wax and buff patient rooms.”

The state-of-the-art Tennant T7 Micro-rider Scrubber-Dryer features chemical-free and environmentally safe electrically converted water technology (ec-H20 technology from Tennant). The ec-H20 technology electrically charges tap water so that it performs like a general purpose detergent. Ec-H20 machines use no chemicals and less water and therefore help provide health and safety benefits that simplify the cleaning process and enhance productivity.

“We valued the opportunity to partner with 3M in a space where we have common end-users and distributors in order to show the strength and innovation of both our brands,” said Kim Swatosch, senior marketing manager with Tennant Company. “Tennant has high quality machines and 3M offers high quality floor pads; combining 3M and Tennant technology allows us to supply customers the best possible solution, which is a high quality, environmentally friendly product that is going to last a long time.”

Performing facility maintenance, working with heavy equipment, working in a distribution center, and loading trucks are all tough jobs that can be equally tough on hands.

The M-Pact T/M glove is part of a line of protective hand wear from Mechanix.

Injuries range from cuts and puncture wounds to abrasions, bruising, broken bones, and vibration injuries. Investment in the right glove can help prevent short-term hand injuries and long-term damage.

Mechanix Wear, Inc. makes gloves to help protect hard working hands. One new model is The M-Pact® T/M Glove, designed for high abrasion tasks. The M-Pact T/M glove has internal knuckle padding, double layer leather on fingertips and thumbs for durability and protection, wraparound finger reinforcements to resist abrasions, anatomically shaped leather palm for grip, and snug fit and oversized Airprene cuff for easy entry. This glove is suited for key tasks such as industrial maintenance, equipment operation, and materials handling.

On March 19, 2008, FacilityBlog posted the article below which touched upon the decaying state of Michael Jackson’s Neverland estate (which was sold last year). Abandoned and tied up in legalities for many years, the piece of property symbolized some of the financial turmoil and legal woes that swirled around the late Michael Jackson.

A comeback tour due to start in just a few weeks was supposed to help pull the King of Pop out of his economic meltdown. Despite being a billion dollar business, the singer was in about $400 million in debt when he died yesterday.

There have been reports from some companies that people would be dressing up in Michael Jackson attire today. What has been the reaction to this news, if any, in your facilities? Is it just another distraction during a slow Summer Friday? 

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