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High school students have no idea you exist. OK, let’s put that more accurately: Many of the most promising candidates for vacant technician jobs in maintenance and engineering departments know little or nothing about the maintenance profession or its specific jobs. Given that blind spot, it is...

The change in administrations in Washington, D.C., is likely to mean many changes in the way federal agencies and departments operate, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) probably is no exception. OSHA’s aggressiveness in enforcing workplace safety laws tends to vary by...

Something is going on here. I can't quite figure out if it's a growing appreciation of building maintenance and the trades or if it's just a series of nice coincidences. Whatever it is, it's worth a closer look. A comment from myFacilitiesnet member ieqwoman on one of my previous blogs...

As institutional and commercial facilites struggle under the weight of a sagging economy, managers understandably look to new products and technology to help their organizations lower their costs. But how about a no-cost source of savings? It seems to good to be true, but it is. Maintenance and engineering...

Admit it. Maintenance and engineering management generally hasn’t been considered a trendy profession. And the shortage of front-line technicians that has plagued maintenance and engineering departments for years is pretty strong evidence people generally don’t see jobs in facilities maintenance...

Presidential candidates make a lot of promises. It’s part of the game, so nobody believes they’ll keep most of them. Presidents-elect do the same thing, but maybe there’s a difference. Maybe — given they’ve already won election — there is reason to hope a president...

Why does deferred maintenance matter, anyway? After all, buildings have operated for decades and even centuries in less-then-ideal conditions. Despite a few complaints from occupants and the occasional visitor about leaky plumbing, drafty doors and windows, water-stained ceilings, or peeling paint, many...

What good is technology if people don’t know how to use it? More specifically, what good are high-performance buildings if maintenance and engineering departments can’t maintain them properly? Managers have struggled for years to find and keep qualified front-line technicians, and their frustrations...

One day, facility designers will learn it pays to listen to maintenance early in process of designing a facility. Unfortunately, that day still seems far away for many organizations. Chris Matt, the associate editor of Maintenance Solutions , recounted a recent conversation he’d had with a maintenance...

In some form or fashion, all information seems to be on the Internet. For more than a decade now, managers have been able to tap into its power and find information on solving nearly any problem that arose in their facilities. One problem with this information explosion — finding exactly the information...

Everything seems green. No, not just some things. Everything. Anyone who attended the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference in Baltimore earlier this month — or any other national conference, for that matter — witnessed the phenomenon firsthand. No matter the product or...

Roofs are about to step into the high-tech era, and the step could create new challenges for facility design and construction. My most recent Technology blog discussed possible practicality challenges posed by installing solar technology on existing facilities. The technology has advanced to the point...

It’s easy to see why many organizations are drawn to the designs of famous architects. Their buildings can generate good publicity for a company and go a long way in defining its image. But a big name on the front end of a project can lead to huge problems on the back end. Cities are dotted with...

The conditions in a facility can have a major impact on its occupants, reports USA Today. Gosh, imagine that. It seems hotel owners, developers and architects are taking a greater interest in noise problems and acoustics affecting their facilities. From in-house renovations and nearby construction to...

Two years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina tore through the Gulf Coast, inflicting damage and devastation from which residents and businesses are still recovering. Among the many lessons coming from this and other disasters is the role that thoughtful facility design can play in helping buildings —...

A colleague of mine likes to remind anyone within earshot of the benefits of considering issues “from 35,000 feet.” The phrase usually gets lost in a tide of similar business jargon and loses its impact. Still, it’s a powerful idea in terms of the “big picture” challenge...

A bridge collapses in Minneapolis. An underground steam pipe explodes in New York City. Levees break in Louisiana. An army hospital in Washington, D.C., deteriorates to the point of threatening patient health. As tragic as they are, such events throw a spotlight on the need for organizations —...

I've been thinking a lot about training lately, and now I have a headache. It seems as though most of my discussions with managers these days somehow come around to their desire to ensure their front-line technicians receive access to the training they need to keep facilities operating efficiently...

Crises and breakdowns come and go in facilities, but energy use remains a constantly high priority. It’s nearly impossible to have a conversation with a manager these days that doesn’t touch on using and saving energy. In light of that, it’s hard for me not to be surprised by two results...

You can't pick up a trade magazine these days without reading about the problem of information overload — while at the same time being offered even more information on addressing the issue. Every profession has its unique challenges when it comes to staying on top of the streams of information...

Fallout continues in the wake of articles in The Washington Post in February on the deplorable conditions in some buildings at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Patients and their families still must deal with poorly maintained facilities, though repairs are under way. Several hospital officials have...

Your facilities might be "green," but are they really green? When it comes to roofing systems, there is a difference because some roofs really are green, as in the color of vegetation. The growing interest in all things green for institutional and commercial facilities shows no signs of slowing...

For years, few people seem to have given much thought to the pervasiveness of hazardous materials in institutional and commercial facilities. Most probably followed the lead of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which focused its efforts on industrial facilities, landfills and dump sites, which...

Managers for years have bemoaned the dwindling pool of qualified workers entering facilities maintenance and engineering. And as the existing work force ages, their challenge is slowly looking more and more like a crisis. Worker training offers managers one solution. Hire workers, then train them on...

Now that most of the dust has settled from the November elections, it's a bit easier to see how some of the priorities of federal and state governments might start to change. One issue that is moving quickly up many priority lists - not that it needed all that much help from newly energized Democratic...