Dan Hounsell - All Comments

re: Rethinking Maintenance

Gary Dunlap — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:38:38 GMT

I think that if some of these youngsters get introduced to all the technologies that are really beginning to catch on in the mechanical and electrical fields, that would be a powerful message. Its like the automotive repair industry. Working on today's cars is really a high-tech job. Moderm building maintenance encompasses a lot of cutting edge technology.

re: Technician Recruitment: Reaching into High Schools

JoelLeonard — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:29:47 GMT

Top 10 Reasons for Young Adults to consider Maintenance Profession

Top 10 reasons to pursue a career in the maintenance field

10. It's OK to get dirty on the job.

9. You get to carry a master key and venture into places few have gone before.

8. You get to work on the most important projects.

7. You get to play with cool tools (infrared cameras, ultrasound sensors, etc.).

6. You can earn lots of overtime pay.

5. Companies cannot survive without maintenance.

4. You get the opportunity to learn how the company really works.

3. Guys dig women who know how to use tools.

2. Women dig guys who are good with their hands. (they love scars)

1. Earning lots of money per year buys a lot of beer.

re: Technician Recruitment: Reaching into High Schools

JoelLeonard — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:28:08 GMT

Great discussion points-- here is a very successful approach is to reach kids through Music.

Feel free to share these Maintenance Songs with kids, teachers, parents, employers and most importantly of all the media.

I spoke to a group of 6 graders a couple of years ago and 3 of the girls already knew the lyrics of my song "Find Me a Maintenance Woman" because their local radio station has been regularly playing it.

Visit SkillTV.net for links to some of the songs.

re: Technician Recruitment: Reaching into High Schools

Dan Hounsell — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:02:27 GMT

JustAJanitor:

Thanks for your comments. Thanks to Sabre, too.

Regarding the percentages in my blog, the remainder of the responding students say either they are not interested or do not consider themselves mechanically inclined.

As for how best to reach interested applicants in high schools and anywhere else, any solution probably will come less from an individual manager's efforts and more from working with other interested parties. In this group, I include professional associations related to maintenance and engineering, peers in maintenance mangement with other organizations locally, and any other parties with resources and something to gain from the effort. Strength in numbers, in other words.

And as you and others are proving, myFacilitiesNet is an ideal forum for exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, and crafting strategies that managers can use to recruit, train and retain qualified, young technicians.

re: Technician Recruitment: Reaching into High Schools

JustAJanitor — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:58:09 GMT

But the study also found students avoid the trades because:

• 21 percent do not know enough about the profession

• 15 percent do not believe opportunities exist

• 11 percent do not think the jobs are cool

• 10 percent say skilled the jobs are not high-tech enough.

These percentages only add up to 57 - what happened to the other 43%? Anyway....

Sabre makes a valid point about the lack of funding and available resources to try to attract or interest young people in technical fields. Many trade schools have closed due to lack of enrollment. All we push on young people now is go to college so they can Twitter, Tweet, and text message their way into a high-paying job....right.

Today, it seems to be more likely that if something malfunctions, it's cheaper to just throw it out and buy a new one rather than try to fix it, so why bother learning how it works? That's our present day "instant gratification" and "drive-by" mentality, I guess. I absolutely agree with Sabre about the "Me" mentality....I see it every day on the roads with people "multi-tasking" behind the wheel. So much for anyone else's safety or well being.

Adding to that is the attitude that working with your hands became a dirty word somewhere along the line and is only suited for people who are challenged in some way or can't afford college.

Many years ago, I did a presentation to a group of high schoolers about the facilities profession. I never did it again as just about all of them snickered through the entire session while I explained how interesting a day could be while juggling several things at once and learning something new in the process. I just don't think that many young people today have the same level of maturity that they once did and their vocations are of little interest to them until sometime in the distant future. They seem to care about today and give little thought to tomorrow. That's probably another topic altogether.

I got into a discussion with someone once about the merits of being self-reliant and how much money I've been able to save myself because I do most of my own work rather than call for service or employ a contractor. I used the analogy that the next time his home air conditioning fails or his car won't start, he should call his college psych professor for service and let me know how that worked out.

re: Technician Recruitment: Reaching into High Schools

Sabre — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:15:30 GMT

Many trade schools or regular schools who once had classes in metal working, auto shop, electrical and other trade related topics have closed due to lack of funding, overhead costs or insurance / liability reasons.

Back ground checks may red flag people for simple things that happened in their youth. Some of which will effect their employment chances for 10 or more years into the future. This is mostly because no one bothers to read the reports in detail. Too much effort to challange the verbal policies for a third pary gain. I know of a great hands on mechanic who currently has a assault charge on his record. He was 18 and got into a fight with his new girlfriends ex-boyfriend. Now 26, he is still affected by that one mistake.

Unrealistic job descriptions or educational requirements are submitted to the hiring agencies do more damage than most think. I have seen advertisements on Monster for a facilities day porter with a college education requirement. I saw another for an entry level line mechanic that required a bachelors degree. Another common mistake is requiring a trade license when only a certification or basic hands-on experience is needed. People in highschool see these over inflated job requirements and look else ware.

Many of the old time trades professionals who built this country came into the field through O.J.T. Most did not even have a high school diploma. Yet they showed up to work every day. Did a good job and where loyal to the company for believing in their ability to get the job completed. They climbed the ladder and knew the business inside and out. Today most of us will not even consider a person who does not have a high school diploma. Not even the person who had to drop out to support his family in a time of crisis. They are deemed not worthy.

Today’s facilities managers do not go into the high schools and ask for interns. They do not host job fairs for juniors and seniors. There are many reasons for this, but the excuse is that we do not have the time, patients, resources, it is not our job, let H.R. do that stuff, etc, etc, etc. If we where to consider recruitment of new talent in the same category that we place critical predictive maintenance tasks, I’d bet we would find the resources and time.

We have developed into a group of people who are proud to “manage” the processes. We have become very good at picking up the phone and calling others. There is a “Me first” mentality today. People want raises for doing their basic jobs based upon time served. They want something at 90 days, 6 months, 12 months, etc. Very few FM’s know how to repair items themselves. Very few new FM’s have climbed the ladder up the trade side of life. Hiring managers figure if someone has a college degree there good enough to run the place. Let us be honest, my college degree was based on chasing skirts, sleeping though class and drinking beer all night. What a shame.

re: Accessibility: Roll a Mile on Their Wheels

Jon Rose — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:09:00 GMT

You're to be commended for attempting wheelchair enlightenment. Keep in mind, many who use wheelchairs also operate with some type of, or multiple, diminished capacities (mental or physical). For them, it's all they can do to just get through the day.

This is why it's critical that Facility managers correctly maintain operable equipment and keep them within ADA required reach ranges.

Now, for your next brave attempt, go try a day with a white cane. That has to be the absolute ultimate challange.

Some day I might even try that one too.

re: Workplace Safety: What Next for OSHA?

Darrell — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:57:34 GMT

Boy, Oh Boy, I wasn't far off course in my previous statement was I ?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

By William Pack - Express-News Federal inspectors will begin a safety crackdown next month at construction sites in Texas — the deadliest state in the nation for construction workers, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said Monday in San Antonio.

“Texas has the dubious distinction of having more workers die than any other state,” Solis said in an address to the American Society of Safety Engineers.

The state's construction sites have been the scene of 145 fatalities since 2007, including 67 in 2008 and 33 so far this year, labor officials said. The number of Hispanic workers killed in those incidents increased by 125 percent from 1992 to 2005.

“There will be no more excuses for negligence,” Solis told society members. “This is intolerable.”

Texas will receive more Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors beginning in July “for a concentrated effort to prevent injuries and fatalities at construction sites,” the secretary said.

“When these inspectors observe unsafe scaffolds, fall risks, trenches or other hazards, they are empowered to launch an immediate investigation,” Solis said. “As I have said since my first day on the job, the U.S. Department of Labor is back in the enforcement business.”

Her morning address to the society was part of a series of stops in San Antonio.

Doug McMurry, executive vice president of the Associated General Contractors of America in San Antonio, said he was neither surprised by that initiative nor concerned that San Antonio-area contractors will be among those found negligent under the new review process.

His association has implemented a successful safety program in conjunction with OSHA that performs safety inspections at area work sites and trains employees on safety issues.

“We work on that issue hard,” said McMurry. “San Antonio contractors and subcontractors take safety very seriously.”

As a result, he believes the area has been the site of fewer construction accidents than other areas. Only one construction death has been reported in the San Antonio area this year, a review of San Antonio Express-News archives showed.

A construction worker apparently fell to his death in January at a CPS Energy's new coal plant on Calaveras Lake.

The former California congresswoman, who was nominated to the labor post by President Barack Obama in January, talked to area dignitaries about the department's work force recovery activities and listened to their ideas about what would help area residents find jobs.

Solis said Texas has not been overlooked by federal stimulus spending. It has received $260 million in additional unemployment insurance benefits and other work force assistance, she said.

In a meeting with area veteran leaders, Solis announced that $600,000 in grants had been approved to help homeless vets in the San Antonio-based American G.I. Forum's National Veterans Outreach Program prepare for jobs.

“This administration really has its eye on Texas,” she said.

She ended the day by touring an H-E-B print-manufacturing plant that had won an OSHA safety award, Brooke Army Medical Center and the Center for the Intrepid.

Solis repeated throughout the day that the department was re-emphasizing its safety enforcement duties even as the economy continued to struggle.

re: Deferred Maintenance: A Reason To Hope?

TheSuper — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:47:26 GMT

Oh...Wow. This is really deep!

If things were so bad just a few years ago, right on time, our President is trying to do something about it., and I understand that not matter the urgency, still, as the President said...it would take a little bit longer to start the implementations and see progress. Nevertheless, some polititians constantly find errors, omissions, mistakes, etc. to justify their negativism and see if somehow, our faith and hope get diminish and diminish our President popularity.

Congratulations. You're right on the money.

re: Workplace Safety: What Next for OSHA?

Darrell — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:31:39 GMT

The Bottom line IS the bottom line. . . OSHA is not scaling back, irriguardless of an economic crisis or military commitments. I don't see this point being valid on any standing. Since OSHA's inception, progression has been the key. First Developement; then Implementation, Business Collaboration, but rest assured through all these phases Enforcement has always been Prevelant... Accountability for violators is just part of the Enforcement factor. I personally, don't forsee any relief in enforcement or downswing due to economic factors on the OSHA front, I base this synoposys on previous government administrations as well as economic factors, and military commitments during those administrations resulting in a steadfast pace.

re: Rethinking Maintenance

Stephen Kleva — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:15:32 GMT

Hi Bernie,

My name is Stephen Kleva, president and CEO of Insparisk, a national safety inspection company. We manage safety inspection for boilers, elevators, fire detection/suppression systems, building facades, HVAC equipment, and electrical panels. Our subsidiary City Spec, Inc. is the leading provider of inspections on low-pressure boilers within NYC.

I can offer our perspective on the importance of maintenance as they relates to mandated and voluntary inspection of building systems and equipment. In our experience in working in New York City for more than a decade, it is not uncommon for facility managers not to know which inspections are mandated, how frequently they must be performed or when they are due. This is one of the reasons NYC boiler inspection laws recently got stricter.

We have found several common causes and issues: 1) the laws pertaining to buildings and equipment can be very cumbersome, if not overwhelming, as they can be up to hundreds of pages long, 2) Fully understanding or interpreting the laws can be difficult, and 3) job turnover amongst facility managers makes it harder for inspection reminders to reach the right person.

We have found that technology can help track and manage information on inspections and preventative maintenance activities, which leads to data and information that is more easily accessible and more visible and can more easily support decision making. Inspection- and maintenance-related documents and information can be easily archived and located, significantly reducing incidents of misfiled or lost documents.

A wide variety of applications and functionality is available at many price points today. Applications enable facility managers to better manage and verify their maintenance activities including repairs, routine inspections, and preventive maintenance and report them to other stakeholders.

Significantly, insurance companies, property owners and real estate managers benefit from a comprehensive electronic record of safety inspection and maintenance activities. If liability questions arise, electronic records enable audit trails and accountability that help decision makers/an organization defend itself by showing that all required maintenance was performed in accordance with manufacturer's specifications, legal requirements and on schedule.

Maintenance activities can easily be prompted, email reminders automatically sent to ensure that maintenance is performed according to schedule, management can monitor the status of activities, and communication amongst all relevant stakeholders is facilitated.

Hope our perspective helps. Let me know if you have any follow up questions.

re: Rethinking Maintenance

Bernie Daily — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:44:26 GMT

Maintenance seems to get left behind in the excitement of new technologies. My fear is the construction of a new infrastructure designed to handle the load of our current inefficiencies. Imagine getting a "green" award for building the largest wind turbine in the county attached to a 60% optimized building. I think it is happening.

I have a process to optimize buildings that I started using around 1984. I am happy to share it. Thank you, Bernie

Link: www.dailyoperations.us/coaching1.htm

re: Making Energy Savings Hard to Ignore

DR_FRO — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:57:17 GMT

Just kind of a side bar on energy savings: dimming lights does not save energy, it just makes the light dimmer.And with the big push toward fluoresents lately, isn't dimming out of the equasion anyway?

re: Maintenance Is Now Cool. Discuss.

Erick Guerra — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:31:47 GMT

I am sure we can all agree that in many cases maintenance is frequently overlooked. The common practice seems to be, “If it is not broken, then don’t fix it.” Few building owners understand the importance and benefits of an effective preventative maintenance program, preventative being the key word. Simple maintenance practices can be the difference between costly repairs and years of serviceable life.

I feel that the downfall in the economy will spike a trend in maintenance practices and services. People are trying harder than ever to squeeze the maximum life out of their buildings and systems vice costly repairs and replacements. I think people are more receptive to these practices and that the time is right to increase awareness.

re: Maintenance Is Now Cool. Discuss.

ItsMark — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:22:26 GMT

With 39 years in construction - the last 18 in public school O & M - my experience has shown me that in a down turning economy public sector facuilities maintenance is most often the first to suffer - lets hope the focus on safety and IAQ and energy conservation and green cleaning and sustainability issues have all given the facilities department a little more importance, acceptance and awareness of how essential what we do is to the daily operation of our institutions.

NYS Education Department has long held to the belief that deferred maintenance costs more in the long run. Lets hope the federal stimilus package gets down to the facilites level and can be put to good use maintianing the nation's investments in educational infrastructure.