Reflecting on the Parellel Practices between Facility Engineering and Healthcare
Practicing healthy habits and staying on top of wellness checks sounds like solid advice you might hear from your family doctor. That same language is prevalent in discussions about ensuring optimal operations in buildings and facilities.
As an Engineering Manager in UG2’s Northern California region Paul Faleschini is deeply familiar with the systems and strategies that work to keep buildings operating optimally. He finds the metaphor useful, whether he’s sharing his expertise in an industry publication like IFMA’s Facility Management Journal or breaking down UG2’s approach for a customer.
Partnering with the right Operations & Maintenance team means benefitting from a professional trained to diagnose issues before they cause irreversible damage or setbacks that interfere with everyday life.
Performing daily wellness checks. Maintaining a healthy facility begins with following a schedule of daily system inspections. When experienced O&M facility engineers take the lead on these regular checkups, they can quickly and accurately detect potential problems — and take action.
Arranging for annual air quality assessments. Cost cutting measures should never include skimping on the system maintenance that is critical to sustaining air quality. Just like humans require annual physicals, healthy facilities rely on annual inspections by a professional who tailors the assessment to the specifics of the building.
Being proactive about healthy habits. Maintaining our health can mean adopting proactive strategies around diet and exercise. A similar approach to preventative maintenance helps facilities can avoid equipment failures and their domino effect. Sewage systems, HVAC, and fire, life, and safety require that O&M create and follow schedules that align with industry standards.
Ensuring access to urgent care. Problems and flareups can be unpredictable and require quick and accurate diagnosed as well as an action plan. Partnering with a provider that offers 24-hour mobile maintenance gives facilities a huge advantage.
Trust your care to an expert. Getting the right diagnosis is important for both people and building equipment. The majority of building systems use a building management/automation system (BMS/BAS) which provides performance data in real-time. If the system alerts engineers of poorly performing equipment, an inspection can take place using electrical meters, pressure gauges, and other tools to find the route of the problem.
Consider a second opinion. Just like a medical diagnosis, a second opinion can be quite helpful when attempting to pinpoint a problem and come up with a cure. Seeing the equipment issue in person and having a team of experts is key. This is especially true now that a lot of building systems are automated. Sensors don’t always detect what someone can see first-hand.
Invest in wellness. FM teams know that keeping systems and buildings healthy leads to comfortable and safe workspaces which in turn, attracts occupants. One study even showed that tenants pay 4-7% more for healthy certified spaces.
All in all, when a facility is in poor health, it affects both people and businesses. Following these best practices will promote long-term wellness and provide immediate peace of mind. If you’d like to take a deeper dive into proper healthcare for buildings, access Paul’s article here or get in touch with us at UG2.