5 Minutes with ...
Richard W. Robben
Executive Director of Plant Operations
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
This presentation will help maintenance and engineering managers understand exactly what to do — and what not to do — when OSHA shows up at a facility to conduct an inspection. It’s not that difficult to comply with OSHA regulations. Managers just need to understand what inspectors are looking for. Hosted by Dan Hounsell, editor of Maintenance Solutions.
Recent oil spills occurring at schools have prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency New England regional office to alert school officials in every city and town in New Hampshire and Vermont to the risks posed by improper oil storage and the potential for oil spill accidents from school heating and oil storage systems.
www.facilitiesnet.com/6974news
As facility systems become more complicated, it’s becoming more critical to perform commissioning in new buildings and periodically recommission equipment in existing buildings. How important is commissioning to your organization?
Portable classrooms, which are less expensive and faster to install than permanent buildings, are an appealing solution for districts looking for additional temporary space. Too often, however, portables become permanent fixtures on school campuses.
Portables are notorious for being associated with indoor air quality problems that include inadequate ventilation, poor thermal comfort, moisture problems, inadequate lighting, poor acoustics, and toxic residues. These units also can be extremely energy inefficient, using more than twice as much energy per area as a permanent school ...
Since 9/11, managers and owners in all types of facilities have struggled to balance two essential priorities — tighter security and practical, cost-effective security technology. Most organizations have taken some steps to retrofit buildings to protect occupants, operations and assets from attacks.
But too often, managers have had to make hard decisions without enough information on how a given piece of technology is likely to perform and on how it might interact with other systems and technology already in place. Now, managers have something of a road map to a central element in facility security ...
Over the years, interest in energy has ebbed and flowed. While factors like energy cost will clearly continue to influence investments in efficiency and renewables, I believe the current upswing in activity marks a departure from what we’ve seen in the past. I think the interest in energy is far broader and deeper than in the past. I don’t think I’m just being optimistic when I say I think we’ve reached a new level of national awareness of and support for energy measures.
A small case in point. The high school my oldest son attends — Hamilton High School, the largest high school in the Milwaukee Public School system — wants to put solar panels on the roof. That’s noteworthy in and of itself. But what makes it more interesting is that the impetus came from a teacher. What’s more, students have been involved in planning the project. That sort of support seems to me a clear sign that energy projects have a higher priority and are better positioned to win approval than in the past ...
The center’s mission is to stimulate the application of energy-efficient lighting by facilitating technology development and demonstrations, and offering outreach and education activities in partnership with electric utilities, lighting manufacturers, lighting professionals, and governmental agencies.
