Chapter 12 Fire/Life/Safety

The “bricks and mortar” issues of facility management – HVAC, lighting, electrical, plumbing, space allocation, security and grounds maintenance – continue to be at the core the facility manager’s role. However, the processes involved in addressing these areas have become more complex. The proliferation of regulatory mandates, worker compensation issues, increased employee litigation, and violence in the workplace have redefined the role of the facility manager beyond “gatekeeper” to that of full-scale operations manager. Today’s corporations, organizations, and business partnerships invest heavily in their physical plants. It naturally follows that they expect to maximize the return on their investment. Facility managers are seen as the catalysts for ensuring that optimal return. The Facility Manager’s Handbook addresses all of these issues, and provides a multitude of tested ideas, procedures and examples for successfully and cost-effectively managing facility operations. Written in a plain-language, reader-friendly style, it provides a panoramic view of the process by isolating the key areas the facility manager must address, including real estate, space and change management, indoor air quality, emergency preparedness and response planning, communications systems, regulatory mandates and more.