In FMJ's regular monthly column, our team of FM experts answer your
questions about the world of facilities management
FM CONSULTANT’S VIEW
MARK WHITTAKER, FM SOLUTIONS CONSULTANT,
THOMSON FM AND NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, IWFM
Reduced building occupancy
or indeed the closure of some
buildings due to the Government’s
measures to contain the COVID-19
outbreak clearly doesn’t mean
maintenance activities can be put
on hold; quite the opposite, as
some of these activities, particularly
for critical assets, become even
more important. If an organisation
is providing hard FM services in
healthcare, but also in school
environments for example, they will
be contractually obliged to meet specific standards and be able
to demonstrate how they are meeting those standards.
For example, for ventilation systems, it is important
that you have checked and can demonstrate that
you have a robust maintenance strategy in place
to ensure that the systems are operating in
accordance with their design requirements and
performance criteria. It is crucial to have a full
schedule of all critical and non-critical systems
and to identify non-critical systems for
locations that are now being used to isolate
suspected cases of COVID-19 as these, because
of the circumstances, probably become ‘critical’
on a temporary basis.
Medical gases, particularly oxygen, are also
critical systems. Most confirmed cases of COVID-19
will require breathing assistance and will therefore be
connected to the oxygen system. One important consideration
is what is the resilience of the oxygen system, has this ever been
20 APRIL 2020
reviewed / considered and single
points of failure identified and
appropriate mitigation measures
established?
Maintenance of water systems
is also important, given the
current climate of reduced building
occupancy. Any reduction in water
usage can lead to problems in both
the storage and distribution systems. It
has the potential to cause problems with
bacterial growth, as systems can quickly become
colonised with bacteria such as legionella.
Storage tanks, designed for full occupancy have the potential to
stagnate and for the distribution system, every outlet essentially
becomes “little or infrequently used”. Water systems should
therefore be risk assessed.
There are some basic steps and measures that could be
implemented, such as ensuring water temperatures remain
compliant and reducing water storage capacity, each must be
carefully considered and implemented based on current risk.
Organisations may also decide to implement a reduced
building maintenance strategy, such as “SFG30 Mothballing &
Reactivation”. Even though a building is empty, maintenance
activity, albeit reduced, will still need to be undertaken. It is
important the identification and prioritisation of such tasks, is
carried out in line with the specification.
Managing sta , who were previously o ice based and are
now working remotely is one of the many challenges which
organisations and specifically their managers, are currently
facing. I am no expert on management techniques, but here are a
few ideas on what we have implemented as a consultancy:
• Regular contact with all is essential. Rather than sending an
email, why not ring a team member instead and make a point
of asking how they and their families are coping? We
have encouraged our team to do likewise with
each other;
• Schedule video conferences at the start
and the end of the week. Seeing each other
genuinely gives people a li . Don’t let
the calls be too structured, to allow for
relaxed conversations;
• Use technology to keep the
communications going. Creating a
‘What’s App’ group is an excellent way to
do this; and
• Finally, think outside the box. For
example, we have created a Joint Spotify
playlist which we all contribute to and listen
to during our working day. It is refreshed every 2-3
days by everyone and we have also created some ‘themed’
playlists to keep it interesting.
FM CLINIC
With the current
crisis over Covid-19
how can FMs ensure
that buildings are
kept operational -
particularly vital ones
such as hospitals? And
how can they ensure that
remote based sta who were
previously o ice based are managed
e iciently and safely?
Mark Whittaker
ADVICE & OPINION
Even though a
building is empty,
maintenance activity, albeit
reduced, will still need to
be undertaken.”
– Mark Whittaker