Facility Issues Nuggets (2009/10 GUIDE)
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From Contingency Planning & Management
The Role of Safety in Business Continuity
Over the past few years, disasters and emergencies have garnered much attention in American society. From the disaster that did not occur, Y2K, to the attacks on the World Trade Center, the blackouts in 2003, the multiple hurricanes making landfall during 2004 in Florida, Katrina in 2005, and the droughts and subsequent wildfires as well as the flooding and mudslides in the Northwest in 2006, it seems like a steady drumbeat of bad headlines have caught America’s attention for the past few years. Like families, businesses are paying close attention to these headlines
www.contingencyplanning.com/articles/73105
New ISO Standard For Building Escape, Evacuation Plans Potential Life Saver
A new ISO standard will help to ensure that when fire breaks out in a building, occupants trying to evacuate the premises are not left scratching their heads trying to understand escape plans and signs. ISO 23601:2009, Safety identification -- Escape and evacuation plan signs, establishes design principles for displayed escape plans that provide information vital to fire safety, escape, evacuation and rescue of a facility's occupants.
www.contingencyplanning.com/articles/71405
How Facilities Can Cope with the Unthinkable
Years after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast, the state of Louisiana and the surrounding areas continue to cope with its powerful aftermath. The storm is estimated to have caused more than $81 billion in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. The state’s schools were among the buildings and infrastructure severely affected by the storm. A 2006 survey of damaged public school facilities in the region confirmed all 124 New Orleans public schools' buildings were damaged by the storm. New Orleans Public Schools officials estimate it will take three to five years and approximately $800 million to repair the damage caused by the hurricane.
www.contingencyplanning.com/articles/72836
From OSHA
Looking for Technical Building Information? Check out OSHA’s Fact Sheets.
www.osha.gov/OshDoc/cleanupHazard.html
Related Fact Sheets
From DHS
The 2009 National Infrastructure Protection Plan
The National Infrastructure Protection Plan provides the unifying structure for the integration of a wide range of efforts for the enhanced protection and resiliency of the nation’s critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) into a single national program.
The overarching goal of the NIPP is to build a safer, more secure, and more resilient America by preventing, deterring, neutralizing, or mitigating the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate, or exploit elements of our nation’s CIKR and to strengthen national preparedness, timely response, and rapid recovery of CIKR in the event of an attack, natural disaster, or other emergency.
The 2009 NIPP replaces the 2006 version and reflects changes and updates to program elements and concepts. It captures the evolution and maturation of the processes and programs first outlined in 2006 without changing the underlying policies. The revised NIPP integrates the concepts of resiliency and protection, and broadens the focus of NIPP-related programs and activities to an all-hazards environment.
www.dhs.gov/files/programs/editorial_0827.shtmFrom The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP)
Shortly following the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, eleven professional and technical organizations and federal agencies formed The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) as a non-profit partnership to be a national asset facilitating dialogue on domestic infrastructure security and offering sources of technical support and sources for comment on public policy related to the security of the nation’s built environment.
TISP is a national leader in infrastructure security and resiliency with a diverse membership supporting the nation’s economy and well being of its people. TISP pledges to lead public- and private-sector collaboration that advances the practice and policies of infrastructure security and resiliency to sustain the nation’s resources and its ability to efficiently restore infrastructure when disrupted by any hazard.
Get your FREE subscription to the TISP e-Newsletter.
The TISP e-Newsletter is published bi-monthly and features articles addressing the hottest issues in critical infrastructure resilience, the Directors News regarding recent TISP activities and achievements, industry announcements, government news and notices, and a list of upcoming TISP and partner events.
From ASIS Foundation
Take a Look at the CRISP Reports!
Launched in 2008, Connecting Research in Security to Practice (CRISP) reports provide practical, researched-based solutions to help security professionals effectively tackle a wide-range of security issues. This series invites experts in specialist aspects of security to present their views on a specific security concern.
One New CRISP Report –
From the Ground Up: Security for Tall Buildings
This report examines security threats, building vulnerabilities, and the variety of current responses to the challenge of tall building security. Dennis Challinger also reports on research relating to physical design and crime in tall buildings, including risks in car parks. This report will help security practitioners think in a more informed way about protecting occupants, visitors, and others who use tall buildings, as well as protecting the buildings and their contents.
From Center for Biosecurity
Reducing the Risk of Occupants' Exposure to Biological Threats:
Practical Steps for Building Owners
Most commercial buildings are not configured and maintained in ways that effectively reduce occupants’ risk of exposure to biological threats. As a result, the majority of people in high occupancy buildings are unnecessarily vulnerable to both aerosolized biological attacks and naturally occurring biological threats. Check this website out for some excellent information on HVAC systems and biosecurity.
From AFE Facilities Engineering Journal
More than ever, companies are dependent on a continuous supply of electric power. To safeguard their facilities from the disastrous consequences of power disruption, many companies are choosing to invest in standby power systems. Standby generators and automatic transfer switches are two essential components of this continuous power solution. This availability of continuous power helps a company maintain operation, avoid revenue loss and, ultimately, protect the bottom line: providing the advantage of reliability when competitors go down. Investing in a standby power system is a costly expense.
A company should understand how to properly use and take care of its power equipment to ensure clean, continuous power for business operations. A lack of generator maintenance or operation knowledge will result in generator failure.
AFE’s article discusses what is necessary to ensure the reliability of a company’s standby power system, by addressing two key issues:
From Buildings.com
Tips for Mitigating Influenza in Commercial Buildings
According to a press release from Trane (www.trane.com), spending time reviewing your HVAC system and its major components, as well as air and water distribution, can aid in significantly mitigating the spread of H1N1 and other types of influenza this cold and flu season. Adopting simple, common-sense measures and using proper maintenance protocols, in addition to performing a few system upgrades are just some of the precautions that can be taken in commercial buildings to mitigate the spread of influenza.
www.buildings.com/ArticleDetails/tabid/3321/ArticleID/8983/Default.aspx
More Security & Safety Resourceswww.buildings.com/IndustryTopics/tabid/3064/ParentCategoryID/463/Default.aspx
www.buildings.com/IndustryTopics/tabid/3064/ParentCategoryID/475/Default.aspx
From BOMI
Security for Your Facility
Security measures protect people and property, and secure information (trade secrets and private individual information such as medical records and social security numbers). The objectives of security are to identify, deter, detect, observe, report, and respond to conditions that present a threat to people and property. BOMI article discusses effective building security which includes a combination of design features, such as physical barriers and electronic systems, and staffing strategies that are integrated into a well-defined program. Security procedures should anticipate potential problems and vulnerabilities and present detailed, planned responses.
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