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Facility managers juggle many balls, and they have to be careful not to drop any of them. Among other things, they are tasked with maintaining the business continuity of their properties, something that has become an ongoing process that encompasses a number of areas. The articles below address some of the issues facing building managers every day.

Prudent professionals must ensure that their properties, employees, and guests are well protected and prepared for any contingency. (Item #1) Reducing a building's vulnerability to an airborne chemical, biological, or radiological attack requires a comprehensive approach. (Item #2) NIST offers help with the daunting task of risk assessment. (Item #3)

In case of emergency, use stairs, not elevators… still true? (Item #4) A condition-based approach to servicing HVAC equipment can help to anticipate - and prevent - problems. (Item #5) Survival during disasters is not a matter of luck if appropriate planning measures are in place. (Item #6)

As always, we look forward to hearing about your concerns with regards to business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like to see covered, please email me at [email protected]

Best Regards,

Bob Mellinger
President
Attainium Corp

Quote of the Week

"All things are difficult before they are easy."
- Anonymous -

Articles

1. Auditing contingency plans
Implementing a comprehensive contingency management plan may seem daunting, but it is simply an exercise in commitment-with continuous assessment and revision. Where many FMs err is when they place the plan up on a shelf, never to be looked at again...until years later during a crisis, when they find the plan to be obsolete and useless.
http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature0521.htm

2. Guidance for Protecting Building Environments from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks
This document from NIOSH provides preventive measures that building owners and managers can implement promptly to protect building air environments from a terrorist release of chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants. These recommendations, focusing on short term actions, are only the beginning of a process to develop more comprehensive guidance.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2002-139/

3. NIST guide helps with facilities risk assessment
Identifying the most important hazards threatening buildings and other constructions and taking action to eliminate them or reduce their potential impact make sense, but the task can be daunting. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) directs you to some answers in a new Web-enabled Risk Mitigation Toolkit.
http://www.continuitycentral.com/news03119.htm
The Toolkit version of the printed guide is available for download at
http://www2.bfrl.nist.gov/software/NISTIR7390.

4. Elevators DO have a role in tall building evacuations
NIST is exploring the advantages / disadvantages of elevator use in evacuations. The NIST "Rethinking Egress" conference will be held in Gaithersburg, Md., in April 2008
http://www.continuitycentral.com/news03572.htm

5. Predictive Maintenance
The performance of HVAC equipment is crucial in all facilities. The scope of functions that these machines perform can affect virtually all areas of a building. On the other hand, predictive maintenance analyzes current equipment conditions and dictates tasks that must be completed to keep machines running at optimum levels.
http://www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/tfm_08_02_hvac.php

6. Emergency Measures In A Post 9/11 World
More than 18,000 people safely evacuated from the World Trade Center complex in the one hour, 42 minutes, and five seconds between when the first jet hit the Towers and the last building collapsed. USA Today profiled why so many were able to survive this event. The findings reinforced the classic design of emergency planning and business continuity that facility executives inherently understand and now have the ammunition to enforce.
http://www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/tfm_08_01_fmissue.php