Short-Staffing Demands Resourcefulness

Use all 5 Senses, Share Building Information

Short-staffing is having a profound impact on building knowledge among facilities teams, many of which are covering more square footage than ever with fewer people.

Large campuses demand vast building knowledge, but when you’ve been assigned to an unfamiliar building, that can be a challenge.

So how are facilities teams mitigating risks when making rounds? Using all five senses is important.

Here are a few areas to pay attention to when fewer staff and visitors are onsite than the building was designed for.

• Keep an eye out for dripping pipes and water stains in ceiling tiles.
• Take note if you see an expired tag on a fire extinguisher.
• Tag and share zonal shutoff locations when you find them in ceiling panels.
• Let your HVAC guys know if you hear strange sounds coming from one of the rooftop air handlers when you are up there.
• Let someone know if the drains are starting to smell in bathrooms due to lack of use.
• Note any strong gas smell in kitchens that haven’t been used in months.

Mitigating risk by sharing information seamlessly can be accomplished by a using mobile-first technology from ARC Facilities which puts all your building plans, equipment details and emergency info into the palm of your hand so everyone has access to facilities information 24/7/365.

For more suggestions about key areas to keep on your radar, here’s a winter facilities checklist.