What is facility management?
Facility management means taking a lot of different factors into consideration, often at the same time. A facility manager’s job is to ensure operations are running within the premises, that the premises themselves are safe, and that everyone on site is aware of facility policies – particularly with regard to emergency protocols.
To that end, the challenges of facility management are:
Compliance management
Before anything, a workplace needs to be compliant with industry regulations. In facility management, these would usually be manufacturing, construction, or similar regulations. Failing to meet standards set out by federal, state, or local agencies can lead to fines, and in extreme cases, business closure.
Maintaining compliance means being aware of the laws you need to follow, which are laid out clearly on agency websites (such as OSHA’s website), and establishing a culture of vigilance so that any potential hazards are quickly reported. You create this culture by regularly performing safety and other types of inspections until corrections become second-nature.
Sustainable operation
The bigger a facility is, the more resources and energy are involved in maintaining it. Concern for the environment has sparked a rise in less wasteful business practices, making it imperative that you regularly evaluate and reduce your energy consumption. Look for opportunities to invest in greener solutions, to implement processes that require fewer resources, and to either cut down on waste or repurpose it somehow.
An emphasis on sustainability is also important for any of the businesses you work with. Truly sustainable businesses do as much as possible to ensure end-to-end sustainability, such as by only working with sustainable materials and mandating that these businesses provide sustainability reports.
Space and cost optimization
One challenge of facility management is that there’s one set space in which to work, and you need to be efficient with what you have. You need a developed and defined system that organizes work areas so employees can perform tasks as quickly as possible.
Facilities also often have problems managing the added costs that things like organizational upgrades and more sustainable solutions often bring. Understanding cost management starts with knowing your available resources and your overarching goal, so that you can figure out ways to achieve it with only the necessary expenses.
Emergency procedures
Any well-managed facility needs to define emergency evacuation and general emergency safety procedures. For example, it’s a fact that fires are one of the most common disasters in a factory or building setting. A detailed fire safety plan is essential so that your employees will know how to handle themselves if necessary.
Thorough facility maintenance with Lumiform
Handling the challenges of running your facility is easier with workflow automation software like Lumiform. Instead of using a separate application for all the things you need to manage, Lumiform offers you a combination dashboard and mobile app that you can use for everything from safety and emergency preparedness inspections to designing a cost management plan.
Working with Lumiform is done through checklists, either custom-made or downloaded from the Lumiform website, that your employees can fill out meticulously to ensure nothing is overlooked or done wrong. And the checklists are digital, so as long as you’re using the mobile app, you can perform them wherever you are and even offline.
Use Lumiform to:
- Keep your workplace safe
- Stay compliant with regulations
- Develop emergency and evacuation procedures
- Keep your facility sustainable and your energy use under control
- Organize your workplace as efficiently as possible
All collected Lumiform data is stored securely in the cloud, ensuring you’re the only one with access and that you’ll always have that access. And completed checklists are turned into regular weekly reports that visualize and help you track developments in your business. That makes it possible to measure things like energy consumption and rate of accidents over time, and to identify common issues that haven’t been fixed.