FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
• For multiple occupancy, the FM will need to hold detailed discussions with the occupiers to find out what their own plans are with regard to re-occupying their working space.
• All activities need to be reviewed as tasks which were previously considered low risk, with straightforward methods of working, may now present new risks and new ways of working.
• The occupier’s plan should identify which activities may involve additional health risks in the current circumstances and establish how to avoid or minimise such risks.
• The FM should review the occupier’s plan to carry out their activities within the building and consider the impact this will have on the usability of the building and its building services.
• The FM will need to ensure all activities carried out to prepare a building for re-occupation are risk assessed and carried out following a safe method of working.
• The FM should carry out a pre- occupancy inspection in order to
inform and define the extent, timing and order of maintenance and cleaning activities and new cleaning regimes which will need to be put in place.
• Training will be required for the maintenance and cleaning teams on good hygiene practice, to establish activity schedules and to explain the availability and requirements relating to PPE. It is likely that increased supervision and checking of cleaning work may be needed to build staff confidence, including providing obvious evidence that regular cleaning has taken place.
• The FM will need to implement an enhanced cleaning regime, especially where workspaces may need to be used by more than one person during the day, and in ‘common areas’ or for commonly touched surfaces such as door handles, with more frequent, thorough cleaning following.
• Building managers and occupiers need to consider who will be asked to return to work, activities to be undertaken, working hours, travel plans and the intended occupancy density.
Once the planning is complete you can determine the requirements on building systems, including the supply of domestic hot water, life safety systems and provision of appropriate ventilation rates, as well as entry and exit plans. Although some services will require more energy, for example for the provision of high levels of ventilation in all occupied areas of the building, there are going to be opportunities for energy saving. For example, if hours of occupancy are to be reduced or less space is used, this will allow optimisation of the Building Management systems to the new occupancy period and zoning of services to the occupied areas. There also have been concerns over certain types of equipment, for example Thermal wheels which are
thought to be a source of cross contamination between inward and outward ventilation streams. As a result these have been mothballed but recent REHVA advice says is there is little risk if the thermal wheel is in good condition, plus well maintained and operated. Going forward, measuring the performance of a building is going to be difficult with the traditional kWh/m2 becoming redundant until some normality is restored, probably around early 2022. Therefore, an option is the use of tailored Energy Performance Indicators (EnPIs) such as kWh/m2 occupied, kWh/person and KWh/ no. of hours occupied. In a lot of ways, things will be different, but some things will remain the same, such as the requirement to do more with less!
Author’s profile:
Andrew Lewry is an expert in Carbon and Energy Management with over 22 years varied certification, technical, marketing and management experience preceded by a further 10 years similar experience within various parts of the Environmental and Construction Sectors. He also has in-depth knowledge of sustainability issues including BREEAM AP, CEEQUAL assessor, BIM IP, ISO 14001, and ISO 50001 lead auditor.
BSEE
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BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JANUARY 2021 19
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