For many months, offices, retail malls and stores, and other commercial buildings sat empty either as a preventative measure or in response to government stay-at-home orders. Now, as more people have returned to work, commercial spaces, even stores and shopping malls, our buildings are, at least, partially filled again with activity. The circumstances, however, vary. There still are buildings across Canada and U.S.A. sitting almost empty. Even those with reduced occupancy because of the number of employees still working from home mean there are security issues, and various health and safety risks that need to be managed.
What are the increased hazards from a security, health and safety point of view?
Whether or not your building is empty or partially occupied, building systems still need cleaning, maintaining, and checking on a regular basis to ensure they are working properly. No doubt, your properties have unique systems that may require specialized maintenance when not running at full capacity—for example, heating and cooling equipment where there is a risk of mold build-up. Security systems in particular, need checking and maintaining. When offices are vacant, building maintenance partners that maintain equipment can conduct studies without having to do extensive detailed coordination with staff.
Consider using the following:
- All equipment needs to be properly maintained even when only in partial use. This prevents damage once operations are fully up and running.
- The same applies to systems, such as HVAC mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Even if some or all systems are adjusted to run at lower capacity, they still need to be cleaned, checked and maintained.
- An estimated 20% to 30% of fires are related to electrical hazards. With fewer people around to get in the way, this is a good time to set aside time to check the condition of electrical equipment and other installations.
- Pay particular attention to fire prevention and detection systems, and equipment. Fire system maintenance covers everything from sprinkler systems, fire pumps, fire extinguishers, fire detection devices to fire doors and signage. Make every effort to test fire protection and detection systems on a regular basis—this is not the time to skip this task just because daily operations have slowed or been paused.
- If operations have been slowed or stopped, do a walk-around to see what products can be safely stored until they are needed again.
- If materials are being stored on site, make sure that materials are properly identified, and containers properly closed/sealed to secure from leakage.
- Store safely with safe separation distances. Lock chemicals in a cabinet to avoid unauthorized access to them in case of a break-in.
- If possible, consider shutting down all hazardous process equipment and utilities, including nonessential flammable liquid and gas mains.
- In addition, look at shutting down electricity for the premises, except where needed for fire alarms, fire protection and security systems
- Once again, with fewer people on site, this is an excellent time to do some organization and overall cleaning. Ensure all exits/routes are clear of any combustibles or obstructions; and emergency and exit signs functional and clearly visible. This is particularly important now that social distancing measures are in place.
With floor plans re-arranged, have you ensured all exits are still free from obstruction? Do those who are back in the workplace or office know the new layout? During an evacuation, are people still able to maintain proper social distancing?
The potential for losses resulting from fires or inadequate maintenance remains and such threats need to be effectively managed and mitigated. A guide to understanding the fire code in Canada can be found here.
Protecting Your Facility’s Water Supply During Shutdowns
Building and businesses that have been closed for weeks or months reduce water usage, which can lead to serious health risks. Stagnant water inside building plumbing can become unsafe to drink, harbour harmful mould and disease. Before reopening, the EPA recommends that building owners, building managers, and businesses take steps to flush the building’s plumbing before reopening. These recommendations apply to both Canada and the USA.
If only a few people are coming and going in your workplace, you may want to make sure that water systems are kept refreshed. Faucets, water heaters and softeners, appliances such as refrigerators, toilets and other water systems, including cooling towers, all need to have water turnover. Toilets need to be regularly flushed even when not being used.
General Tips for Maintaining and Cleaning Unoccupied Buildings
- Make sure set points in your building—whether for HVAC controls, lighting controls or hot water – are adjusted to reflect the number of building occupants
- Skeleton staff and those coming into your building at irregular times may not be familiar with your regular routines. Make sure that contact lists are up to date and appropriate access to the unit is arranged with property management for emergencies.
- Look for any signs of pest droppings / insects and inspect pest control traps to prevent contamination (i.e. if replacement required please contact your professional pest management contractor).
- Talk with your maintenance partner to set up a plan for shutting down and what needs to happen when activity in the building ramps up, either when it re-opens or when more employees and visitors are able to enter the facility once again. Everyone needs to be clear what has to happen to get everything back in working order as soon as possible, and without risking health or safety of your employees. This is when a commercial cleaning partner with sophisticate tracking and audit systems can help. With cleaning and maintenance details carefully recorded, no one has to guess, or depend on a paper trail.
Taking Advantage of Empty Buildings During Shutdown
Near empty buildings are an optimal time to clean and/or fix equipment, paint, clean air ducts and filtration systems, even replace lighting for a more efficient system. Take advantage of this time to bring in experts for specific services.
In addition to commercial cleaning and building maintenance, consider a commercial cleaning partner to do what is almost impossible to get down once your building is up and running again. Kleenway, for example, offers services in speciality painting for floor and surfaces, dry ice blasting for cleaning complex equipment, pipe and conduit markings, to mention a few. What can you do to take advantage of that empty facility?
Don’t risk additional health and safety challenges at a time when COVID is impacting other aspects of your business. Such hazards can be reduced as long as you make ongoing property cleaning and maintenance part of your ongoing operations, even when there are fewer people on site.
A comprehensive COVID 19 – Building Extended Closure Checklist created by BOMA Toronto can be found here. BOMA International is a professional Building Owners and Managers Association for USA and Canada.
