FM & Business Continuity

Man-made threats to business continuity might include water damage from plumbing, theft and violence, employee negligence, workplace violence, terrorism, bombs, civil unrest, release of toxic materials or damage to key systems caused by construction or equipment maintenance.

Finally, there are technological threats which may include cyber-attacks, internet outages, satellite failures, transmission line damage, pipeline malfunctions, and inaccessible or inadequate transportation systems. Whether the threat is environmental, manmade, technological or a combination of the above, FM teams must use all five senses when making rounds to gauge the potential risk to business continuity and share observations with other departments and local first responders.

Schools and universities, for example, are highly visible. In many ways, campuses are like mini cities. For example, universities may house teaching hospitals where medical procedures, research and classes take place. Of course, there are major sporting events, concerts and classes. Institutions are constantly under scrutiny from parents, students, researchers, donors and alumni.

If science labs are subpar, then grants are jeopardized. If classrooms are not conducive to learning, schools lose ranking and enrollments, and donations decline. These are serious interruptions to business continuity. Interruptions, disruptions, eruptions — while potentially costly and dangerous — can teach FMs about risk mitigation, emergency preparation and continuous improvement. When major incidents occur, continuity of operations suffer, which could cost millions, and result in lost time and productivity due to repairs and recovery.

Making facility rounds is one of the simplest ways for campus and corporate FM teams to catch minor issues before they escalate into major disasters.

One way to mitigate risk in education and other facilities is to literally build in features that protect building residents — whether they are students, employees or staff members.

For example, a restroom, built into the center core of a building can double as a tornado or active shooter shelter, especially if there are no windows in the restroom.

This is a subject addressed in FEMA’s Design Guidance for Shelters and Safe Rooms.

While there are hundreds of causes of disruptions, there are several disruption impacts, including loss of facilities, profit losses, productivity losses, damage to the resources used by business, reputational damages and security breaches.

When discussions about FM and business continuity arise, the good news is that both facility and security teams can and should work closely together. Communications and information sharing via mobile devices are recommended for both facility and security officials.

“On weekends, we have one custodian working and usually one district police officer, and that’s to cover three sites,” said Byron Woods, dean of facilities at College of the Sequoias in California, USA. “If I’m out of town and a police officer responds to a fire alarm on one of the campuses and he doesn’t know where the panel is or how to turn it off, I can pull up the floor plan on my phone, click on my fire alarm panels and it’ll show me exactly where it is.”

Security staff spend most of their time watching others work, so they notice inconsistencies and ways to improve efficiency. What can FM learn from security and vice versa?

Security teams must know the building’s layout, so when they hear a funny noise coming from a piece of equipment, they alert facilities, because that is good for preventive maintenance. For example, hydraulic pumps may make whistling, whining, clicking or banging sounds due to fluid flow problems.

FM teams know properties better than anyone else. At the same time, security officers can check fire extinguisher dates and pump rooms, while FM teams are typically responsible for maintenance of emergency equipment.

There is no doubt that security departments must know what is behind the doors or up above the ceilings.

One recent trend that is putting both facility and security teams on high alert for business continuity interruptions is ransomware attacks, which are hitting health care hard. In such situations, entire systems are brought down, patient information may be compromised, payroll systems can go down, and recovery is a complicated, time-consuming and expensive process. Building automation systems, which the facility team is responsible for, may be vulnerable to intrusions, so FM, security and IT teams should be properly trained to deal with ransomware attacks.

Facility and security teams should also meet regularly with local police departments to discuss crime patterns and concerns. Even basic tasks like closing doors and gates should not be overlooked in these discussions. FMs might know how and why a property works, and they also need to put thought, time and action into reasons why they may be vulnerable.

Often, local police and fire departments have information about a particular facility campus. Information passed off from the FM team to the security team could really come in handy when no one else is at the property except for security personnel during an event.

FM and security team checks and balances can make a huge difference whether a facility uses onsite security or a patrol service.

Encouraging cross-team training, creating a central repository for critical building information or emergency info, renovation, equipment documentation accessible with mobile devices, and planning for worst-case scenarios are among the tactics FM teams should consider when addressing business continuity challenges. “Facility managers should help their organizational leaders maintain a constant state of readiness with the people and property in each of the four phases defining the emergency management life cycle: mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery,” said Thomas Mitchell, chief operating officer for FM3IS Associates LLC, facility performance consultants.

In addition to the financial and operational impacts of business continuity, interruptions can cause damage to a facility’s reputation, what some call negative PR, which may start with poor customer experiences — like a call center going down. People quickly get frustrated when services are not working as expected, no matter the reason. No one wants to sit on hold, waiting to talk to tech support or customer support. Frustrated customers will vent their frustrations, tell everyone they know, which gets back to the provider in the form of email complaints and negative reviews. In some cases, the media will pick up on the negativity, too.

Recovering from a bad reputation can take time, careful planning, cultivation of a company spokesperson, and a quick response and explanation, along with a plan to take corrective steps.

Having a solid emergency preparedness plan or playbook is critical for survival, whether the property is a hospital campus, university or financial institution.

Having a plan, being able to multitask, having great contractors, plus relation-ships with cities and municipalities and the right technology to share and update critical building information go a long way for FMs who must deal with emergencies and business continuity challenges.

Remote access to building information can help ease the challenges of labor shortages/ retirements and speed emergency responsiveness — important considerations for operations, business continuity, risk mitigation and FM.

Access to as-builts, shut-off maps and equipment locations means FM technicians can quickly resolve any maintenance or emergency situations.

At College of the Sequoias, Woods and his team have gone in and created color coded layers for irrigation, sewers, and they are dropping in manhole pins, shutoffs — all potential sources for business disruptions — using technology available on mobile devices.

Basics like replacing broken windows and checking roof and basement access should not be overlooked, either, as well as upgrading security cameras, so facility and security teams are alerted when a door is breached or a person enters a building. Staff members should be up to speed on security processes and procedures.

Emergency preparedness, responsive-ness and business continuity should not be the domain of just a few individuals. FM teams and the teams they coordinate with can all participate. Does the building look easy to break into? Share concerns with management, administration and IT.