In the first of a series of articles on facilities management and health and safety, Bridget Leathley gives a valuable overview of the key topics.

In the UK, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require that worksites provide adequate lighting, cleanliness, temperature, ventilation and workplace dimensions. Facilities management (FM) is the discipline that works to meet these goals and help people to be more productive and comfortable. Facilities teams can also be described as an organisation's first emergency service, since as well as the planned work, they are often the initial port of call when something breaks, floods or fails to work.

Many managers with safety responsibilities are responsible for FM. Where FM managers are appointed, they need to know when to consult safety specialists. Project or operational managers must also understand when FM and safety are relevant to their work.

FM is commonly divided into two areas, called ‘hard services’ and ‘soft services’. You might see these defined as the ‘technical’ and ‘non-technical’ aspects, but that rather understates the technical knowledge needed to manage soft services.

Instead, think about an empty workplace. When no one is there the ‘hard’ services are part of the fabric of a building, such as heating, lighting, fire alarms and fire doors. When some workplaces were empty during the pandemic lockdown, hard services such as fire detection and water management needed additional attention so that buildings would be safe to return to.

When you put people into a building you need soft FM – including cleaning, catering and waste management. You can change soft FM quite quickly, for example a new menu in the cafeteria or additional cleaning, but it takes longer to change hard services such as adding fire alarms or improving heating efficiency. Some soft services are still relevant when buildings aren’t in use – for example, providing security and preventing pest infestation.

Other services

Facilities teams might provide other services needed, such as a post room, car parking supervision and landscaping. FM responsibilities such as personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) and arrangements for return-to-work, hybrid or flexible working overlap with human resources (HR). FM will usually provide furniture and equipment needed, such as evacuation chairs for PEEPs and desks for homeworkers. There can be an overlap with IT in providing computing equipment for desk workers, whether in an office or at home. Where people need different equipment to deal with musculoskeletal problems, such as specialist keyboards or chairs, there is a link with occupational health.

Topics

Future articles will cover responsibilities for water and grounds management, but the next sections outline key areas of FM that relate to health, safety and wellbeing.

• Fire, emergencies, first aid

Facilities and safety specialists need to work together to agree schedules for checking emergency lighting, fire detection and alarms, and arrangements for carrying out evacuation drills. Some organisations run drills for other emergencies – in particular for security attacks, whether a lone intruder or groups of armed terrorists. Responsibilities for appointing fire wardens (or marshals) and first-aiders can fall between FM and safety teams (or HR). Whoever is responsible, there needs to be a system to provide both initial and up-date training for anyone appointed.

• Structural issues

Managers in workplaces built before 2000 should already be familiar with issues around managing  asbestos. An increasing issue in the past two years, particularly in schools and other public buildings, has been RAAC - Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete. RAAC was used a lot between 1950s and 1990s, and despite warnings from building experts in the 1990s of its limited lifespan, it only came to the attention of most people when stories of roof collapses made it to the news. As with asbestos, an organisation’s first task is to identify where RAAC is, followed by surveying, monitoring and as appropriate, mitigation. Although the RAAC Identification Guidance from the Department for Education (2023) was written for schools, the guidance provides useful advice for any workplace.

The National Trust, responsible for over 28,000 buildings across the UK, has recognised a growing challenge from changing weather patterns, and has been learning from heritage organisations overseas. In an article in the National Trust Magazine, Autumn 2024, concerns outlined include lead in windows melting causing glass panes to fall out, and cracks in buildings due to ‘shrink-swell’ in foundations, which alternate between very dry and very wet conditions. Senior National Consultant for Heritage and Climate at the National Trust, Imogen Wood, recognises the importance of facilities in this, saying: “Facilities managers play a fundamental role on the frontline against climate change. Maintenance is the backbone of improving our buildings’ resilience.”

• HVAC

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) is how FM maintains a comfortable working environment for people and appropriate conditions for equipment, such as computer servers. Climate change means that keeping buildings cooler in the summer, without increasing the use of energy-intensive air conditioning systems, should be on the agenda of anyone involved in facilities.

Organisations are increasingly using greener technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps. But it isn’t enough to simply set all the thermostats to 20°C, as people perceive temperature, humidity and airflow very differently. In describing how to prevent a ‘workplace zoo’, psychologist and workplace consultant, Dr Nigel Oseland suggests: “If facilities create zones with varying levels of temperature, noise and light, the occupants can then choose a zone where they are most comfortable and most productive. Alternatively, give people personal control over environmental conditions such as task lighting and desk fans.”

• Catering

Traditionally, catering has been about fuelling the workforce so they can get back to work. Increasing awareness of the role of healthy food choices has challenged catering functions to provide meat-free, dairy-free and gluten-free options. But there is an increasing awareness that food at work is about more than good nutrition.

Eating with colleagues provides opportunities to get to know them and to meet people in other parts of the organisation. There is evidence that workers who eat together have higher morale and are more productive. A study by Cornell University in the USA showed that the best-performing firefighter teams were the ones who ate meals together. If you want your staff to eat together, food choices must suit your workforce, and the canteen layout needs to encourage people to sit together. Your food offering should be part of your wellbeing programme, both from a nutritional and a social perspective. Apps can allow staff to pre-order their meals, so they can spend less time queuing and more time enjoying good food and conversation.

• Equipment

Facilities and safety functions must be involved with procurement, so that purchase decisions consider OSH benefits and whole-life costs such as maintenance, rather than buying the cheapest alternatives available. Once equipment is purchased, responsibilities must be clear for maintenance and monitoring, and for any statutory inspections or tests needed. A lack of clarity can lead to one department assuming another is managing these tasks, resulting in potential oversight.

To prevent such oversights, create an inventory, making it clear which law or guidance applies to which equipment, and who is responsible for what checks. The table below shows titles of regulations, Approved Code of Practice and guidance (ACoPs) and other guidance for some types of equipment. Additional legislation and guidance apply in specific industries, for specialised equipment and for vehicles used on public highways.
 

Management and control

Safety professionals are in a good position to support the development of management systems for facilities, but collaboration with the people carrying out planned and reactive maintenance is essential. Risk assessments should form the basis for decisions about the use and design of permits to work to control higher-risk tasks (such as hot work and confined space working).

Contractor management, whether for stand-alone projects such as a refurbishment, or ongoing contracts such as cleaning, requires the combination of facilities and safety knowledge, assigning clear responsibilities for assessing the risk and controlling the hazards during the work. Advice in the HSE publication, HSG 159 – Managing contractors: A guide for employers (HSG159) is a good starting point.

With a first degree in computer science and psychology, Bridget Leathley started her working life in human factors, initially in IT and later in high-hazard industries. After completing an MSc in Occupational Health and Safety Management, she moved full-time into occupational health and safety consultancy, training and writing.