For those fortunate enough to work remotely, recent times have been an opportunity to explore the benefits and pains of working from home. But as months go by, the places we used to visit daily are neglected, leaving a vital question in the air: Who is taking care of them?
It’s no secret that global crises affect almost all industries. We’ve witnessed the abandonment of office buildings, stadiums, malls, and restaurants. Sadly, many vendors and maintenance staff were let go. Now, these spaces are running with reduced personnel, and a lack of preventive maintenance is causing serious operational issues.
“The apparent damage is just the tip of the iceberg; the biggest problem is that, during these difficult times, buildings got sick too.”
Symptoms of a Sick Building
Can an inanimate object get sick? According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), yes. The decay of a building’s infrastructure, particularly plumbing with low or no use, leads to severe health hazards. The main issues include:
- Stagnated water: Severe decay in deposits and pipes when water systems lack turnover.
- HVAC hazards: Dangerous mold buildup inside inactive A/C systems.
- Structural decay: Rapid corrosion of metal surfaces and equipment.
- Air quality drops: Accumulated dust and particulate matter.
The CMMS Antidote
Keeping water fresh and air clean is a massive undertaking. Even in small buildings, it can take up to two hours just to flush the water located in pipes. Keeping track of the whole sanitization process by hand is overwhelming for facilities managers operating with reduced teams.
The answer to facing this situation lies in technology. Tools like a Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) not only make work easier and more effective, but they also help keep us safe from diseases caused by contaminated water or polluted A/C systems. Using a solution like Sweven, managing an empty or partially open facility becomes a streamlined digital process:
Set clear priorities for all work orders, update checklists in real-time, and seamlessly assign tasks to available technicians and field staff.
Share photos and videos of ongoing work directly from a mobile app, and use captured data to track vendor performance accurately.
Gather live information from IoT sensors (temperature, pressure, or humidity) to anticipate and prevent issues before they become health hazards.
PROTECTING HEALTH THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
There’s no need to install anything on a local computer. By accessing Sweven’s cloud platform, facilities managers gain the knowledge and control needed to maintain constant communication with their staff, find quick solutions, and ultimately prevent situations that might jeopardize people’s health when they return.