Health & Safety

  • A view of an ammonia industrial refrigeration system
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    Opinion

    How adding safeguards to system diagrams can reduce breakdowns

    LOOP-BAR, a process designed to prevent problems in ammonia refrigeration systems, has applicability to other systems that pose dangers in the event of an incident.

    By Kushal Aurangabadkar • Feb. 25, 2026
  • disinfectants, quaternary ammonium compounds, Environmental Science & Technology journal
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    Widely used disinfectants up asthma risk, study finds

    Hundreds of federally approved commercial cleaning products contain compounds that, when concentrated, can raise health issues, researchers say.

    By • Feb. 24, 2026
  • K-12 education, school facility management Explore the Trendline➔
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    Trendline

    Schools on front lines of facilities management innovation

    As research mounts on the importance of a school’s physical infrastructure to the performance and well-being of its students, administarors, parents and the community expect facility managers to make the best use of often-limited resources.  

    By Facilities Dive staff
  • Business professional using smartphone for secure access to modern office building.
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    Mobile credentials provide safer, more seamless security: HID

    Higher education and commercial real estate are two markets that have seen faster uptake of mobile credentials due to the technologies’ range of use cases and security features.

    By • Feb. 24, 2026
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    Legacy BMS protocol poses threat to building systems: Claroty

    LonTalk, a system networking protocol from the 1990s, is buried deep in many internet-connected building systems, creating vulnerabilities, the cyber-physical protection company says. 

    By • Feb. 23, 2026
  • IAQ, indoor air quality, Airborne Act, Beyer, Fitzpatrick, ASHRAE Standard 241
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    House bill gives facilities tax breaks for improving IAQ

    One option would reward building operators for meeting ASHRAE Standard 241, which sets minimum requirements for outdoor airflow rates to control infectious aerosols.

    By • Feb. 18, 2026
  • DeAlmeida, BSSS, NYC wage-parity law, security guards, Etienne
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    NYC buildings face higher-cost security guards with mandate

    A new city ordinance requires security guard companies to match the pay and benefits of city-contracted guards. At least one other city is now looking at its own version of the wage-parity law.

    By • Feb. 9, 2026
  • Grocery store with a sign that reads "Grocery Outlet Bargain Market" on a red background.
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    Screenshot: Google Maps

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    How 2 independent grocers are using facial recognition to combat theft

    “When [people] steal, they’re stealing personally from my husband and I and my team and my family,” the operator of a Grocery Outlet store said during a session at the National Grocers Association show.

    By Sam Silverstein • Feb. 6, 2026
  • Rebuild America’s Schools Act of 2026, Ally Talcott
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    House, Senate bills would give schools $130B for facility upgrades

    In addition to providing grants, the proposal would restore and enhance bond authority, which could give lower-income school districts a better chance of getting funding issues passed.

    By • Feb. 6, 2026
  • A ventilation unit moves air in an office building.
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    IWBI introduces ratings to help operators attract tenants, investors seeking healthy buildings

    The two new ratings offer a pathway for building operators to show progress toward occupant wellness, the International WELL Building Institute says.

    By • Jan. 29, 2026
  • Dedrone, Airsight, Corrections 1, Rand, prison, drones, contraband
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    Prisons battle nightly drone drops of drugs, other contraband

    Technology is available to help facilities respond to incursions, but federal aviation rules lag behind the threat, security specialists say.

    By • Jan. 26, 2026
  • A mental cabinet that has fire damage is open and inside are school lunch boxes.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Natural disasters: What to do before — and after — one strikes your school

    NWEA’s playbook suggests that schools develop a recovery plan and build relationships with community groups before any severe climate event occurs.

    By Anna Merod • Jan. 26, 2026
  • 345 Park Ave., Shane Tamura, Didarul Islam, NFL, Blackstone, Rudin Management, McLane Security
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Shooting victim’s widow sues 345 Park Ave., NFL for lax security

    Smart cameras, alerts, weapon detectors — none of that was adequately deployed for a high-profile building, says a lawsuit against the building owner, manager, security company and the NFL, one of the tenants.

    By • Jan. 21, 2026
  • Rahul Shira, circadian lighting
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    Courtesy of Genlyte Solutions
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    How circadian lighting gives FMs a hand in occupant productivity

    When combined with sensors, the lights can give facilities managers a role in workforce wellness and building efficiency, says Rahul Shira of Genlyte Solutions.

    By • Jan. 14, 2026
  • A police officer with a long gun is seen in the distance near the exterior of a red brick school building. In the foreground is an athletic scoreboard that says the school name.
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    Michael Ciaglo via Getty Images
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    School shootings dropped in 2025. Here’s what to know for 2026.

    With school shootings reaching their lowest count in five years at 233, a school safety expert urges realistic prevention practices in the new year.

    By Kara Arundel • Jan. 13, 2026
  • Four high school students and a teacher are sitting and standing around a desk in a classroom. One student siting at the desk is using a laptop and mouse and others are looking at the screen
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    izusek via Getty Images
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    Positive school climate tied to better student attendance

    Students in public schools miss fewer days and have higher test scores when they feel safe as part of a broader positive school climate, research shows.    

    By Kara Arundel • Jan. 13, 2026
  • USPS, post office security cameras, Del. Holmes
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    Bill would authorize and fund cameras in all post offices

    Broken or missing cameras are part of a maintenance and repair backlog that has persisted for decades, according to government reports.

    By • Jan. 6, 2026
  • Wegmans, biometric surveillance, Gottschalk, Marketplace Risk, data privacy
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    Wegmans expands biometric surveillance to customers

    The company limited the collection of facial recognition information to employees when it started a security pilot program in its New York City stores in 2024.

    By • Updated Jan. 5, 2026
  • nanofiber filter, Univ. of Chicago, building ventilation
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    Nanofiber filters in ventilation systems can remove most indoor CO2, study finds

    A filter made by University of Chicago researchers captures 92% of building CO2, demonstrating enough efficiency to offset any CO2 created to make, maintain and replace the filters, they say.

    By • Updated Jan. 5, 2026
  • Acrisure Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Pittsburgh Steelers.
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    Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium to offer free Depend products at NFL games

    The pilot program with Kimberly-Clark is the first to focus on bladder-leak products, the company says, as stadium venues prioritize attendee comfort and hygiene.

    By • Dec. 22, 2025
  • A building with two tall towers and a round center sits on a grassy site with mountains behind it.
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    Emergency managers, meteorologists push back against breakup of NCAR climate research center

    Dismantling the nation’s premier weather and climate institution would have “a horrible impact on the local level,” says the chair of the International Association of Emergency Managers USA Weather Caucus.

    By Robyn Griggs Lawrence • Dec. 22, 2025
  • Johnson Controls, building evacuation, Autocall 4017ES, Martin Schulte-Frankenfeld
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    Johnson Controls sees voice systems as critical to small-facility preparedness

    Evacuation alerts with voice capabilities can improve occupant trust. They're now more affordable for smaller properties, a company executive says.

    By • Dec. 18, 2025
  • Metalmark Innovations' Tatama air cleaning system in an exposed ceiling venilation system.
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    Retrieved from Metalmark Innovations on December 17, 2025
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    Metalmark receives JLL support for its air cleaning systems

    The investment will help accelerate deployment of the company’s ceiling-mounted Tatama system for capturing pathogens and particulates without increasing energy use, the company says.

    By • Dec. 17, 2025
  • A Bogen Communications manager works to implement emergency security systems.
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    Retrieved from Bogen Communications, LLC on December 16, 2025
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    Firms integrate emergency systems with audio and voice communications

    The Bogen Communications and Alertus Technologies agreement will help operators automate and enhance critical alerts, the companies said. 

    By • Dec. 16, 2025
  • Brown Univ. shooting, Barus and Holley, Rachel Friedberg, Joseph Oduro
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Few cameras, open doors at Brown University building where shooting occurred

    Students have to swipe badges to access the targeted lecture room, but the large number of students during exam week could have overwhelmed security protocols, reports suggest.

    By • Dec. 15, 2025
  • A worker uses their smartphone to gain access at a turnstile.
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    With physical and IT security merging, collaboration will be a 2026 priority: Genetec

    In another trend, physical security teams see the importance of AI in navigating alarms and investigations and prioritizing events, survey results show. 

    By • Dec. 10, 2025