The bad news is that the USA lost in the first knockout round of the 2010 World Cup. The good news is that this weekend is July 4th and time to kick off the hot summer with good food, family, friends and fireworks. What ever you choose to do this weekend, please be safe. It was the thought of family that prompted our most popular article of the week titled 12 Reasons Raising Children is Just Like Using an EAM. Much of what we do in our personal lives spills is the foundation of modern business practices and tools like an EAM.
We hope everyone had the opportunity to read our blogs and check out our website, but just in case you did not have the time to see our blogs and voter links as they were published, we have summarized them for you here. Please enjoy them and be sure to check back for new articles during the week. You can find a complete listing on the Mintek Blog.
1. 12 Reasons Raising Children is Just Like Using an EAM
Author: Stuart Smith
An offbeat post written from a parental perspective looking at the similarities between raising children and managing assets over a period of time. Key similarities are the planning, preventive maintenance, inspections, budgeting and sharing your knowledge base. Wouldn't it be great if we had some of the EAM tools to help us track our personal things?
Key Point: An EAM system is a computerized extension of many of the things we do in our personal lives. The difference is in the volume of tasks to be managed and how they are organized.
2. July 4th Weekend Preventive Maintenance Safety Tips
Author: Stuart Smith
The July 4th weekend is always a good time for BBQs and other outdoor activities. It is also a good time to take stock of a few preventive maintenance tips offered for your safety. The post includes tips for cleaning coolers, preventive maintenance for roofs (against the stray bottle rocket or spark) and how to avoid foot burns from hot surfaces.
Key Point: Holiday weekends are much more fun when common sense is applied.
3. 15 Questions For Every Maintenance Manager
Author: Stuart Smith
This post looks at maintenance management through the eyes of a consultant who is performing an analysis. The questions put forward are something every maintenance manager or executive should be asking of their own facility operations. Only after a need has been determined does it make sense to research maintenance solutions like a CMMS.
Key Point: Change is good, it leads to the revitalization of maintenance operations and staff that are engaged in MRO.
Read Relevant Articles That We Found Last Week
But wait there is more. We have found several more articles that you might find to be interesting and even put them on our website for you to vote on. The 5 best this week are:
1. Take the stress factor out of the heat equation
Author: Posted on PlantServices.com
A good article discussing how to manage heat in the workplace during summertime months. The post takes a brief look at how humidity, air speed, radiant heat and metabolic heat can be impacted by adjusting A/C and engineering controls, the heat load as well as adjusting work practices.
Key Point: Without proper controls heat will adversely effect the health of employees in the workplace. The fixes are not complicated nor expensive.
2. A New Efficient Air Conditioner
Author: Posted on New Energy and Fuel
This article announces a new invented new air conditioning process for the 21st century. The new innovation has the potential of using 50 percent to 90 percent less energy than today’s top-of-the-line units. The science behind this is the replacement of the refrigeration cycle with an absorption cycle that is thermally activated. It can be powered by natural gas or solar energy and uses very little electricity.
Key Point: This breakthrough from government researches can change the face of A/C products.
3. New 2010 ASHRAE Ventilation Standard Passed
Author: Shared by Heidi
Heidi shares an overview of the new 2010 ASHRAE Ventilation Standard that facilities managers need to meet. Changes include a new natural ventilation rate procedure as well as new exhaust system requirements.
Key Point: “The 2010 standard furthers ASHRAE’s work in ensuring acceptable indoor air quality, while also heeding the need for energy efficiency as we strive to find ways to help designers tailor ventilation system designs to each particular application.”
4. Is Your Maintenance Management Distressed? Is Your Maintenance Management Distressed?
Author: Leon King
Leon's article talks about some of the ways maintenance managers can tell if there operational procedures need to upgraded. Key areas include workflow analysis, how to identify what areas need improvement and then establishing a course of action.
Key Point: Maintenance operations like the core business of an organization need to be continually examined to remain competitive and efficient.
What We Learned This Week
Keys to this weeks theme is an understanding the maintenance management is dynamic and should never be allowed to become stagnant. To remain competitive maintenance managers and executives should review their operations to seek out opportunities for improvement like using and EAM/CMMS. Sometimes this can be done by examining how you manage your personal life as compared to your business. Find the strengths and move forward.
Too read more visit our Vote on Links page.
Register for your chance to win a Free EAM & CMMS Worth $23,000
If you want a EAM & CMMS system, but can't afford to implement one this budget year; then this contest is perfect for you. We are offering a chance to win a FREE EAM & CMMS software suite. Contest includes a 1-year site license, 10 web/mobile licenses and support, as well as, training and implementation.
We hope everyone has a great July 4th weekend. Good food, drink, parades and fireworks are all part of our traditions. Going to the beach, having a BBQ or playing sports are contribute to our weekend activities. So too are accidents, so we send you off this weekend with a few preventive maintenance tips for your personal and family safety.
BBQ and Beach Preventive Maintenance
- Clean coolers before and after use to avoid bacteria caused illnesses. Wash down surfaces with a vinegar and a clean cloth to kill bacteria. Vinegar is an acid and will act a sterilizer. It will also keep away ants and other insects.
- Clean grill racks with a metal brush and then wipe down the bars with a damp cloth. Make sure to clean grill racks after use to avoid the onset of corrosion. If using a gas grill make sure you follow all lighting instructions to prevent a sudden burst of flame singe your face.
- If going to the beach, make sure you bring sun block, hats and plenty of fluids including water. Sunburn hurts and no one wants to see a walking lobster. Make sure children have footwear (sandals or flip-flops) to avoid being burned from hot sand, cement and paved roads.
*Note. If going to Gulf Coast beaches be alert to any signs of oil or oil smells. Be wary of unusual coughing or respiratory problems as not all contaminants can be smelled first. With the oil recently making landfall in 4 states, air quality may be compromised.
Fireworks Inspection and Preventive Maintenance
Many parts of the country still allow the setting off of fireworks by individuals and each year emergency rooms are filled when alcohol, a lack of maturity and explosives are mixed. It is really not an honor to be featured on cable TV's One Thousand Ways to Die. For others, the allure of big fireworks display at a theme park or other public display has a thrill and a degree of safety. Regardless of where you go some safety tips for this year's festivities are:
- Cleans roofs of debris so that sparks or an errant explosion do not ignite the surface.
- Keep a hose attached to outdoor faucets and ready to go. Dry grass can catch fire very quickly.
- Keep fireworks dry and inspect all fuses before lighting. Explosives with short fuses should not be used. Never pick up a DUD and look inside immediately after trying to ignite.
- Soak all used fireworks in water before placing in trash containers
- If attending a public display beware of the concussion effect. This feels like a sudden change in pressure and can cause extreme discomfort and to those sensitive to sound it can be deafening. Ear plugs will help lessen the impact.
Most importantly this July 4th weekend, use common sense. We hope you have a wonderful weekend. If you liked this article you may also want to read:
Register for your chance to win a Free EAM & CMMS Worth $23,000
If you want a EAM & CMMS system, but can't afford to implement one this budget year; then this contest is perfect for you. We are offering a chance to win a FREE EAM & CMMS software suite. Contest includes a 1-year site license, 10 web/mobile licenses and support, as well as, training and implementation.