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NEW SECURITY AND SAFETY CHALLENGES FOR FACILITY PLANNERS |
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The terrorist attacks on September 11th and the following Biochemical terrorist attacks that followed have created new challenges for Facility Planners. What would happen if your company’s offices, or the entire building, were suddenly closed for a week? Two weeks? What about three weeks? It can, and has, happened. Could your company survive? Those questions posed by Robert O. Williams, P.E., a consulting engineer with Williams Notaro & Associates, Inc. sums up many of the questions and fears that most facility planners are having these days. He adds that “Most companies do not have a contingency plan in place for this type of occurrence. Why? Because, until recently, the chance that your office space or even your building could become uninhabitable overnight was typically limited to a catastrophic fire or act of severe weather. Both of these events are extremely rare.
There are many facets to the situation – additional security-trained personnel may be needed, new security equipment may need to purchased, additional space might be required, improved mechanical systems to protect against chemical attack may need to be installed, and new security procedures and policies have to be implemented. A seemingly large task to be done in a short period of time! One quick solution being used by many for their security and safety needs is the utilization of modular buildings.
At the Niagara Falls, Dupont plant, the facility manager needed to have a security building that could quickly house 3-4 security personnel for monitoring and managing incoming vehicles and pedestrians. The key word is quickly. Management was determined to install security measures as quick as possible to insure the safety of their employees and visitors. In their case, it was determined that a 9’x10’ modular guard booth with glass to provide 360 degree visibility was the answer. They also wanted it to blend in with their other buildings on that property. In order to accomplish that, they used the same high-rib steel roof and maintenance free fiberglass exterior that was on all the surrounding facilities. And as required, their customized guard facility was delivered within 60 days from order.
Recent events have shown that terrorist organizations are prepared to use not only explosive devices to achieve their aim but also resort to more novel forms of weapons. The most recent being the spreading of Anthrax through the postal service. According to Bruhn Newtech, a world leader in Chemical, Biological and Radiological matters, the spreading of biochemical agents could pose a significant increase in the level of casualties arising from this type of event. Whereas explosives will explode and the damage can be seen instantly, casualties from biological threats may not emerge for some time and may be many times greater than would be from an explosive device. There is therefore an urgent requirement to intercept and check parcels, packages and letters that may contain explosive or biological substances. As a result of that type of threat, Risk Management Programs are now including security buildings for many non-traditional security threats. In addition to guard houses at main entrances and exits for protection from outside threats, demands are now rising for “mail sorting facilities and decontamination trailers to be located on or near the companies’ premises.
An international broadcasting company has started using a 12’x44’ modular mail sorting facility in a remote area that will sort and monitor all incoming letters and packages prior to being sent to their headquarters in the United States. It houses a sophisticated system, which is comprised of software and equipment, specifically designed to recognize a Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) risk. The modular building was provided along with equipment and special training for personnel to use and maintain the equipment. Some are using these facilities as a temporary solution. However many are looking at them as a permanent solution to a now permanent problem. And more frequently, the custom built modular mail handling facility is being used because it lessens the immediate threat to existing facilities as well as provides the flexibility to be moved quickly to wherever the need is greatest.
Many employees are demanding protection from their employers and many employers are more than willing to provide that safety. The problem is that the majority of companies today don’t know what the potential impact from a biological attack would have on their facility. As noted by Mr. Williams, many types of bacteria can become airborne and can move through a building riding on the air currents in the building. As a result, the very system that provides comfort as well as healthy indoor air quality, the heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system, can actually distribute the bacteria efficiently throughout the building. Temperature control and humidity control are also important when the eradication of anthrax is necessary. It is very hard to control those things in a large, sometimes old, building, as was evidenced in Washington when The Hart Building was infected. Many see the cost of a separate mail sorting facility as being minimal in comparison with the loss of property, the downtime in operations and services and most important the injury or loss of personnel due to a biochemical terrorist attack.
Decontamination Trailers, or most widely known as Decons, have been used for years by Facility Planners to alleviate the safety hazards found when employees must deal with chemicals and other toxic materials associated with their operations. They are used for both proactive and reactive solutions to hazardous chemical exposure. The idea is that an employee who plans to be exposed to hazardous chemicals will enter one side of the building (the clean side) and put on protective clothing. When finished the job, he/she will now enter the other side of the building (the dirty side), remove his/her clothes, enter showers and exit to the clean side again. Now Facility Planners are also considering renting and buying Decons to be able to react to a large biochemical attack.
The main reason for using modular buildings is the speed at which they can be designed and installed. Safety Kleen in Canada had their 2880SF decontamination building designed and in operation within 78 days. That building consisted of a clean locker/shower/toilet room, a dirty locker/shower/toilet room and a lunchroom. Return air and ventilation air systems were designed to be separated between the clean and dirty rooms and special ventilated lockers that were connected to an overhead ventilation bulkhead were installed. In addition to being a highly technically designed building, it was erected in a very remote area of Canada where the lack of local trades limited their ability to build on site and inclement weather made fast installation a necessity. While the building was being constructed in the factory, the site was being simultaneously prepared. By the time the building was ready for delivery, the site was ready for its installation.
Another problem facing some companies who are indeed making the effort to put security measures in place is that additional personnel and security equipment can take up a lot of space. Many corporations and government facilities are now looking for temporary office and storage space. Once again, they are finding it in modular buildings. In one case, a VA Medical Center found that in trying to carefully sort through their mail, a backup occurred. They ran out of space to store the incoming mail. It became necessary to bring in watertight, ground level storage containers for the storage of unopened mail. When the housing of additional personnel is the issue, modular buildings with offices and additional lavatory facilities are placed on the premises, such as a parking lot or a nearby open space. In some cases, where feasible, the modular buildings are actually attached to an existing building with a breezeway cut through for access.
Although a necessary cash outlay, it is nonetheless an investment that many Corporations, Organizations and Government Agencies did not have budgeted early last year. That is another reason why many have opted for modular buildings and even storage containers. They like the option of being able to rent a facility. It can be expensed and when they aren’t sure of the long-term need for such a facility, it gives them the option to return it at a later date. For those who feel the facility expansion is a more permanent solution, buildings can be installed on permanent foundations and either leased to purchase or bought outright.
When a modular building is utilized, it is important that the facility planner choose a supplier that is aware of the special criteria recommended for the above uses. A standard constructed facility may be used to house additional personnel or even safety equipment. But that same facility is not sufficient enough to secure one’s employees and visitors from actual biochemical threats. There are many features that should be included in order to control and limit the level of exposure and the spread of hazardous bacteria in a facility. Systems in those facilities must be thoroughly analyzed and designed by experienced professionals and installed by contractors specifically experienced in the installation of this technology. According to Mr. Williams, unless properly designed, installed, inspected and maintained regularly, these systems may not provide the desired level of protection and may result in a false sense of security. Other features being requested by Facility Planners are:
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Bullet Proof glass |
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Dedicated exhaust systems |
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Chemical resistant floors and walls |
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Laboratory style ceiling grids |
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Washable light fixtures suitable for use in wet locations |
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Sound attenuation materials |
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Low-E glass |
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A variety of interior and exterior custom finishes |
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It is a different world. We are more aware of our facilities’ security systems and have a higher sense of urgency when it comes to providing protection to our employees and the visitors that come on to our premises. It is true that many procedures and policies that companies had in effect prior to 9/11 are probably still sufficient as a course of action for the thinkable threats. It’s now the unthinkable with which we must be concerned. The Facility Manager who investigates and evaluates all possible procedures, practices and facilities needed and reacts quickly and deliberately will be the most successful in supporting today’s modern office facilities. |
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