FM Staff News

Facilities Management (FM) appreciates our working relationships with academic partners across the university, bridging the gap between administrative operations and academic pursuits. Below, we highlight some of the dynamic partnerships that have emerged between these two distinct realms.

Facilities Management’s (FM) Landscape Maintenance team has accomplished the long-awaited switch from gasoline-powered to electric leaf blowers. Completing a transition that began in 2018, FM eliminated the last of the gasoline-powered equipment at the start of this year. Outside contractors are also required to use electric blowers when working on the UMD campus.

Facilities Management (FM) and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOSC) are teaming up to install rooftop weather stations as part of an exciting new project. This collaborative effort aims to build a weather network that will provide detailed, real-time data on weather conditions across campus and provide a better understanding of the impact of global climate change.  This micronet of weather data stations across campus will aid forecasters, students, and FM workgroups.

You may have noticed key kiosks popping up at City Hall and the Severn Building. This is the first step in the implementation of a new system that will provide key access for Facilities Management (FM) staff and contractors 24/7.

Earlier this month, OM&U rolled out a new customer service program developed to help keep FM’s campus customers informed about maintenance work performed in their workspaces. 

It is important to take precautions to avoid heat-related illness in unusually hot conditions when working outdoors or in unconditioned, indoor environments. Though the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have a heat stress regulation, employers are responsible for providing workplaces free of known safety hazards. This includes protecting workers from extreme heat.