As the property manager of a strip mall or shopping plaza, you might not think you have much to worry about when it comes to environmental, health and safety issues. After all, you’re not in charge of a manufacturing facility, storing and using large amounts of hazardous materials.
If you’re the property or facility manager at a hotel, you have a lot to worry about. Guest safety is huge. There are a lot of maintenance requirements inside and outside. And the larger the hotel - and maybe even add in a conference center or events space - the more there is to keep track of.
Many property and facility managers at office buildings and office complexes think that only manufacturing facilities really need to be concerned with environmental exposures and liabilities. Looking at their own buildings and property, they just don’t see all the environmental risks and potential problems, at best focusing mostly on issues related to mold and asbestos.
I have a lot of respect for regulators at all levels, local, state, and federal. It sometimes surprises people that they are very often willing to work with facilities to improve their environmental, health and safety practices and address exposures.
