Alterations codes for non-residential buildings are frequently misunderstood, which often leads to a significant number of designs being incorrectly drawn. This session will focus in particular on the topic of luminaire alterations, including a review of lighting wiring alterations and specific triggers and requirements. The speaker will discuss three distinct calculation methods to determine the requirements for various projects, and provide a detailed examination of luminaire component modifications, including the conditions that necessitate these changes.

Safety slogans aren’t enough. There needs to be a culture of safety in every facility – which may involve implementing changes in employee mindset and behavior. In this session, you’ll learn the first step: how to hone your communications skills so you can be sure you’re effectively delivering the safety message that will make workers want to improve.

Hybrid heat pump solutions are becoming more common in commercial buildings, where the owners prefer using heat pumps to reduce their carbon footprint, but where the facility could also benefit by including backup gas-fired or electric boilers. Electric heat pumps consume no fossil fuels and emit no greenhouse gases directly, but they also have some performance limitations at extreme conditions.  This hybrid solution of including backup boilers with heat pumps for a temporary source of hot water during extreme conditions, provides the resiliency needed to keep the building operational during all conditions, with only a small impact to its carbon emissions.  Learn about the details of hybrid heat pump solutions, which are a realistic way to move toward climate goals without sacrificing performance in your commercial facility.

NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® is the topic of this presentation, which will focus on safety related work practices, safety related maintenance requirements and safety requirements for special equipment.  Also learn about additional resources for electrical safety in the workplace. This session will advance on-the-job safety for you, your staff members, and contracted people.

This presentation will showcase a very impressive net zero office project – the 1.25 million sq ft May Lee State Office Complex – a Department of General Services project that opened April 2024 with four office towers, located on 17 acres in Sacramento. It is the largest all-electric net zero energy and net zero carbon operational facility in the nation. Hear the details of this sustainably innovative project from the design-build contractor and architect team, with a focus on the design and performance goals and how they have been achieved.

For the purposes of the OSHA 300 recordkeeping forms, determining whether an injury or illness is work-related or not can be challenging, especially because specific criteria must be applied to real-world situations. OSHA's regulations aim to ensure that employers properly record incidents that are directly related to work, but the guidelines leave room for interpretation, leading to both over-reporting and under-reporting. This session will discuss the most common mistakes made by companies in the OSHA recordkeeping standard.

This session will be for anyone looking to implement EV charging for their property or facility. Or maybe there’s already infrastructure in place, but there’s a need to add more charging stations – but you aren’t sure where to start or what questions you need to be asking. The speaker will reveal five factors to help maximize EV charging infrastructure – ensuring the EV charging implementation can scale without costly electrical upgrades and that it goes live without a hitch.

This session will describe the challenge of dealing with conflict in a business setting. Learn about the underlying sources of conflict and effects on communication. Conflict management approaches, including negotiation, mediation, and arbitration will be discussed, as well as the human behaviors associated with conflict and resolution.

Discover the secrets to keeping your electric motors running at peak performance by tackling the most common pitfalls head-on. The top causes of motor failures discussed in this session will include power misapplication, overheating, contamination, vibration, bearing failure, lubrication problems, and misalignment. Learn about practical, proven strategies that prevent costly breakdowns, increase efficiency, and ensure reliability in even the most demanding environments, to protect your investment.

This presentation will discuss Do’s and Don’ts for facility professionals who are faced with a building emergency. Learn the important considerations when encountering an unexpected building problem that can negatively affect business continuity. Key takeaways will include tips to mitigate water, fire, and smoke damage. Also discussed will be guidelines for developing/updating an emergency preparedness plan.

This session will provide an overview of some of the creative things facilities managers can do to upgrade their buildings, grounds, and parking, with a goal of making their sites more attractive and appealing to both employees and customers. The ideas, from the City of Modesto’s Master Plan, discuss improvements regarding building facades, building frontages, pedestrian areas, and streets and public spaces, with before and after illustrations of improvements. Gain ideas you can apply at your site.

Standby power system testing, although often misunderstood and misapplied, is critical to the reliability of a modern power system. This session will walk attendees through the final part of the four major stages of testing that takes place for a generator set: maintenance testing. This review of best practices will empower facility owners and managers to administer appropriate test strategies in an effort to maintain a reliable power system.

The speaker will explore innovative energy solutions shaping the future of his school district, from solar panels and EV chargers to electric buses and ground equipment. These advancements not only reduce emissions but also cut costs, paving the way for a cleaner, more efficient tomorrow for the facilities.

As of 2023, the National Fire Protection Association’s update to its NFPA 70B standard changed maintenance inspections of electrical equipment from recommended on an annual basis to mandated on an annual basis, for equipment including outdoor substations, switchgear assemblies, stationary batteries, motor control equipment, busway, and UPS systems. And in some cases inspections must be done as frequently as every 6 months. This session will focus on infrared (thermographic) inspections, describing proper infrared inspections, and who is qualified to do the inspections. Learn what you need to know to be in compliance with the standard, which is also required by commercial insurance companies for policy renewals.

Learn about floating photovoltaic systems – also known as floatovoltaics – which are solar panels installed on bodies of water, such as ponds and water treatment facilities, affixed to buoyant floats that use solar radiation to produce electricity. This presentation will provide an overview of floating PV systems, including tech review, components, and engineering; what sites make sense for FPV; and benefits to the site owner. Also discussed will be long-term operation and maintenance considerations.

Testing and inspection of fire systems and fire extinguishers – sprinklers, fire alarms, suppression systems and fire extinguishers – are an important part of maintaining a safe and secure facility. This session will describe an overview of What, When and Why fire and life safety systems testing and inspections are required. Find out what you need to know to ensure safety and protect your budget.