Another Opportunity

Another Opportunity

Robert S. Michaud, P.E.

July 27, 2020

Past editions of this series of articles have focused on a variety of tasks that your company can accomplish during this pandemic to put yourself in the best possible position for success once restrictions are lifted and we can resume a more normal way of life again. This articles include concepts for SMBs, mechanical room organization, balancing the time vs. money equation and planning for an uncertain future, among others. If you have missed any of these articles, you can find them here: https://michaud-engineering.com/blog-social-media and other interesting publications here: https://michaud-engineering.com/publications

We hope you have been able to weather the storm of this current pandemic. If you are reading this article, there is a good chance that you are doing your best to stay on top of things. Maybe your company has downsized or found other ways to adapt to a required change in business practices. If some of those requirements mean that some or all of you buildings are empty or experiencing limited usage, you may want to consider the following:

Conduct an ADA audit. In addition to building inspections, organizing your mechanical rooms and tackling maintenance backlog items, an internal ADA audit (either performed by in-house staff or by a consultant) can help identify those areas of your facility that should be altered, repaired or improved to be compliant with the ADAAG. There are numerous resources available if you have the staff and want to self-perform this work, but there is also real value in hiring a consultant that is familiar with the ADAAG and that is proficient in performing these kinds of inspections. You get an impartial, unbiased report of all of your buildings and its deficiencies, which should carry more weight with management. In addition, while there is a fee associated with subcontracting a service like this, in general that fee is usually more than offset by the efficiency with which the study is performed and the quality of the work from the experience of the consultant.

The results of a study such as this should then be prioritized to best meet your company goals. Perhaps the focus is on a building or group of buildings that has the most exposure to the public. Alternatively, you may want to focus on the “lowest hanging fruit” to knock out as much work as possible while the buildings are less occupied. Your consultant can help you with this prioritizing effort as well.

At the end of this effort, you will will have a plan of action, perhaps even with budgetary costs, so that you can get your buildings more into compliance with ADAAG. You may not be prepared to address all of the findings at once, but having a plan of action is the first step to full compliance and avoidance of any future problems.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020