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When a pandemic tests us in healthcare

Keith Carlson Medical & Allied Healthcare

Pandemics regularly challenge the global healthcare system. SARS certainly taught us some lessons, as did the H1N1 outbreak. Enter, stage left, the 2019-20 coronavirus. As this current viral threat circulates around the world — mostly via those who have recently been to the Wuhan area of China — the World Health Organization (WHO) is grappling with public relations, epidemiology, containment and quarantines, travel restrictions (and some outright bans), as well as deciding whether this is truly a pandemic or not.

Single women homebuyers are a growing market niche

Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

Women have long been the primary client — or in the case of couples, the primary decision-maker — for residential interior design services. Due to some recent demographic trends, a new subgroup of potential women clients is emerging — the single homebuyer. As might be expected, these homeowners have different priorities for what they want in a home and how they want it to function. Although overall women still earn substantially less than men, as a group they are making inroads into higher-paying, traditionally male-dominated fields.

Workplace fatalities are at their highest levels since 2008. What’s…

Terri Williams Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In December 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics released workplace injury data from 2018. There were 5,250 fatal workplace injuries, which represents a 2% increase over 2017. This is also the highest amount since 2008, and it should be noted that from 2009-15, workplace fatalities were in the 4,500 to 4,600 range. Two particular causes of workplace fatalities increased significantly. Deaths from unintentional overdoses as a result of nonmedical consumption of drugs or alcohol while at work increased 12%. Work-related suicides increased by 11%.

How Greece is improving its airports for the future

Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & Automotive

In Greece, a sweeping range of airport improvements and upgrades has just been approved by way of two major projects that will see a huge investment in the country's largest and busiest airport, and a brand-new airport for one of the country's main tourist destinations. Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year, having opened in March 2001 to replace the older, crowded Ellinikon Airport. Now, in work estimated to cost around €700 million, the airport will be given space to grow and handle the expected future numbers of passengers and movements.

7 critical directions for effective church signage

Mark MacDonald Religious Community

Not everyone who sets foot on your property is aware of your building's layout. You'd also be surprised how many in your congregation don't know your church as well as you, either. Simply hang around the info desk on a Sunday. People become aware of things they need to know and seek information only when needed. Signage is critical to them. Then, consider the first-time guest who arrives. They probably don't look very different from your congregation, so it’s difficult to identify them as a visitor. Here are seven critical directions to effective church signage.

What can facility managers learn from coronavirus?

Scott E. Rupp Facilities & Grounds

A seemingly impossible feat of engineering, construction, and facilities management has been accomplished in the face of a global pandemic based in the People's Republic of China. The feat of modern facility creation started in late January when the Chinese government announced it would build a 1,000-bed hospital to house patients battling the Wuhan coronavirus in just six days. The actual construction time was closer to eight days, but the result was the same. The building was created using prefabricated materials to make the process move along quicker.

Advocating for the aftermarket at HDAW 2020

Bianca Gibson Manufacturing

The recent Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week, held for the first time at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas, gathered aftermarket professionals nationwide for an impactful event. With a captivating keynote delivered by "Shark Tank's" Daymond John, multiple informational sessions and a lively showroom, attendees were given plenty of avenues for education and inspiration. For those eager for industry insight, the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association hosted "Chasing the Aftermarket" on Jan. 26. The meeting was a TED Talk-style presentation, delivered by four aftermarket thought leaders.

America’s top 10 castles

Dave G. Houser Travel, Hospitality & Event Management

While fairytale castles are most commonly associated with medieval Europe, you don’t necessarily have to cross the pond to see one. America herself is home to a number of splendid castles — if you know where to look. Admittedly, most of them are copycat castles built in the 19th and early 20th centuries by wealthy individuals, not as fortresses, but as residences — and in some cases as ego-satisfying follies. Have a look at our list of America’s top 10 castles and take time to visit one or more of them during future road trips.

The cost of changing jobs

Anne Rose Business Management, Services & Risk Management

What is the cost of changing jobs? Make no mistake, there is always a cost involved that has nothing to do with salary. Gone are the days when the norm was to work one job at one company until retirement. We have a much more mobile workforce with more opportunities, and people change jobs often to avail themselves of perceived advantages, better pay, and better work-life balance. But sometimes when you change jobs, the benefits don't materialize as you'd expected, and regrets ensue.

Report: Most American drinking water is contaminated with ‘forever…

Scott E. Rupp Waste Management & Environmental

U.S. drinking water is contaminated with man-made "forever chemicals" that are far greater than previously estimated. The forever chemicals are resistant to environmental breakdown and are known as perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), some of which are linked to cancers, liver damage, low birth weight, and other health problems. The chemicals have been discovered in drinking water at 34 previously unknown locations, according to a report released on Jan. 22 by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

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