A Focus on Regulatory Standards Starts With Facilities

Many companies operate within strict regulatory environments. There are varying degrees of oversight required to maintain compliance with stringent rules—whether it’s maintaining LEED Certification to qualify for credits or HIPAA standards to protect patients.

It’s not enough to file documentation and train staff—facilities themselves need proper orchestration to adhere to compliance criteria. That means building maintenance and floor plan design specifically oriented toward achieving and maintaining regulatory and code compliance. This burden increasingly falls to facility managers.

How do you structure compliant facilities?

It’s not that companies don’t understand regulatory standards. In fact, most are acutely aware of exactly what’s expected of them to maintain compliance (or avoid non-compliance). Yet, they fall short for one reason or another. In 2020, HIPAA fines exceeded $13,554,900. OSHA issued $1,222,156 in coronavirus-related fines alone.

The problem often lies in execution. Floor plans, facility processes, building management, workflow oversight, and other on-premise elements need to align with the broader mission of compliance. This means reshaping how facilities look and/or function.

Does your healthcare facility have access control in areas with patient-sensitive information? What’s the hazardous waste management protocol for facilities? Are building accessibility systems part of a routine service and maintenance plan? Whether HIPAA, LEED, ADA, or some other standard, facilities play a significant role in compliance.

Company stakeholders—including facility managers—need to recognize the role of facilities in laying the groundwork for regulatory compliance. To do this takes robust reporting and oversight.

Archibus sheds light on facility controls

As facility managers look closely at workplaces through the lens of regulatory standards, they need software specifically designed to benchmark these efforts. Archibus’ Compliance Management features offer the much-needed tools to reduce administrative costs and prevent costly disruptions. This includes occupational injuries, property damage, and shutdowns that may result from inadequate practices.

The most important feature Archibus provides is contextual data, aligned with compliance metrics. From building code tracking to cost allocation for specific budget items, the software helps facility managers prioritize compliance.

Consider a simple example like medical waste disposal, which must adhere to CDC, OSHA, and FDA guidelines, as well as state and local standards. By shaping medical waste processes and practices at the facility level and tracking metrics through Archibus, companies are able to ensure compliance that’s engrained into everyday workplace interactions. In this example, Archibus provides controls for:

• Budgeting and costing specific to medical waste handling and disposal
• Safety standards and protocols surrounding handling and disposal
• Workflow and floor planning conducive to safe handling and disposal
• Emergency response action planning for incidents involving medical waste
• Vendor selection and management for medical waste disposal

Using Archibus to lay the groundwork for compliance puts facility managers in control of the most important aspects of regulatory administration. Companies gain the ability to avoid penalties and fines, create safe and productive environments, reduce administrative costs, and realize accurate reporting and information to maintain compliance.

Compliance is a function of facilities

It’s easy to think about regulatory compliance as a function of due process. That said, process execution happens within the context of facilities. It’s not enough to create compliance standards and practices—it’s vital to orchestrate facilities to support them.

To learn more about Archibus’ compliance management tools and resources, schedule a demo today.