Property Loss Prevention

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Property Loss Prevention

July 25, 2025
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Left Panel Of George Julian Zolnay’s Allegorical “Academic, Business & Manual Education” Granite Frieze At Francis L. Cardozo High School (Washington, DC)

All fifty United States have their own “signature” disaster with which to reckon; some more than others.   California has earthquakes, Florida has hurricanes, Missouri has floods; and so on,  Life and property loss are preventable; but losses will persist because technical solutions notwithstanding, culture determines human behavior.  It is impossible to be alive and safe.

FM Global is one of several organizations that curate privately developed consensus products that set the standard of care for many industries; education communities among them.  These standards contribute to the reduction in the risk of property loss due to fire, weather conditions, and failure of electrical or mechanical equipment.  They incorporate nearly 200 years of property loss experience, research and engineering results, as well as input from consensus standards committees, equipment manufacturers and others.

If you want FMGlobal as your insurance carrier, or to supplement your organization’s self-insurance program, then you will likely be assigned an FMGlobal conformity professional.

A scan of its list data sheets indicate a number of noteworthy updates of documents establishing minimum requirements for safety technologies common in education facilities:

Technical Reports Supporting Code Change

Note that the bulk of the safety concepts in the foregoing titles incorporate by reference the safety concepts that cross our radar every day   FM Global provides direct access to the full span of its documents at this link:

FM GLOBAL PROPERTY LOSS PREVENTION DATA SHEETS

Note FM Global updates its standards every three months:

Standards in Progress

To respond to calls for public consultation you will need to set up (free) access credentials.

We keep FMGlobal titles — and the literature of other property insurers involved in standards setting — on the standing agenda of our Risk, Snow and Prometheus colloquia.  See our CALENDAR for the next meeting.

Issue: [Various]

Category: Risk, Facility Asset Management


More

Deloitte University: Innovation in Insurance

University of Pennsylvania demonstrates the critical importance of sprinklers in dormitories

Syracuse University presents an eclectic mix of risk management challenges

Jackson Laboratory

Representative force majeure clauses.

Example 1: Basic Force Majeure Clause

“Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performance of its obligations under this agreement due to events beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, war, terrorism, civil commotion, labor strikes, and natural disasters. The affected party shall promptly notify the other party of the force majeure event and take reasonable steps to mitigate its impact on performance. During the continuance of such events, the obligations of the affected party shall be suspended, and the time for performance shall be extended.”

Example 2: Detailed Force Majeure Clause

“In the event that either party is unable to perform its obligations under this agreement due to a force majeure event, the affected party shall promptly notify the other party in writing, specifying the nature and anticipated duration of the force majeure event. Force majeure events shall include, but are not limited to, acts of God, strikes, lockouts, government action or inaction, war, terrorism, epidemics, and natural disasters. The affected party shall use reasonable efforts to overcome or mitigate the effects of the force majeure event. If the force majeure event continues for a period of [specified duration], either party may terminate this agreement by providing written notice to the other party.”

 

 

University Art Collections

July 25, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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“We have art in order not to perish from the Truth”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

 

We occasionally break from our focus on the technology and management of these “cities-within-cities” and dwell briefly on the primary business of the academy. Academic museums and galleries provide a setting for conveying inherited wisdom to the next generation of cultural leaders. We include in this gallery examples of architectural art of the buildings themselves.   Click on images for more artist and location credit.   Technical information about safety and sustainability of this facility class appears at the bottom of this page.

“Street Scene, Christmas Morning” 1982 Frederick Childe Hassam | Smith College Museum of Art

“The Prairie is My Garden” | Harvey Dunn (1884-1952) | South Dakota State University Art Museum

“La Débâcle or Les Glaçons” (1880) | Claude Monet | University of Michigan Museum of Art

Harvard University Art Museum | “Thatched-Roof Cottage by a Lake” | Myles Birket Foster (1825 – 1899)

“The Fall of Novgorod” (1891) / Klaudii Vasilievich Lebedev / University of Wiscosin Chazen Museum of Art

“Dancer” c. 1923 José Miguel Covarrubias Duclaud | Museum of Art & Archeology University of Missouri

Brigham University Museum of Art | “Crossing the Mississippi on the Ice” | C.C.A. Christensen (1878)

Self-portrait, 1919 Amedeo Modigliani /Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo

 

Princeton University Art Museum | “Shinnecock, Long Island” | William Merritt Chase (1896)

Georgetown University Museum of Art | “Fujiyama from Kawaibashi, at Tokaido” (circa 1880) | Kusakabe Kimbei

“Volcanic Cones” 1934 Maynard Dixon | Brigham Young University

University of Virginia Museum of Art | “The Natural Bridge, Virginia” | Frederic Edwin Church (1852)

Colby College Museum of Art | “Frankie and Johnny” | Alex Katz (1948-1949)

Bowdoin College Museum of Art | View on the Hudson | George Inness

University of Vienna Ceiling Paintings (Medicine)

Princeton University Art Museum | “Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge” | Claude Monet (1899)

Dinastía Qing / Penn University Museum

Yale University Art Museum | “Young Woman and Child | Berthe Morisot (1966)

 

Princeton University Art Museum | “Mount Adams, Washington” | Albert Bierstadt (1875)

Michigan State University | Broad Art Museum

“Piazza San Marco with the Basilica by Canaletto, 1730” / Harvard University Art Museum

“Boathouses and Lobster Pots” | Fairfield Porter | Amherst College Art Museum

Harvard University | In the Sierras, Lake Tahoe (Albert Bierstadt)

Stanford University Art Museum

“Indians Playing Lacrosse on the Ice” 1934 Yale University Art Gallery

 

Stanford University | “The Burghers of Calais” by Auguste Rodin

University of Texas | Indians of the Northwest (Thomas Hill)

Arizona State University Art Museum

Yale University | The Battle of Bunker Hill (John Trumbull)

Dante Gabriel Rossetti | La Pia de Tolomei | University of Kansas Art Museum

University of Minnesota Art Museum


LEARN MORE:

Workspace / Art Museum Safety & Sustainability

 

Sichere Kinderspielplätze mit Standards

July 24, 2025
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Austrian Standards International

During the construction of the new “Christine Nöstlinger Education Campus,” great care was taken to not only make the site accessible to schoolchildren and students, but also to involve the entire neighborhood in its use. We spoke with Rudolf Leber from MA 56 about how standards specifically contribute to making the outdoor facilities safe and robust.

Key points about how Austria cares for its children in kindergarten, based on its early childhood education system:

Compulsory Kindergarten Year: Since 2009, Austria has mandated a free, compulsory kindergarten year for all children who turn five by August 31, requiring at least 20 hours of attendance per week over four days. This ensures early education access and prepares children for primary school.

Variety of Kindergarten Options: Austria offers diverse kindergarten types—public (free, government-subsidized), private (partially subsidized, costing around €250/month), parent-run (costing about €100/month with parental involvement), and company-run

(Betriebskindergarten)—catering to different family needs and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Focus on Development: Kindergartens aim to support physical, mental, and emotional growth through play-based learning and group interaction, complementing family care. The Nationwide Framework Curriculum emphasizes holistic development without formal school-like instruction.

Accessibility and Subsidies: Public kindergartens are free, though parents may pay for meals (around €60/month), while private options remain affordable due to government subsidies. Many facilities operate long hours (e.g., 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.) to accommodate working parents.

Decentralized Governance with Quality Standards: The nine federal provinces oversee kindergarten legislation and operations, allowing regional flexibility, while national agreements (e.g., 15a B-VG) and frameworks ensure quality, such as trained pedagogues and reasonable child-staff ratios (e.g., max 25 children per teacher in public settings).

ISO 4980:2023 – Benefit-Risk Assessment for Sports and Recreational Facilities, Equipment, and/or Activities

  • This standard provides a framework for assessing both the benefits and risks associated with playground equipment and activities. It introduces a dual-assessment process to balance the developmental advantages of play against potential hazards, ensuring safer design and use.

ISO/TS 24665:2023 – Playground and Recreational Areas — Framework for the Competence of Playground Inspectors and Playground Maintenance Technicians

  • This technical specification outlines the competencies required for inspectors and maintenance technicians of playgrounds. It covers routine visual inspections, operational checks, annual main inspections, and post-installation or post-accident assessments, ensuring outdoor playgrounds remain safe and functional.

ISO 23659:2023 – Sports and Recreational Facilities — Trampoline Parks — Safety Requirements

  • While primarily focused on trampoline parks, this standard includes provisions relevant to outdoor playgrounds with trampoline features, addressing safety requirements for design, installation, and operation to protect children during play.

Finding a Kindergarten in Vienna

 

Playground Equipment

July 24, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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ASTM International develops most of the best practice titles for  sports and recreation equipment and facilities;  among them:

Standard Specification for Impact Attenuation of Turf Playing Systems as Measured in the Field

Standard Specification for Competition Wrestling Mats

Standard Specification for Athletic Performance Properties of Indoor Sports Floor Systems

Standard Guide for ASTM Standards on Playground Surfacing

Specification for Loose-Fill Rubber for Use as a Playground Safety Surface under and around Playground

Specification for Determination of Accessibility of Surface Systems under and around Playground

Specification for Playground Surface Impact Testing in a Lab at a Specified Test Height.

Notice the product orientation.  ASTM’s business model is built upon conformity and compliance activity, supported by market incumbents such as manufacturer and insurance interests; but — as an ANSI accredited standards developer — it opens its standards-setting process to all stakeholders; including in one of the largest markets for these products.

We are happy to represent any user-interest at any of the ASTM International meetings; assuming our costs are covered.  Feel free to contact Sanne Anthony either by email or phone for more information.  In the intervening time, we will track action in the ASTM catalog an maintain relevant titles in this product category on several standing agendas — Sports, Kindergarten and Recreation.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting.

Issue: [18-82]

Category: Daycare, Sport, Kindergarten

More:

Public Playground Safety

East Somerville Community School


Posted  March 5, 2018

 

ASTM has released two documents for public review — one a new standard, the other a revision of an existing standard — that should interest K-12 school systems which are stewards of recreational facilities :

NEW STANDARD: ASTM WK59245-201x, Test Method for Determining Impact Attenuation of Playground Surfaces within the Use Zone of Playground Equipment as Tested in the Field

REVISION: ASTM F1292-201x, Specification for Impact Attenuation of Surfacing Materials within the Use Zone of Playground Equipment (revision of ANSI/ASTM F1292-2017)

Comments are due April 23rd.   You may obtain a free review copy by setting up a (free) stakeholder account at ASTM Technical Committee page or by communicating with Corice Leonard, (610) 832-9744, cleonard@astm.org or accreditation@astm.org.  Send comments to Corice (with a copy to psa@ansi.org).

The ASTM International Committee F08 on Sports  Equipment, Playing Surfaces, and Facilities also meets again May 21-24th in San Diego.  We keep all ASTM documents that affect the revenue and cost structure of the education industry on the standing agenda of our weekly Open Door teleconferences to which everyone is welcomed.  

 

Issue: [18-82]

Category; Athletics & Recreation

Link to ANSI Announcement


 

 

 

H.R. 3949 Safe Drinking Water in Playgrounds

July 24, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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434 lawmakers, including 89 new freshman Members, were sworn in to the 116th Congress on January 3, 2019. Photo by Phi Nguyen.

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to provide for drinking water fountain replacement in playgrounds and parks, and for other purposes.

Gallery: Playgrounds

July 24, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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Entstehung der High Society

July 23, 2025
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“Being an artist means not numbering and counting, but ripening like a tree, which doesn’t force its sap, and stands confidently in the storms of spring, not afraid that afterward summer may not come. It does come. But it comes only to those who are patient, who are there as if eternity lay before them, so unconcernedly silent and vast.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

Deutsches Institut für Normung

 

 

 

 

 

 

Media

July 23, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com

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“The entropy of a message source measures the average amount

of information produced by that source.”

Claude Shannon (University of Michigan, B.A. 1936) 

 A Mathematical Theory of Communication, 1948

 

Media production audio visual

Today at the usual time we run a status check on the technical literature informing best practice for remote/hybrid working, teaching, learning and lively art performance.  We start with the following incumbent standards developers primarily involved with hardware interoperability permanently installed in the built environment (classrooms, studios, auditoriums and the like) for which stewards of physical assets are responsible.

We generally avoid spending any time on content creation and distribution by United States propaganda outlets  – which includes the vast network of national public radio stations domiciled in educational settlements (and partially funded by the US federal government).

Acoustical Society of America

Acoustics

ASHRAE International

Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy

Energy Standard for Data Centers

ASTM International

ATIS

Audio Engineering Society

Audio Standards

Classroom Acoustics

BICSI International

Entertainment Services and Technology Association

Theater Safety

Illumination Engineering Society

Lighting Theatre & Auditorium Spaces

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

International Code Council | ICC G2 Guideline for Acoustics

International Telecommunications Unions

National Fire Protection Association | National Electrical Code Chapters 5 through 8

Arenas, Lecture Halls & Theaters

National Standards for Quality Online Courses

Society for Imaging Science & Technology

Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers

Motion Picture Production

Telecommunication Industry Association


Representative Specifications:

Washington University Audio/Visual & Multimedia Room Specifications

Indiana University Learning Spaces Design – Audio Visual Standards

University of Nebraska: Audio Visual Systems General Standards & Guidelines

As time permits we will review the blistering pace of development in platforms for teleconferencing, security, presentation software, academic content management systems — a domain moving too quickly for our resources but important to understand and navigate.

 

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