In line with Al Asmakh Facilities Management’s vision for continuous improvement, we have adopted a world renowned standard for our Pest Control Services. We are now a proud member of British Pest Control Association, UK (BCPA). BPCA sets guidelines for Pest Control and Disinfection services operationally all around the globe. This enables Al Asmakh Facilities Management to benchmark our services to global standards and broadly improve the quality of work we offer our clients.

Our Learning & Development team is actively working together with BPCA to adopt these standards by acquiring support materials and training our staff to align with BCPA’s recommendations. Through this, we are aiming to create a workforce that is skilled, competent and updated with the latest knowledge and skills in a rapidly evolving and complex environment.

Al Asmakh Facilities Management, together for a better tomorrow!

Al Asmakh Facilities Management takes immense pride in becoming the first ever GSAS Certified Service Provider (Global Sustainability Assessment System) for Facilities Management in Qatar. It is one of the long running initiatives of AAFM that we contribute largely towards the community and the sustainability of the nation. We are pleased to have successfully complied with the requirement stipulated by the Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) in achieving this accreditation.

GSAS by GORD is the first performance-based accreditation system in the Middle East and North African region. GSAS aims to create a built environment that adheres to sustainable standards, minimizes ecological impacts and reduces resource consumption whilst addressing the local needs and environmental conditions.

At Al Asmakh Facilities Management, our vision for a sustainable environment and the reduction of our carbon footprint has always been incorporated within the services we offer our clients, and following this certification, we now look forward to a renewed impetus and enhanced approach to our sustainability goals.

Al Asmakh Facilities Management – always committed to continuous improvement!

The Health, Safety and Environment  (HSE) and public health bodies in different countries have agreed the following joint advice for using  spraying or misting disinfecting systems to reduce transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Spraying people with disinfectants is not recommended under any circumstances (including in a tunnel, cabinet, or chamber). The World Health Organisation has also confirmed that it could be harmful and does not reduce the spread of the virus. This is because transmission is usually through droplets or contact, so the effectiveness of these systems is likely to be minimal.

Disinfectants used in this way are potentially harmful and can cause health effects including respiratory and eye irritation. Please seek professional help before carrying out such activities on your own.

Cleaning premises using fog or mist  treatment

Fog, mist, vapour or UV (ultraviolet) treatments may be suitable options to help control the spread of coronavirus and disinfecting a larger space or room, according to sources. Any use of these treatments for these purposes should form part of your COVID-19 risk assessment. Users must be competent and properly trained.

If you choose to use fog, mist, vapour or UV treatments as a way of disinfecting surfaces, discuss your requirements with your manufacturers/suppliers (this may include fumigators), to help you decide if a product/system meets your needs. The treatment you use will depend on:

• the size of the area to be treated, its shape and how easily it can be sealed off while delivering an airborne product
• whether there are hard or soft surfaces – soft furnishings may act as a ‘sink’ for the airborne chemicals and emit them for a period of time after treatment (remove items such as sofas before treatment)

Disinfectants applied as a fog, mist or vapour may reach harmful levels during delivery and UV systems may cause eye/skin damage if people enter an area undergoing treatment.

People should not enter rooms being treated by UV or disinfectants applied as fog, mist or vapour.  Discuss with suppliers what safety features they can provide to prevent inadvertent access to a room during treatment, for example hazard-monitoring sensors.

Locking rooms during the treatment will help to contain the emissions but other measures such as taping of doorway gaps or plastic screening off of some areas of the room may also be required.  Good ventilation will also help clear the disinfectant after the treatment if this can be controlled from outside of the room.

The Methodology

If using fog, mist or vapour, you should ensure the correct concentration of the active chemical is used to achieve disinfection. However, be careful not to apply too much so that it leaves a wet surface or residue, which may present a hazard to anyone entering the room after the treatment is completed.

Methods used include disinfectant or generating reactive gases, for example ozone from air or bottled oxygen. Hydrogen peroxide may be used as a cold mist or as a thermally generated vapour.

Airborne disinfection does not remove the need for surface cleaning and surfaces that are dirty can reduce the effectiveness of disinfectant applied by airborne dispersion.

Disinfectants dispersed by fog, mist, or vapour may not result in even application to all surfaces. Hidden or ‘shadowed’ surfaces, or the surface underneath objects, may not be disinfected. The use of these methods in rooms of complex design with multiple surfaces may not be suitable.

Sealing off rooms

For fog, mist or vapour treatments, gaps in doors or windows can allow leakage of hazardous chemicals back into the building beyond the area being treated. You should therefore seal potential leak points to minimise the risk of exposure to people. Equipment suppliers can provide advice on this procedure.

Chemical sensors placed inside the treated room, or hand-held sensors, can be used to monitor the concentrations of chemicals to indicate it is safe for operators to enter the room.

Rooms that are difficult to seal may not be suitable for delivering airborne chemicals and this must be decided as part of a risk assessment, before starting any treatment.

Large outdoor spaces

Large-scale spraying or disinfecting in outdoor spaces, such as streets or open marketplaces, is not recommended for COVID-19 or other pathogens. This is because you cannot control dispersion of the chemical hazards and possible unintended exposure to people.

Streets and pavements are not considered as routes of infection for COVID-19. Spraying disinfectants, even outdoors, can be dangerous to people’s health and cause eye, respiratory or skin irritation or damage.

Seeking advice on what treatment is appropriate for the environment you are disinfecting? Want Professional disinfection and fumigation services at your premises? We will be able to help.

For a safe tomorrow and a safer #Qatar 

Energy and environment are directly related. It is impossible to produce or consume energy without a significant environmental impact. As we are already aware, these impacts aren’t of any good. Air pollution, Climate Change, Water Pollution and Thermal pollution are some of the impacts that are directly involved with energy.

Al Asmakh Facilities Management initiated an approach to include Energy Management & Audits that provide insights on energy consumption where it can be enhanced to every client of ours in order to help combat the excessive power consumption. This would drastically reduce the impact that we cause on environment as well as financially cut down burdens for our clients.

This #earthhour2021 is important for us, since we do not have a backup Plan(et), to help sustain the environment as a whole. To leave a home for the future.

Download Poster

In the recent past, we have taken part in many causes to support the environment such as Fight against plastic waste, Clean Sea, Save Water, Plant More Trees, etc. #Today we are taking a step ahead to show that we care about our #earth

The World Earth Hour is a gesture to turn every possible lights off from 8:30PM to 9:30 PM on the 27th of March every year.

So, are you joining us this #EarthHour?

#climatechange #environment #sustainability

We have seen a major transformation in Facilities Management scope in Qatar with the recent surge in PPP & BOT projects. As we continuously engage the RFP deliverables of such projects, we realize that the FM scope of works has taken a much larger shape covering the oversight of design, infrastructural, construction and civil works responsibilities as well as cost responsibilities post DLP periods and through the concession period of 20+ years. These type of projects encompass greater source of revenues at a much higher risk.

To further expand on the above mentioned, we need to greatly acknowledge that the game as we know it, has a new patch.. what is considered core functions, O&M, TFM & IFM is now “basics” in delivering a successful PPP / BOT concession requirements. The importance and complexity of this new patch reflects the need for FM professionals to align expectations with the parenting investment partners on such projects.

FM organizations need to be vigilant in agreeing the FM consortium terms with the parenting investment. The investor aim is to minimize the investment risk by pushing for a “step down” which means transferring the risk from the investment to the operating model / contractor’s (ie. FM) post DLP periods.

FM governance need to be cautious and at the same token, comfortable with the risk associated in delivering such projects expanding up to 20+ years in concessions. FM professionals need the know-how in developing proper Asset Life Cycle Sinking Funds modules, (LCSF), asset replacement strategies as well as work closely with the design and construction teams on project delivery and scope… FM professionals need to expand there knowledge base in providing a competitive costing OPEX / CAPEX synchronized with the LCSF module.

The technical and commercial proposals you use to submit represents a lesser value to the RFP requisites associated with PPP / BOT projects. All services are required to be tailored and descriptive as authenticated by the RFP. It is critical to align your foretasted costing modules to meet the concession period reaching 20+ years. Get familiar with the new risk you are about to ink as you embark and take a new step in innovative territories. Consider the deployment of a militant performance management regimes with an effort to provide consistency in service delivery and to mitigate the intensified unavailability and Performance failures as described or required.

In Summary, our industry is surely getting finessed to take the shape of an umbrella smothering each and every service and sector from the design approval stage, infrastructure and construction clearance stages to the operational phases, mistakes could be fatal. I guess it is fair to say…

with great powers reside greater responsibilities.

Are we ready?!

Technology is the future of our service industry. Clients, management and ownerships are craving advanced data knowledge and analysis delivered by numerous platforms currently in the market. It is critical though to realize and surely recognize that while espousing new systems is an advancement, it is not always the solution. It is critical to insure that the operation, structure and team are ready and prepared to absorb, assume and practice those upgrades to it full capacity, otherwise a negative effect could be noticeable, defragmented services, miscommunication leading to failed deliverables and therefore defeats purpose.

The liking of oracle, IBM and Microsoft etc.. who are delivering new technological platforms should take in consideration the readiness of the service industry and its capability in implementing and delivering these new technologies as a value add to its clients. Currently the new facilities & assets management platforms are configured to run Artificial intelligence & robotics, while the majority of the FM service industry is still working with basic technological tools at best. Let us be transparent and real!, know where you stand and your existing capabilities, plan your improvement using a transitional methodology, make sure your subject matter expertise is ready to utilize those new tools as an integrated modules and take full advantage of the hefty cost paid yearly.

The major players nowa’ days are going cloud- at basic levels, make sure you have a good reliable, speedy connectivity, otherwise you find yourself working backward on a corrective journey. It would also be beneficial for tech. Companies to launch educational hubs in regions and deploy trainers and technical support teams in countries of sales targets. It it shocking to see those Companies targeting major hubs without even having proper teams on the ground to lead and support what the customers paid and vested in.

Remote assistance can never replace physical presence.