BOMA BOMA Property Operations & Life Safety 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'preventive maintenance' (PM) program and why is it preferred over reactive maintenance?
- Maintenance performed only after equipment fails to maximize equipment use before replacement
- Scheduled maintenance performed at regular intervals to prevent failures, reducing downtime and extending equipment life (Correct answer)
- Maintenance performed by prevention specialists rather than regular building engineers
- A budget reserve set aside exclusively for unexpected emergency repairs
Correct answer: Scheduled maintenance performed at regular intervals to prevent failures, reducing downtime and extending equipment life
Preventive maintenance involves scheduled inspections and servicing of building systems before failures occur, typically reducing total maintenance costs, extending equipment life, and preventing costly emergency repairs and operational disruptions.
Question 2: What does 'mean time between failures' (MTBF) measure in building systems management?
- The average time building staff spend diagnosing equipment problems
- The average operating time between equipment failures, used to plan maintenance schedules (Correct answer)
- The time required for warranty claims to be resolved by equipment manufacturers
- Average response time from facility management to tenant service requests
Correct answer: The average operating time between equipment failures, used to plan maintenance schedules
MTBF is a reliability metric measuring the average time a piece of equipment operates between failures, helping maintenance teams schedule preventive maintenance at optimal intervals.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a 'computerized maintenance management system' (CMMS)?
- To automate tenant billing for maintenance-related charges
- To track, schedule, and document all maintenance activities, work orders, and equipment history (Correct answer)
- To control building automation systems remotely from a central server
- To manage the accounting system for maintenance department budgets
Correct answer: To track, schedule, and document all maintenance activities, work orders, and equipment history
A CMMS enables maintenance teams to create and track work orders, schedule preventive maintenance, maintain equipment records, manage inventory, and generate reports on maintenance performance and costs.
Question 4: Under OSHA regulations applicable to commercial building operations, what is a 'lockout/tagout' (LOTO) procedure?
- A security procedure for locking building perimeter doors after business hours
- A safety procedure that ensures hazardous energy is isolated and controlled before maintenance work on equipment (Correct answer)
- A protocol for locking out unauthorized tenants from building systems rooms
- A process for tagging equipment for disposal at end of useful life
Correct answer: A safety procedure that ensures hazardous energy is isolated and controlled before maintenance work on equipment
LOTO procedures protect maintenance workers from unexpected energization of equipment by requiring energy sources to be isolated (locked out) and tagged before servicing, preventing electrocution, burns, and crushing injuries.
Question 5: What is 'plumbing backflow prevention' and why is it required in commercial buildings?
- Preventing water from flowing backward in multi-story buildings due to gravity
- Preventing contaminated water from flowing backward into the potable water supply through cross-connections (Correct answer)
- Reducing water pressure fluctuations in high-rise building plumbing systems
- Preventing sewage from backing up into lower floor drains during heavy rain
Correct answer: Preventing contaminated water from flowing backward into the potable water supply through cross-connections
Backflow prevention devices protect potable water supplies from contamination by preventing reverse flow from non-potable sources like irrigation systems, industrial equipment, or cooling towers into the drinking water supply.
Question 6: What does 'asbestos operations and maintenance' (O&M) program require of commercial building managers?
- Immediate removal of all asbestos-containing materials found in the building
- Managing asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in place through inspection, monitoring, and controlled maintenance to prevent fiber release (Correct answer)
- Filing for an asbestos variance with the EPA before conducting any building maintenance
- Notifying all building occupants annually that asbestos has been permanently removed
Correct answer: Managing asbestos-containing materials (ACM) in place through inspection, monitoring, and controlled maintenance to prevent fiber release
An asbestos O&M program manages intact ACM in place rather than immediately removing it, using regular inspection, maintenance protocols, and worker training to prevent fiber release, which is often safer and more cost-effective than removal.
BOMA BOMA Property Operations & Life Safety 2
What is a 'preventive maintenance' (PM) program and why is it preferred over reactive maintenance?