Have you ever been in mid-conversation with someone whose head is in the clouds when they respond to you with, “What were we talking about?” Did you look at them and ask yourself, “What in the world is going on up there?” Well it’s the same thing when it comes to your building. If something upstairs isn’t functioning properly, it could be causing problems elsewhere.
Your facility is constantly changing from small equipment upgrades to full building repairs. And with mechanical work being performed out of sight, you have no idea what’s going on up there. Unfortunately, contractors will often leave mechanical work done above ceilings looking inadequate. There are numerous things that could be going on that are out of sight in your building. Anything from unsealed holes from the penetration of pipes to bad wiring could be creating disorder above your ceiling.
What’s happening above the ceiling may not seem like it’s an issue that you would sweat. In fact, it is something that you should be concerned about for the sake of your building and its occupants. Having faulty wiring is one of the top reasons a fire could start. Once the fire has started, having unsealed holes above the ceiling allows easy access for both fire and smoke to spread quickly through the building. This ultimately puts your building and everyone inside in terrible danger.
Above ceiling issues are out of sight, which means you may not be aware that they are there. Not knowing that there are problems means you can’t do anything to fix the problem. And you wouldn’t want to trust a building to protect your life and all its occupants if it has issues that need to be fix.
Above ceiling fire safety is one of the most common inspections required by Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and is just as important as other fire safety inspections. Don’t leave something that is out of sight out of mind. Again, if something is not functioning upstairs, it could cause problems elsewhere.