Brady Visual Identification Makes Condo Building a Model of Safety & Efficiency

The Turnberry Isle South Condo Association, Inc. represents a 300-unit, 32-story building of luxury condominiums in Aventura, Florida, just outside of Miami. John Belardo, Chief Engineer for the property, has worked closely with Brady to create a comprehensive program of visual identification on electrical panels throughout the 30 year-old building, providing engineers, maintenance staff, and cleaning crews with critical safety information at the point of need.

By labeling all electrical panels as well as plumbing, equipment tags, and more, the program has helped to increase the efficiency of building maintenance, ensure resident safety, and make the building a model of operational safety for engineers managing similar properties.

Older buildings have different operational and safety challenges compared to new buildings - making clear, consistent electrical and other safety labeling even more important. Safety standards have changed since electrical panels were installed, so old labels may not include vital information. Older panel labels may have faded or peeled, or never even existed. Because Belardo coordinates the work of many internal staff and external contractors on a daily basis, he needed a system that would be clear, concise, and easy to maintain.

Belardo began working with Brady after attending a safety and facility ID expo in his area, where he met Kevin Carter from Brady. "I had safety needs in mind at the expo, and Brady had solutions," Belardo said.

Working with Carter and the Brady team, Belardo identified specific safety needs for his older building and began a program of identifying and labeling electrical panels, pipes, pumps, HVAC and related equipment. For the electrical panels, he instituted a system of color-coding that distinguishes main house panels from emergency panels. The labels feature voltage, amperage, and identify what is fed into the panel and where it's going.

"The system is very visual - you can distinguish dangers immediately, like traffic signs on the street. The labels let you know what you're dealing with and cuts down on a lot of guesswork," Belardo said.

Complete information at each electrical panel makes ongoing maintenance faster and easier, and also increases building safety because in an emergency, less time is needed shut down the correct panel.

"Safety is priority number one," Belardo said. "It's my job to make sure things run smoothly and safely." He added: "Over the years, I've seen things happen. You need to know what's in front of you all the time."

Belardo has found that a comprehensive system of visual identification has helped him to revitalize the older building: "The building has become a showpiece for visual communication - board members like to show it off," he said. Belardo encourages other engineers to tour the building to see how a complete system of visual identification can help them improve safety and efficiency in their own buildings. He refers to the labeling system as "the vital signs of the building."

Belardo and his staff currently use the Brady IDXPERT^TM Handheld Labeler, the Brady HandiMark® Portable Label Maker, and the Brady MiniMark^TM Industrial Label Printer. This combination of printers, used with Brady labels, allows them to address virtually any labeling need in the building. The printers have proven to be so effective and easy to use, that other engineers have purchase Brady labeling systems after visiting the Turnberry Building.

Of the 50 rooms in the building dedicated to electrical and/or mechanical equipment, almost 40 of them are completely labeled. Belardo has plans to expand his labeling program to include lockout/tagout procedures and glow-in-the-dark emergency exit signs and labels.

Working with the Brady team has been like "an engineer's paradise, where you have all the tools you need to assist you," according to Belardo. He appreciated that Brady worked as a one-stop shop for his safety and identification needs, and that he could work directly with someone on the Brady staff to solve his specific problems.

"Support - that's the key word here. People are actually listening at Brady; it's not press one, then press five on an answering machine. It's a relationship. They have a passion for performance," Belardo said.