Spottlight on Engineering for Buildings
It takes a lot to make and market a product. It also takes a lot to assure regulatory compliance as well as address needs such as increased capacity, routine maintenance and facility expansion. That's why manufacturers of everything from chocolate to steel turn to SSM when it comes time to secure prime locations, plan more efficient warehouses and distribution centers, conduct feasibility studies, upgrade utilities and building systems, improve traffic flow and expand operations.
Spottlight on the Dog Days of Summer
We know you’re dealing with rising temperatures and humidity and trying to stay cool - we’re here to help.
Did you know that the reference to the dog days of summer really has nothing to do with dogs? According to the Farmers’ Almanac, the phrase is actually a reference to the period when the Sun occupies the same region of the sky as Sirius, the brightest star visible from any part of Earth and part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog. The ancient Romans believed it actually gave off heat and added to the Sun’s warmth, accounting for the long stretch of sultry weather. Today, we know that the stretch from July 3rd to August 11th will be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer. We know you’re dealing with rising temperatures and humidity and trying to stay cool - we’re here to help.
IN THIS ISSUE
Spottlight on the Sun
We’re all about making the world a better place. The summer sun reminds us to enjoy the remarkable nature of the sun outside.
A Sunny State of Mind
There’s plenty to marvel about when it comes to the sun from its enormous size, able to hold 1 million Earths to its near perfect sphere that continues to be a science spectacle. Did you know that the sun rotates on its axis about once every 26 days? It is 93 million miles away from the Earth; but it only takes eight minutes for its light to reach us.
Perhaps one of our favorite extraordinary facts about the sun is its generous offering of energy. The amount of sunlight that strikes the Earth’s surface in just an hour and a half is enough to handle the entire world's energy consumption for a full year. As June comes to an end and we’re all enjoying long sunny days we explore the power and strength of the sun.
IN THIS ISSUE
Spottlight on GIS
GIS technologies allow you to make your data work for you. Instead of storing information in multiple locations- maps, spreadsheets, notepads, clipboards, cell phones, email chains- now we have the ability to put it all in just one, single place.
Facilities, businesses, organizations, municipalities, and individuals are all dealing with a data problem. All over, people are collecting great data and not putting it to work. Hours, days, months are spent gathering data, sorting, re-sorting, and re-sorting again to analyze it for a particular need. Or worse… data is collected over and over again and ends up sitting and going to waste.
Your data should be understandable. It should be reliable. And, it should be accessible.
GIS technologies allow you to make your data work for you. Instead of storing information in multiple locations- maps, spreadsheets, notepads, clipboards, cell phones, email chains- now we have the ability to put it all in just one, single place.
IN THIS ISSUE
Spottlight: The Power of the Checklist
Checklists are an incredibly simple, incredibly powerful tool.
Think about your days at work. What would you describe as the “best feeling in the world”? What is it that gives you that giddy feeling of joy and calmness all in one?
Maybe for you it is the feeling of relief, knowing one more thing is off of your plate. There is one less thing to worry about, to stress over, to contemplate. Maybe instead of relief, that best feeling in the world is accomplishment, it’s completing the job, or the task, or the assignment, or even the challenge. Maybe the best feeling in the world to you is consistency, knowing everything is under control, everything’s all done the same, every time, you never have to worry about it.
Maybe you’re sitting here thinking, like many of us, the best feeling in the world, isn’t just one. It’s when all of those things: relief, accomplishment, and consistency all happen at once.
Checklists. The incredibly simple, incredibly powerful tool that can do just that.
Relief that it will get done. Studies have shown that retention rates are 10% better if we write something down. By writing it down, you’re significantly increasing the chance of it happening. Feel relief that as long as it’s there, on your checklist, it will get done. Have trust in yourself again; write it down.
But checklists also offer a second opportunity for relief. Utilizing checklists from other experts allows you to focus on what you know best and feel relief from battling the unknown. What’s your expertise? You should be spending most of your time doing just that. Don’t reinvent the wheel. By locating and utilizing checklists related to your area of work, you’re giving yourself relief of the constant fear that you aren’t doing the steps correctly - that you’re missing something. Stop wasting time worrying. Start spending your time doing what you do best.
Accomplishment that feeds your brain. There are neuroscience studies that have concluded that when we cross out tasks as completed, our brain actually releases dopamine. Have you ever caught yourself in your office doing a little celebration dance when you get a job done? There’s something magical about being on a roll, that feeling helps you to keep going and get what feels like a million more things done. That’s your dopamine working. Crossing tasks off of our list provides a sense of accomplishment that feeds the pleasure senses and neurotransmitters in your brain, making you feel happy. Although, this may not be news to you. We all already know the happy feeling of a really great, productive day at work. Did you know having a checklist could help you feel that way more often?
Consistently good results.Many businesses develop checklists for essential processes like onboarding new hires, processing payroll, or checking compliance to prevent errors. In this case, checklists make sure that things get done the way they should, every single time. A good checklist provides your team with guidance, ensuring the same results, no matter who is using it, or what the morning looked like.
It’s time to take the pressure off of you. Stop worrying about when things will get done, who will do them, and whether or not they will be done correctly. Feel relief knowing it’s all taken care of. Feel accomplishment in being on the right path and crossing it off your list. And feel the power of consistency, knowing it will always be done correctly.
It’s time for you to spend more of your time being creative, productive, and efficient. You’re the expert in your field. Do what you do best.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Want to read more about the power of a checklist? Check out two of our favorites:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-checklist-manifesto/id433442266?i=1000093292503
https://gettingthingsdone.com/
Spottlight on Social Infrastructure
What we’re actually talking about is social infrastructure. These are spaces intentionally designed to support the formation of human connections and interactions. Social infrastructures are the places where human bonds are formed. They are the spots where relationships begin and where human interaction is created.
We’re living in a world where technology has challenged what we know about social connections. In some ways we fear our constant connection. In other ways, we fear our disconnect.
There will never be a replacement for face-to-face human connection. Here lies the power of developing social infrastructure.
Maintenance and improvements to social infrastructures requires the same care and attention as standard infrastructure systems. As attentive as we are to the streets you drive, so too are we attentive to the spaces that drive your relationships. From surveying to engineering to environmental planning and assessment - all of the hands on our deck support effective design and preservation of social infrastructures.
In This Issue
Spottlight on Water Quality
Water quality month reminds us to take a long, hard look at what our households, communities, and places of employment are doing to protect sources of water. But what does water quality mean?
Water quality month reminds us to take a long, hard look at what our households, communities, and places of employment are doing to protect sources of water. But what does water quality mean? Is it the water in our lakes? Is it the water coming out of our faucet? Is it the authorities that distribute our water? Is it the wells that provide water to homes? Actually, it’s all of those things, and then some more! How much do you know about water quality? Maybe it’s easier to answer how much you don’t know about water quality. The first step in advocating for keeping our water clean is learning the facts. So this month, we’re talking all things water in celebration of #WaterQualityMonth.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Spottlight on Summer
This month we tip our hats to mechanical engineer Willis Haviland Carrier and celebrate the idea that helped make those long, hot days a little more comfortable: air conditioning.
REGULATORY UPDATE: America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 - Risk Assessments and Emergency Response Plans
Baby it’s Hot Outside!
Oh those lazy days of summer . . . The longer days filled with trips to the beach, cookouts with garden-fresh vegetables, and evenings in the park. This month we tip our hats to mechanical engineer Willis Haviland Carrier and celebrate the idea that helped make those long, hot days a little more comfortable: air conditioning.
Willis Haviland Carrier was an American engineer, best known for inventing modern air conditioning.
Regulatory Update
America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 Risk Assessments and Emergency Response Plans
New Requirements for Drinking Water Utilities
On October 23, 2018, America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) was signed into law requiring community water systems serving more than 3,300 people to complete a risk assessment and develop an emergency response plan.
Spottlight on Workplace Safety
Every year, more than 4.1 million workers suffer a serious job-related injury or illness.
June is National Safety Month!
According to the Department of Labor In the four decades since the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) was signed into law, workplace deaths and reported occupational injuries have dropped by more than 60 percent. Yet the nation's workers continue to face an unacceptable number of work-related deaths, injuries and illnesses, most of them preventable:
Every day, more than 12 workers die on the job – over 4,500 a year.
Every year, more than 4.1 million workers suffer a serious job-related injury or illness.
In This Issue:
Spottlight on Schools
Whether you manage a single facility or millions of square feet over many locations, your focus is education. Our focus is you. SSM answers the multi-faceted needs of educational campuses with a single source for engineering and consulting services.
Whether you manage a single facility or millions of square feet over many locations, your focus is education. Our focus is you. SSM answers the multi-faceted needs of educational campuses with a single source for engineering and consulting services. We understand what institutions of learning need, and we deliver cost-effective, sustainable services. We’re solution-oriented.
Spottlight on Resources
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY : Chester and Montgomery County
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program
Chester and Montgomery County
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds have been allocated to the Pennsylvania portion of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) metropolitan area for projects in Pennsylvania’s five counties (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia) that contribute to the attainment of the Clean Air Axct (CAA) standards by reducing emissions from mobile sources. READ MORE
Lancaster Conservancy
Water Connects Us All
Lancaster Water Week was conceived along the banks of the Conestoga River by friends Fritz Schroeder (Lancaster County Conservancy) and Spike Brant (Nimblist). While kayaking along the river offers much beauty and solace, it is also a front row seat to the amount of erosion, pollution, and disregard some have for this amazing fresh water resource.. Visit lancasterwaterweek.org for more information about Lancaster Water Week events.
Spottlight on GIS
Every map has a story. Discover the amazing stories that GIS can help you tell.
Celebrating GIS Day: November 14, 2018
Every map has a story. Discover the amazing stories that GIS can help you tell.
In This Issue
If filling the pool is a daily routine, or an area of lawn next to the pool is unusually green when there’s been no rain, it may be time to check your pool for leaks.