Spottlight on Historic Preservation - November 2016

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Protecting our History for Future Generations

Historical preservation frames a community's past and defines its heritage. Preservation initiatives have a positive impact on economic growth for a community in the form of higher property values, increased revenue, and job creation. Rehabilitated and renovated historic buildings are core components in revitalized downtowns and cultural venues. From an environmental perspective, renovations and rehabilitation of existing properties results in less construction, demolition, and hazardous material debris. Additionally, the cost of rehabilitation is often less than new construction with the energy savings being considerable since there is no energy used for demolition, new construction or the manufacture of new materials.

Preserving Historical Structures Exploring Technology Applications

High-Definition Laser Surveying(HDS) offers a non-intrusive, non-contact method to obtain three dimensional geometry measurements and models of existing structures and sites for both large and small-scale projects. SSM uses HDS for historic building preservationto acquires as-built information inside and outside of any structure quickly and efficiently.

Heating Historical Structures Exploring Alternative Technologies

From materials to system capabilities, it’s true, ‘they don’t build  them like the used to.’ Retrofits, renovations, and adaptive reuse projects present some challenges in terms of the systems in the buildings.

Drone Technology: Capturing the Coordinates from the Air

We know data. Since 1932, information management has been a core component of SSM's services; improving efficiency in operations, decision-making, environmental management, and engineering design. The combination of our intimate knowledge of the industry, our extensive background in information management, and our continuous commitment to leveraging technology to improve operations allows SSM to bring engineering services to life.

Spottlight on Fire Prevention - October 2016

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Managing the Risk of Fire: 5 commonplace workplace fire starters

1. Flammable and Combustible Materials
2. Accidents
3. Cooking and Heating Equipment
4. ArcFlash Hazards
5. Inadequate Housekeeping

Mitigating the Risk Associated with Hazardous Materials

The storage, issue, use, and disposal of flammable and combustible materials falls under the rules and regulations promulgated under OSHA and the National Fire Protection Association.

The Hazard Communication Standard

(29 CFR 1910.1200(g)) was revised in 2012 to require that the chemical manufacturer, distributor, or importer provided Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), formerly MSDSs or Material Safety Data Sheets, for each hazardous chemical to downstream users to communicate information on these hazards. The information contained in the SDS is largely the same as the MSDS, except now the SDSs are required to be presented in a consistent user-friendly, 16-section format.

Fire Protection Critical to Business Continuity

Fire protection systems are essential to the safety of your employees and protection of your property. But more than that, these systems are essential in helping you to manage the risks associated with business continuity. Imagine the impact on your business or organization if a key production line were to go off-line for an extended period of time, if the runoff from a fire event were to cause an environmental impact, or if the assets in your building (from equipment to historical artefacts) were to be destroyed.

Regulatory Update: Preparing for MS4 Regulations

Under the new Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) regulations that will take effect in 2018, new permittees will need to comply with additional obligations to meet the revised general stormwater permit requirements under PAG-13.  Municipal employees, engineers, and contractors can prepare by reviewing the updated Minimum Control Measures (MCMs), and organizing current practices and training to determine possible gaps that fall short of their permit conditions.

Spottlight - September 2016

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Building Safety

Safety in building construction traces to the Code of Hammurabi around 1750 BC, offering rather straightforward dis-incentives of re-work or death. A mere six rules pertained to damages due a builder for his failure to properly construct a home. Building and natural catastrophes like the Great Fire of London (1666), the Great Fire of Chicago (1871), 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and more recent Hurricane Sandy led to voluminous developments to identify risks, create consistent standards, and changes to reflect new materials and methods.

The International Code Council’s (ICC) 2015 International Building Code contains slightly less than 700 pages; 35 chapters and 13 appendices, with the singular focus of providing a model for minimum acceptable safety standards to protect public health and welfare for every type of building occupancy. Modern codes go one step further and also provided minimum standards for sustainability related to energy consumption. And the IBC is just one of many standards and guidelines we work with in industrial, commercial, municipal projects. 

Inadequate Ventilation Design Impacts Air Quality

Since man began using indoor fires for heating, ventilation of indoor air has existed, and still today the primary source of indoor air quality issues result from inadequate ventilation. Contemporary building contaminants, including VOCs and synthetic fibers from building and furnishing materials; microbial, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, radon, asbestos, etc. can trigger discomfort, illness, allergic reactions, and temperature and humidity both impact concentrations of certain contaminants. In broad terms, ventilation design involves natural ventilation, mechanical ventilation, or local exhaust. 

Electrical Engineering Issues Supporting Building Safety

Opportunities for electrical faults and associated health risks to workers exist throughout industrial, municipal, and institutional facilities, with electrical distribution equipment and large equipment associated with manufacturing, process systems, research, HVAC, and central utility plants. The IBC by reference to the NEC (National Electrical Code) and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) dictates that an electrical system be evaluated for Arc Flash hazards and that equipment be appropriately labeled according to the protection required.

Hazards associated with electricity is a serious workplace hazard; The Electric Power Research Institute  (EPRI) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have very good videos describing research into arc flash and stories by those affected by incidents.

Maintaining Building Safety While Modifying Footprint and Function

The average building life cycle of non-residential structures extends many, many years. In fact, according to the US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) 2012 report, Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, “commercial buildings remain in use for many decades. Although about 12% of commercial buildings (comprising 14% of commercial floor space) were built since 2003, the commercial building stock is still fairly old, with about half of all buildings constructed before 1980; the median age of buildings in 2012 was 32 years.” It’s also true that within a short period of time, buildings become functionally unsuitable, or that facilities constructed for one product or purpose evolves to serve another. 

Regulatory Updates:

Tax Code: Section 179-D - Energy-Efficient Commercial Building Deduction

National BIM Guide for Owners Now Available for Public Review

Spottlight - August 2016

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Six Tips for a Healthy Water or Sewer System

1. Check the Pulse - Through your day-to-day operations of your water/wastewater system, are you keeping your finger on the pulse of your system?  One way to do that is to liberate your Geographic Information System (GIS) data through the use of web-enabled mobile applications. Transform your water/wastewater infrastructure data into an easy-to-use operations Asset Management system.

2. Monitor the Pressure - Starting with the first day of pumping, the yield of a groundwater well will slowly begin to decline. The decline in performance is attributed to physical and biological clogging of the well. As water is pumped, fine sediment can be drawn towards the well, plugging the water flow pathways. Biological growth can also develop throughout the well, but especially in the primary water-bearing zones, where the bacteria can effectively reduce the well yield.

3. Protect your Immune System - In the event of an emergency that could impact treatment plant operations, immediate action is often critical in preventing or minimizing the incident. Boost your immunity from disaster by developing a comprehensive emergency response plan (ERP) as required by DEP. Possible emergency situations include a distribution system line break, power outages, drought conditions, disinfection system failure, contamination of supply, pump failure, and prolonged outage.

4. Prevention is the Best Protection - The first step towards prevention is to develop a Source Water Protection Plan. To maintain its usefulness, a Source Water Protection Plan should be updated every five years.

5. Check your Footing - In certain parts of Berks County, the ground can fall out from beneath your feet. What would you do if your utility lines were threatened by a sinkhole? SSM personnel have assisted municipalities, insurance companies, and legal defense teams in settlement instances involving sinkhole and non-sinkhole related damage claims. By observing, evaluating and documenting site specific details, we have often been successful at determining the causes leading to ground failures. Determining these details and causes have often been beneficial to our clientele whereby at times limiting their liability or determining their involvement with remediating sites and damaged infrastructures.

6. Have a Vision - Accurate knowledge of your system asset and infrastructural component locations in your water/wastewater system plays a vital role in healthy operations. Key operational decisions require precise geographic information. Relying on an outdated or incomplete system map will lead to wasted time and potentially costly mistakes. A comprehensive system map will provide the means to effective management. Just as our eyes are the window to the world, your system map is your view to the system as a whole. 20/20 vision of your system requires accurate locational data. Armed with up-to-date and comprehensive infrastructure data, the system can be run with greater efficiency and operational awareness.