What’s New
May 2014 has been proclaimed Building Safety Month as part of a campaign to help the public understand what it takes to create and maintain safe and sustainable structures. The campaign reinforces the need for adoption of modern, model building codes, a strong and efficient system of code enforcement, and a well-trained, professional workforce to maintain the system.
Recent Projects
- Certification to a municipal Code Enforcement Official of alterations to a structure made without a permit in Orange County, NY
- Forensic Engineering services regarding an accident involving a powder actuated tool on a NYC construction site
- Consultation regarding mold and moisture conditions at a Westchester County, NY construction site
Killer Dust: Why Is Asbestos Still Killing People?
On March 19th Gizmodo reported that “thirteen people a day in the UK die from exposure to asbestos – more than double the number that die on the roads. In the USA, asbestos will be responsible for around 10,000 deaths this year, meaning it kills close to as many people as gun crime or skin cancer. Health fears associated with asbestos were first raised at the end of the 19th century…Yet in 2012, rather than falling, worldwide asbestos production increased and international exports surged by 20 per cent. A full ban did not come into force in the UK until 1999, and the European Union’s deadline for member states to end its use was just nine years ago. Today, asbestos is still used in large quantities in many parts of Asia, eastern Europe and South America, while even in the USA and Canada, controlled use is allowed”.
Yarmus Engineering, P.C. is available to provide inspection and consulting services with regards to matters involving asbestos and other similar hazardous materials. Our firm president, Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E. is a Registered Professional Industrial Hygienist, a licensed Asbestos Inspector and Project Designer, and a Certified Environmental Inspector. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding such matters.
Lightning Strike Fires Reignite Debate Over Gas Pipe Safety
On March 18th NBC News reported on the “ongoing debate over the safety of the piping – known as corrugated stainless steel tubing, or CSST – which has been installed in as many as 10 million U.S. homes since the 1990s, according to some manufacturers’ estimates. Its use is approved in building codes around the nation”…Since 2006, NFPA codes have said that…the piping needs to be connected or “bonded” to the electrical grounding system in a house – a measure that provides a “reasonable level of safety,” according to the NFPA. But critics say that the walls of CSST — popular because its bendability makes it easier to install than the black iron pipe previously used as gas lines – are thinner than those of its predecessor and inherently prone to puncturing”.
Yarmus Engineering, P.C. staff is familiar with the applicable code requirements regarding the installation of CSST with regards to bonding, and is available to provide inspections during construction to monitor compliance with same. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding such matters.