We know that the tri-state area offers a choice of many professionals to assist you with your engineering and inspection needs, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with you. We hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday, and we wish you all the best during this holiday season!
What’s New
The American Wood Council (AWC) has released a new report on sound transmission “Technical Report 15 (TR15), Calculation of Sound Transmission Parameters for Wood-Framed Assemblies”. The report shows how to use the new empirical model and may be used for analysis of wood-frame floor-ceiling assemblies to determine compliance with the code-regulated STC and IIC sound transmission parameters. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding any such sound transmission or framing matters.
Recent Projects
- Evaluation and analysis of the cause of a ceiling collapse in a multiple dwelling structure located in Brooklyn
- ADA compliance consultation for the owner of a restaurant located in Manhattan
- Forensic engineering consultation regarding a slip and fall accident on a staircase in the premises of a national franchise restaurant location in Brooklyn
Measuring the Effectiveness of Toolbox Safety Training
On November 8th Building Design + Construction reported that “a key (to site safety) is ensuring that construction workers are trained to understand and identify the hazards associated with their work so that they can be mitigated or eliminated. One widely used training method is the so-called “toolbox talks,” wherein workers…(can) learn the hazards associated with their work and the steps they can take to prevent incidents from occurring…A recent study by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and NIOSH researchers examined the impact of toolbox talks, particularly those that include a narrative element, on the knowledge gain experienced by workers who participated…The toolbox talks were presented in one of two formats. The first involved a more general discussion of the particular concern, followed by a list of appropriate safety measures and illustrations of relevant safety equipment…The second format supplemented the content of the first format with a short narrative and questions asking workers whether they had been involved in such an incident, its consequences and how they could help prevent it at their current work site”.
Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E., F.NSPE, as Immediate Past Chair of the National Society of Professional Engineers PE’s in Construction Interest Group, spent last year helping to facilitate discussions between Professional Engineers across the country on important matters such as safety in the construction industry. Yarmus Engineering, P.C. is available to consult with property managers, real estate developers, builders, attorneys, contractors, insurance professionals, adjusters, and other related parties regarding construction site safety issues. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding such matters.
As parking garages reach max life expectancy, expect more failures, experts say
On November 12th KHOU-TV reported that “the images this past summer were frightening…Tons of concrete giving way at a parking garage on O’Connor Ridge Boulevard in Irving, crushing nearly two dozen vehicles…No one was hurt, but the structural failure prompts this question: How likely is this to happen again elsewhere?… Elevators, cars and bridges are just three things that undergo routine government inspections. But what about parking garages?…In Texas, parking garages aren’t required to be inspected. Their owners aren’t required to tell you about any problems. That means for the hundreds, if not thousands, of garages across North Texas, their safety is a mystery”.
In September, we reported that the NYS Department of State had adopted a rule that requires the owners of parking garages to have periodic condition assessments of those parking garages performed by qualified professional engineers. The NYS Society of Professional Engineers actively lobbied the state to ensure that inspections by NYS licensed Professional Engineers be a part of this process. Yarmus Engineering, P.C. is pleased to remain active and involved in the effort to protect public safety via Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E., F.NSPE‘s leadership role in NYSSPE, as both Vice President of the Mid-Hudson Region and Treasurer of the organization. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding such matters.