What’s New
Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E. has been appointed to represent the civil engineers of the Lower Hudson Valley at the upcoming 143rd Annual Conference of the American Society of Civil Engineers in Charlotte, NC.
Recent Projects
- Certification of code compliance and well potability for a site located in Orange County, NY
- Forensic engineering services regarding a crane sling failure on a New York City construction site
- Structural engineering consultation regarding foundation, column, and footing deficiencies at a residential structure located in Putnam Valley, NY
New York University Student Injured as Stairwell Gives Way
On September 30th The Wall Street Journal reported that “a 20-year-old college student was injured Sunday after falling three stories when the stairwell in a Manhattan apartment building collapsed during a rooftop party, authorities said. The collapse briefly stranded more than 35 people on the roof of the seven-story walk-up building in the East Village, and forced residents to evacuate their apartments until the stairwell was secured and deemed safe by the city Department of Buildings, police said.
‘They’re not supposed to have a function like that on the roof,’ a city building inspector on the scene, who declined to be named, said of the party. A sign near the roof warned people, ‘Notice: No roof entry whatsoever’…The buildings department issued citations for alleged illegal occupancy of the roof and failure to maintain the building”.
Yarmus Engineering, P.C. is available to inspect, specify repairs for, and design staircases, as well as to certify code compliance of same for municipal building department filings. We are also available to inspect staircases for safety and proper maintenance to assist in minimizing the likelihood of such tragic failures. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding such matters.
Boardwalk Fire Ruled Accidental, With Hurricane as a Factor
On September 17th The New York Times reported that Investigators have determined that the devastating fire that consumed several blocks of the Boardwalk in nearby Seaside Park last week was caused by an electrical wiring problem, and was not set intentionally. But the hidden culprit may well have been Hurricane Sandy. On Tuesday, county officials declared the fire accidental, saying it was caused by a malfunction of electrical wiring that may have been compromised by water and sand from the hurricane last fall.
The Ocean County prosecutor, Joseph D. Coronato, said he would close the criminal investigation into the fire because the team of local, state and federal investigators had ‘unanimously determined’ that it had not been started intentionally. Indeed, he added, the sand piled up under the Boardwalk left the spot where the fire broke out ‘completely inaccessible’ to humans.
‘Today, I can confidently bring some sense of closure to this tragic event,’ Mr. Coronato said, adding that during Hurricane Sandy, the wiring was fully submerged and ‘degradation of these wires occurred'”.
Yarmus Engineering, P.C. is available to inspect and specify repairs for readily accessible portions of electrical systems, and to assist with coordinating Underwriter’s certification of same for municipal building department filings. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding such matters.