The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will adopt the 2018 International Plumbing Code for construction projects, except for two municipalities (the City of Philadelphia and Allegheny County), on February 14, 2022. There will be a six-month grace period during which some may be reviewed under the 2015 IPC. Construction projects, regardless of circumstances, will be designed in … Read more
The scope and influence of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow. Cases are on the rise again. The number of hospitalizations and ventilated patients is growing. Hospitals located in critical, high population centers overrun with COVID-19 patients used medical gases and mechanical ventilators in record numbers this past spring. In fact, some facilities did not … Read more
When the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) became a reality for this country and the quarantine began, we did not know what to expect. Pandemic updates from Washington, DC by the President of the United States and his lead physicians became a daily routine. Just a few hours away, COVID-19 cases in New York City were overwhelming … Read more
A large portion of commercial, educational, and healthcare facilities have been either partially occupied or unoccupied for several weeks, even months. With extended periods of unoccupancy, building systems can become stagnant, potentially resulting in adverse effects on air systems, domestic water systems and building materials. Most of us know the smell of dust burning off … Read more
Change. Whether good, bad, or somewhere in between, we must accept change and constantly adapt in order to move forward, grow and even improve. Changes in the International Plumbing and Energy Conservation Codes are no exception. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, except for the City of Philadelphia, adopted the 2015 International Codes the past October, superseding … Read more
There seems to be a misunderstanding among facility owners and operators these days about requirements for emergency fixtures (eyewashes and drench showers). Plumbing codes do not prescribe when or where to locate eyewash fixtures. Rather, they address the installation of these emergency fixtures if or when they are required. The Owner is responsible for knowing … Read more
Pontiac Fever. It’s got nothing to do with cars, and everything to do with Legionellosis, the disease caused by a pathogenic bacterium called Legionella pneumophila. Legionellosis or Legionnaire’s Disease preys on the elderly, the young and anyone with weakened immune systems. The subsequent fallout can also be catastrophic to a facility and owner because the … Read more
Age and Condition When considering improvements to your Hemodialysis unit, you may want to modernize furniture, finishes, lighting and equipment in order to improve the patient environment. While planning the upgrade you will also need to consider the age and condition of the water treatment system that provides either distilled or reverse osmosis water to the … Read more
Healthcare providers continue to move more and more patient care services away from the main hospital into medical office buildings. Medical office buildings that were once used mainly for family practice office visits and check-ups have been retrofitted to house ambulatory surgical centers, chemotherapy infusion suites, kidney dialysis, diagnostic radiology, and cancer treatment modalities such … Read more
If your business is like most today, your construction and operating budgets have been drastically reduced, or maybe even eliminated. The capital equipment upgrades that you were planning for this year have been put on hold; and instead, your focus has turned to reducing operating costs and avoiding layoffs. If you are in the fortunate … Read more
