Compounding hazardous drugs is a chemically volatile process, which means that tight control of air pressure, temperature, and humidity is required. Thus, when designing compounding areas, it is critical to determine an acceptable time delay before alarming and when and how often to report these values when out of compliance. Most mechanical systems are not … Read more
We are pleased to announce that Michael H. Ginder, PE, LEED AP has passed his exam to become an NFPA Certified Emergency Power System Specialist for Health Care (CEPSS-HC). The National Fire Protection Association created the CEPSS-HC credential in response to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rulings requiring facilities to develop … Read more
Compounding pharmacies require tight temperature, relative humidity, and pressurization control to operate in compliance with the current standards. Those standards are set to change in the coming months, and we’ve put together a series of articles to help navigate the new requirements. Balancing and actively controlling the airflow to achieve the correct pressure relationships in … Read more
There is an aspect of healthcare facility design that neither the design team nor the healthcare facility can avoid in any project – the classification of patient care areas and associated risk assessments. The Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) Design and Construction for Hospitals, and FGI Design and Construction for Outpatient Facilities, and NFPA 99, The … Read more
Every year, electrical safety accidents rank in the top ten of workplace-related fatalities and cause 75,000 plus workers to miss time to due shock and burn injuries. The threat of inadvertent shock, electrocution, and fire from electrical equipment has long been a known hazard in the electrical industry. In the last 20 years, however, the … Read more
When planning for new lighting in your building, you will need to assess whether the current energy code will require new lighting controls to be included. But anyone who has picked up a code book knows it can feel a bit like fumbling your way through a “Choose Your Own Adventure” novel. So, to help … Read more
Remote and hybrid work schedules appear to be here to stay in many office environments. If you lease your office space, hopefully you can “right-size” your space requirements so that you can save cost the next time your lease is due for renegotiation. However, what happens when you’re on the other side of that equation, … Read more
Protection of the water supply system is paramount to the health and safety of not only the occupants of your building but also everyone else that is supplied water through a connection to the water system. Chapter 6 of the International Plumbing Code (IPC) is an example of where you will find the requirements that … Read more
With the winter weather upon us and the cold spell we had at the end of December, we took the time to review some of the means for freeze protection of piping and equipment with our staff. Our goal of continuous quality improvement turned into more of a round table discussion with various team members … Read more
Every four years, the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) updates their Guidelines for Design and Construction of Hospitals and Outpatient Facilities to stay up to date with current technologies and design concepts. From an MEP standpoint, the guidelines are updated to improve patient well-being, necessitate safer system operation, and to improve environmental quality in our health … Read more
With energy codes pushing for more complex lighting controls in buildings, it’s no wonder Owners can feel overwhelmed when faced with questions about how they want their lighting to function. To make this subject feel less daunting, below are strategies to keep the systems simple and easy to use from an Owner’s perspective. Strategy #1: … Read more
Medical gas systems rank high on the list of resources necessary for a hospital to function. Oxygen, medical air, vacuum, and other systems support all manner of life-saving and life-sustaining procedures, from providing oxygen therapy for a COVID-19 patient to providing vacuum during a heart transplant. In 1987, the American Society of Sanitary Engineering (ASSE) … Read more
With construction costs rising across the board, every dollar counts when planning for a project. Lately, many owners are getting surprised by a substantial cost that presents itself late in the project. Commissioning. Did you know that your project may require commissioning even though it is not a LEED or other green initiative project? Starting … Read more
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
As Pennsylvania begins enforcement of 2018 International Mechanical Code, it’s important to understand what, if any changes could affect your project. This is particularly important if you’ve had a project shelved due to the pandemic and are planning to dust it off this year. Whether it was a funding issue, price of materials, or just … Read more
The building code in Pennsylvania is known as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC). Enforcement of this code is handled either locally (by municipalities, townships, or contracted third-party reviewers) or by the state’s Department of Labor and Industry. Prior to 2018, the Pennsylvania UCC referenced the 2009 International Codes (I-Codes). In 2018, the UCC was updated … Read more
The current pandemic has affected nearly every aspect of our personal and professional lives. In the case of the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Codes (UCC), it has significantly delayed the legally required update to the 2018 edition of the International Construction Codes. Among the many requirements and procedures outlined in the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act Omnibus Amendments (Act … Read more
There are many unique challenges in the design and construction of high-rise buildings. The electrical design in these facilities is no exception, particularly regarding the emergency systems required to allow people to safely exit the building during a fire or emergency event. A ‘high-rise building” is defined in the International Building Code (IBC) as “a … Read more
Having reliable sources of electrical power has become a critical part of what we do. Our daily lives have become so dependent on having places to plug in that many of us would be absolutely lost if the electricity stopped flowing. For most people, a brief loss of power while at home or even at … Read more
Armed with the knowledge that germicidal lighting, such as Germicidal Ultraviolet-C (GUV-C) Light, possesses the proven ‘superpower’ of eradicating harmful viruses including COVID-19, many people have begun searching for ways to safely incorporate it into their everyday lives. But, with new products hitting the market daily, consumers can easily become overwhelmed and confused given the … Read more
