Mold Certificates and the Baton Rouge Flood of 2016 The Baton Rouge Flood of 2016, now called by some as “The Great Flood of 2016” certainly left a mess. Mold problems as a result are a hot topic – and rightly so. There are a lot of good contractors and consultants out there helping with projects. But there are some who are taking advantage of the situation. I’ve seen advertisements…
Respecting Your Elders – Especially When it Comes to Building Science How many times has someone (usually older than you) told you to respect your elders? Probably more than a few. And if you’re like me, you probably rolled your eyes plenty of times because you were a young know it all who didn’t need any help or the benefit of experience shared by an older person. This post got…
Environmental Response Work and Baton Rouge Flood of 2016 The Baton Rouge Flood of 2016, now called by some as “The Great Flood of 2016” certainly left a mess. Mold problems as a result are a hot topic – and rightly so. But there are plenty of other environmental problems awaiting homeowners, business owners, schools, and everyone else. Baton Rouge Flood recovery is going to take some time – response work,…
Temporary Building Problems – A Permanent Reminder of a Temporary Feeling? The great musical sage Jimmy Buffet wrote a song called “Permanent Reminder of a Temporary Feeling”, an expression many of us like to use from time to time. Although the song tells a different story than something facilities and maintenance related, temporary buildings have become just that – a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling. In many cases, an…
Can Asbestos Abatement Contractors Hire the Air Monitoring Firm? Traditionally, school systems have hired independent firms to perform asbestos air monitoring and abatement contractor observation. Some school systems are now requiring asbestos abatement contractors to provide asbestos air monitoring and abatement contractor observation on their asbestos abatement projects. I’ve recently heard some school systems are procuring asbestos air monitoring services through the abatement contractors in an effort to cap their asbestos air…
Do You Have Time to Convert Your Asbestos Management Plans to the AAC-8 Format? The AAC-8 (Required Elements for Asbestos Management Plans for School and State Buildings) takes some getting used to. Last week, we visited the Louisiana School Facility Managers Association meeting in Marksville. We got to talk with school personnel from all across the state about what’s going well for them, and also what’s giving them trouble. Since we’re primarily known…
Spring Training is Here – Mold Problems & Major League Baseball Are Around the Corner It’s that time of year again! Major league baseball teams have started Spring Training games. If you’ve read The World’s Most Interesting Engineer, you know I have two recurring themes when I write about mold. The first is, well, recurrence. Mold problems can come back if we only clean up the mold and do not correct…
Les Miles & Mechanical Engineers Deserve A Break I’d love to know what you thought when you read the title. There are some jokes I could make here, but I’ll only say that given how Les gives soundbites, I’d love to hear him explain the Second Law of Thermodynamics. I mean, who doesn’t think of Les Miles and mechanical engineers at the same time? Les Miles has had quite an interesting time…
Flip, Flop, Or Farce? Flip, Flop, or Farce? Unknown Environmental Problems Affect Everyone – Even Architects, Engineers, and Contractors My television viewing ranges from a lot of Disney Jr. (thanks to the 3 year old), baseball, more kids shows, more baseball, and reality TV. Much of the reality TV is trash, but some shows are pretty good. We also enjoy some the house fixer-upper shows – like the ones where house…
What is the Connection Between Baseball & Mold? It turns out that baseball season and mold season are related. If you’ve read The World’s Most Interesting Engineer, you know I have two recurring themes when I write about mold. The first is, well, recurrence. Mold problems can come back if we only clean up the mold and do not correct what caused the original mold problem. The second is that most…