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Archive for 2016

Industry Article

How to Apply NFPA 110-2016

Consulting engineers who specify emergency power equipment understand that installations for mission critical facilities, such as hospitals and data centers, are required to comply with NFPA 110: Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems in conjunction with NFPA 70: National Electrical Codes. The article by Tom Divine, PE, LEED AP, “How to Apply NFPA 110-2016”, […]

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Compliance News: Revisiting the Three-Year Four-Hour EPSS Load Test Requirements from NFPA 110-2010

Now that CMS has adopted the 2012 Life Safety Code™ and 2012 Health Care Facilities Code, CMS is surveying for compliance with NFPA 110-2010.  NFPA 110-2010 has very specific requirements for the 3-year 4-hour EPSS load test, and many hospitals may not be complying with those requirements. From NFPA 101-2012® Life Safety Code® [referencing NFPA […]

Industry Article

Practicing the Art of Good Research

Engineers, by nature, are inquisitive folks. They like to look for things, fix things, and learn things. The advent of the personal computer, digital-information storage, and the Internet, with its easy and constant access, has changed the way information is made available. Online search engines encourage typing in keywords, and thousands of results are instantly […]

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Compliance News: TJC Releases 2012 Codes Changes with Some Surprises

TJC released its long-awaited changes to its Life Safety (LS) and Environment of Care (EC) chapters Elements of Performance (EPs) on October 31, 2016.  These documents are entitled “Prepublication Standards – Standards Revisions Related to Life Safety Code Update” and cover six TJC accreditation programs.  The 49-page Hospital Prepublication Standards can be downloaded from that […]

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Cx Monitor: Commissioning 101

The term “commissioning” is more and more frequently heard in every conversation about building construction, whether it’s new building construction or looking at the performance of an existing building. But what exactly is commissioning? The word has naval beginnings. A ship, especially in wartime, had to be commissioned before it was ready for active duty. […]

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Connect with Us: November

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR), a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects, is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of November. DBIA’s Design-Build Conference & Expo, which will be held in Las Vegas, NV, from November 2-4, attracts industry professionals spanning the entire A/E/C […]

Industry Article

Commissioning Lighting Control Systems

Requirements for lighting controls become more complex with each edition of the energy-conservation codes. Codes and standards include ASHRAE Standard 90.1: Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and California Title 24. With each level of increased complexity, the benefits of formally commissioning lighting control systems increase. Tom Divine, […]

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Compliance News: Compliance with the 2012 Codes

SSR’s May 2016 Compliance News article entitled CMS Adopts the 2012 Codes provided breaking news along with numerous hyperlinks to assist organizations in assessing the impact of CMS’ adoption of the 2012 codes. SSR’s June 2016 Compliance News article entitled CMS to survey 2012 codes starting November 1, 2016 passed along a few clarifications issued […]

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Connect with Us: October

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR), a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects, is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of October. This year’s Alabama Society for Healthcare Engineering (AlaSHE) Fall Conference will take place October 5-7 in Orange Beach, AL. The conference is […]

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Compliance News: Building Rehabilitation Chapter 43 – 2012 Life Safety Code® Required Reading

One of the significant changes resulting from CMS’ adoption of the 2012 Life Safety Code® is the impact of the NFPA 101-2012 Building Rehabilitation Chapter 43.  Chapter 43 is intended to apply to work that the owner or occupant has elected to perform within an existing building. In its final rule adopting the NFPA 101-2012 […]

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Connect with Us: September

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR), a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects, is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of September. Colleagues from SSR’s Texas offices will be in attendance at the Construction Owners Association of America’s Texas Fall Workshop conference taking place […]

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Compliance News: ASHE Addresses Historically Problematic Compliance Issues

The November 2015 Compliance News issue discussed the joint work that both ASHE and TJC had performed to that point in providing assistance on major physical environment compliance problem areas.  Last month’s Compliance News issue discussed TJC’s contributions to that initiative through July 2016.  This article reviews ASHE’s ongoing contributions to their joint program through […]

Industry Article

Alternative Utility Equipment Maintenance Requirements

By David Stymiest, PE, CHFM, CHSP, FASHE Given the interest and news surrounding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) adoption of the 2012 editions of the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) Life Safety Code (LSC) and Health Care Facilities Code, it is easy to lose track of some other recent regulatory changes. Among these […]

Industry Article

From Construction to Operations

By Rusty Ross, PE, LEED AP BD+C, CxA, EMP and Clay Seckman, PE, HFDP A health care organization constructs a world-class medical facility, taking all the right steps, setting all the right goals and allocating all the right resources. The project is designed and built, systems and components are started up and their performance validated, and […]

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Connect with Us: August

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR), a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects, is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of August. SSR is proud to sponsor Vanderbilt University’s 10th Annual Healthcare Design and Construction Symposium taking place August 3–4, Nashville, TN. This year’s […]

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Compliance News: TJC Provides more Assistance with Problematic Compliance Issues

The November 2015 Compliance News issue discussed the joint work that both ASHE and TJC had performed in providing assistance on major physical environment compliance problem areas. The TJC Physical Environment Portal (TJC PE Portal) is still available at TJC’s website under the main TOPICS heading.  Interested parties can sign up at that location to […]

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Connect with Us: July

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR), a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects, is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of July. This year’s ASHE Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition, scheduled for July 10–13 in Denver, CO, promises to be a great conference filled […]

Industry Article

Putting COPS into Context

In the Summer 2016 issue of Pure Power, SSR’s Tom Divine, PE, LEED AP, writes about NFPA 70: National Electric Code Article 708: Critical Operations Power Systems (COPS). Article 208 introduced electrical standards for facilities that support critical functions in response to vulnerabilities from natural and human-initiated disasters. Tom’s article, “Putting COPS into Context” informs the […]

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Connect with Us: June

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of June. On June 3rd, David Stymiest, PE, CHFM, CHSP, FASHE, will speak at the Louisiana Society for Healthcare Facilities Management (LASHFM) 2nd Quarter […]

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Compliance News: CMS Adopts the 2012 Codes

Changes take effect July 5, 2016. CMS has adopted the 2012 codes (NFPA 101®-2012 Life Safety Code® and most of NFPA 99-2012 Health Care Facilities Code.)  However, the full consideration of this change also requires taking into account the impact of changes in the referenced documents that will now be 10 to 15 years newer.  […]

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Connect with Us: May

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of May. Join Clay Seckman, PE, Rusty Ross, PE, LEED AP BD+C, CxA, Darren Harvey, PE, LEED AP, and Kevin Wolfford, CPD, at this […]

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Cx Monitor: Changes to LEED v2009

As of April 8, 2016 all projects registered under the LEED v2009 BD+C for New Construction rating system will be required to achieve a minimum 18% reduction in energy cost over ASHRAE 90.1-2007. This is an 8% increase over the previous minimum requirement of 10%. Additional increased energy thresholds apply to other ratings systems as […]

Industry Article

LED Codes and Standards

In the April issue of Consulting-Specifying Engineer, SSR’s Tom Divine, PE, LEED AP, authors a piece on LED Codes & Standards. In the article, he addresses the codes and standards that dictate designing with LEDs (light-emitting diode), the benefits and drawbacks to LEDs, and evaluates the use of lighting controls. The article appears on page 18 […]

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Compliance News: New EPA Impact on Demand Response

Changes to EPA regulations will soon prohibit or severely restrict participation in “emergency demand response” programs for owners of standby generators.  The change will take effect on May 1, 2016.  A number of hospitals with significant investment in standby generation participate in these programs, generating substantial revenue.  Most will soon see their participation curtailed.  Demand […]

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Clinical Consulting: The Intersection of Lean Thinking and Healthcare Technology Planning

As the landscape in healthcare is continually changing, increasing pressures for hospitals to perform leaner is becoming commonplace. By definition, lean thinking is the concept of finding value and eliminating waste in a process. Waste is anything that does not bring value to your “customer” or the end recipient of your service. Lean comes from […]

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Connect with Us: April

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of April. The Texas Association of Healthcare Facilities Management’s (TAHFM) annual Interlink conference will take place April 3-6 in Dallas. The conference provides ongoing […]

Industry Article

Relationship of Hospital Architecture to Nursing Staff Caring for Self, Caring for Patients, and Job Satisfaction

Historically, the fields of architecture (design) and nursing (health) have been separate disciplines without much intersection. In recent years, the healthcare building boom has created a specialty practice for architects, focusing on healthcare design. With this new focus and specialty within architecture, the science of evidence-based design and the collaboration with clinical care staff have […]

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Compliance News: Best Practices for Reliable Power Systems

The March 2016 issue of Health Facilities Management Magazine discusses “Best practices for hospital power system reliability.”  The following highlights some of the topics contained within that detailed article, and we recommend that Compliance News readers review and share the hyperlinked HFM Magazine article within their organizations. Best practices can be undertaken throughout the life […]

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Connect with Us: March

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of March. This year’s Georgia Society for Healthcare Engineers annual meeting will take place in Cordele, GA, March 9-11. SSR is excited to be […]

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Compliance News: Emergency Generator Starting Batteries

There continue to be questions regarding the use of maintenance-free generator starting batteries since they seem to be the preferred starting battery type of most generator set manufacturers.  This article discusses the original prohibition and when it was removed from NFPA 110. Within the NFPA 110-1999 edition presently enforced by CMS and its accrediting organizations, […]

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Clinical Consulting: Clinical Leadership- Sorting Out Competing Priorities

The clinical voice is sometimes overshadowed by other “voices” that are slowly making an entry into clinical processes. I was struck recently by the fact that electronic health records dictated the workflow in one recent incident. In another situation a patient education/entertainment system was a driving force in workflow. Creating an organizational structure to accommodate […]

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Connect with Us: February

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of February. Debbie Gregory, RN, BSN, will be speaking at the ACE Business Summit and Reverse Expo in Atlanta, GA, February 1 – 3. […]

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Compliance News: Compliance Challenges in 2016

2016 brings a host of ongoing compliance challenges along with a few new ones.  The ongoing challenges often revolve managing and mitigating the myriad risks within our facilities: general safety hazards, utility risks, fire safety risks, and life safety risks.  Of concern is the accelerating pace of changes combined with increasing complexity of the impact […]

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Connect with Us: January

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) a leader among engineering firms in designing, consulting, and commissioning projects is pleased to announce our conference and tradeshow schedule around the country during the month of January. SSR will be exhibiting at the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents’ Winter Conference, taking place in Jackson, MS, January 24-27. The conference […]