What’s New
The Department of State filed a Notice of Adoption that repealed and replaced Part 1205 of Title 19 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations which took effect on June 28th. Changes made included adding definitions and a process for alternative compliance cases to allow the use of the design, construction, and maintenance provisions or requirements of a nationally recognized standard or code that is not expressly allowed by the Uniform Code. The State Register can be viewed at https://dos.ny.gov/state-register, and includes The Notice of Adoption which includes the Text of the Rule and a Summary of Rule Text.
Recent Projects
- Civil engineering site consultation regarding water intrusion at a residential premises located in Rockland County, NY
- Professional engineering review of a solar panel support system which was modified from manufacturer’s installation details when installed for a municipal installation located in Rockland County, NY
- Structural engineering certification of scope of homeowner identified repairs to mobile home for municipal building department located in Rockland County, NY
Reading Between the Cracks: Artificial Intelligence Can Identify Patterns in Surface Cracking to Assess Damage in Reinforced Concrete Structures
On June 1st Drexel News reported that “recent structural collapses, including tragedies in Surfside, Florida, Pittsburgh, New York City and Davenport. Iowa, have centered the need for more frequent and thorough inspections of aging buildings and infrastructure across the country. But inspections are time-consuming, and often inconsistent, processes, heavily dependent on the judgment of inspectors. Researchers at Drexel University and the State University of New York at Buffalo are trying to make the process more efficient and definitive by using artificial intelligence, combined with a classic mathematical method for quantifying web-like networks, to determine how damaged a concrete structure is, based solely on its pattern of cracking…In the paper “A graph-based method for quantifying crack patterns on reinforced concrete shear walls,” which was recently published in the journal Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, the researchers, led by Arvin Ebrahimkhanlou, PhD, an assistant professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering, and Pedram Bazrafshan, a doctoral student in the College, present a process that could help the country better understand how many of its hundreds of thousands of aging bridges, levees, roadways and buildings are in urgent need of repair…The team used AI pixel-tracking algorithms to convert images of cracks to their corresponding mathematical representation: a graph…In each case, the AI program was able to correctly assess the damage with greater than 90% accuracy, indicating that the program would be a highly effective means of rapid damage assessment”.
Yarmus Engineering, P.C. makes it a priority to remain aware and knowledgeable of ongoing engineering industry technology innovations, building code and industry updates, and regulatory changes so that we can incorporate same into our projects and inform our clientele of such new updates which might affect their properties and projects. Firm President, Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E., F.NSPE, maintains his certification as a NYS Code Enforcement Official to ensure same. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding such matters.
Protecting the Public From Construction Hazards
On June 23rd The American Society of Safety Professional’s Standards Update reported that “the ANSI/ASSP A10.34-2021 standard provides best practices for protecting the public on or adjacent to construction sites, and identifies different construction hazards that can endanger the people, property and environment surrounding the job site”. The article continues on to note that “construction safety goes beyond protecting workers. You also have to protect the public. Construction projects happen in different environments, and you have to consider the people and property in those environments and how the work may impact them”.
Andrew R. Yarmus, P.E., F.NSPE, as an OSHA certified Forensic Engineering consultant, and as a Past Chair of the National Society of Professional Engineers PE’s in Construction Interest Group, has helped to facilitate discussions between Professional Engineers across the country on important matters such as safety in both industry and construction. As a licensed Professional Engineer, State Certified Code Enforcement Official, and OSHA certified professional, Mr. Yarmus is credentialed to consult on site safety and incident investigation matters. Yarmus Engineering, P.C. is available to consult with business owners, operations managers, property managers, real estate developers, builders, attorneys, contractors, insurance professionals, adjusters, and other related parties regarding site safety issues. Please contact our office if we can be of assistance to you or your clients regarding such matters.