January 2021

As we proceed forward into 2021, we would like to communicate the most recent organizational structure changes that represent the direction and ongoing journey to better support our Team Members, Clients, and Communities.

We have created a Business Development Team that will be led by Nick Davis as VP of Business Development. This group consists of Business Development, Estimation, Engineering, Marketing, and Sales. This team is responsible for branding the MSD name and delivering the opportunities to our Operation Groups.

The other modification to our organization is we have combined all operation groups into one team that will be led by Brad Bradley as VP of Operations. This overall group will consist of Building Automation & Controls, Construction, MFOP (Manufacturing, Fabrication Operations), Service, and Special Projects. This team is responsible for executing the opportunities that the Business Development group delivers.

We are excited to see these teams perform and grow as we approach 2021 and the years to come.

Johnny Stewart

A total of 5,333 workers died as a result of on-the-job injuries in 2019 – a 1.6% increase from 2018 and the highest number of fatalities since 5,657 were recorded in 2007, according to Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data released Dec. 16 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Additionally, the data shows that the overall rate of fatal workplace injuries was unchanged, remaining at 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers for the third successive year. Key statistics in the report include:• 1 out of 5 workplace fatalities in 2019 were Hispanic or Latino workers. The 1,088 deaths among this group marks a 13.2% jump from the previous year and the most since the census began in 1992.
• Transportation-related fatalities rose 2% to 2,122 while accounting for 39.8% of all fatal work-related injuries.
• Slips, trips and falls resulted in 880 deaths – an 11.3% increase from the previous year.
• Workers in construction and extraction occupations experienced 1,066 fatal injuries – a 6.3% increase from 2019 and the highest total since 2007.
• Drivers/sales workers and truck drivers experienced 1,055 fatal injuries, the most since 2003.
• Deaths related to unintentional overdoses from nonmedical drug or alcohol use while at work climbed slightly to 313, marking the seventh straight annual increase in this category.
“Fatalities should never be the cost of doing business,” the National Safety Council said in a statement. “Employers need a systematic approach to safety that includes having policies, training and risk assessment techniques in place to address major causes of fatalities and injuries. Leadership needs to set the tone from the top and engage all workers in safety, identify hazards and measure safety performance using leading indicators to continuously improve.”

“With many safety advancements being readily available to employers nationwide, it’s troubling that we’re continuing to see higher numbers of worker fatalities,” said ASSP President Deborah Roy, M.P.H., RN, COHN-S, CSP, CIT, FASSP, FAAOHN. “Most occupational incidents are preventable given today’s technologies and proven safety and health strategies.”
The data release is the second of two annual BLS reports. The first, released Nov. 4, explored nonfatal injuries and illnesses among private-sector employees

Source: BLS (Bureau of Labor and Statistics) website      https://www.bls.gov/

GUIDANCE FOR RE-OPENING BUILDINGS ASHRAE  https://www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/resources is a global professional society of over 55,000 members committed to serve humanity by advancing the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and their allied fields. ASHRAE has established a Task Force to help deploy technical resources to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and possible future epidemics as it relates to the effects of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems on disease transmission. Guidance and building readiness information for different operational conditions have been developed for several building types, including commercial; residential; schools and universities; and healthcare facilities, as well as general guidance for re-opening buildings. ASHRAE’s reopening guidance provides practical information to help your HVAC system mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Some general recommendations are provided below. Please consult the full guidance for important details and consider reaching out to qualified design professionals for additional analysis as needed.

• Systems Evaluation: Inspect equipment, systems, and controls to check for existing issues. Evaluate outdoor air ventilation for compliance with design requirements. Make note of existing filters’ MERV rating. Analyze each HVAC system for appropriate engineering controls to improve its potential to reduce virus transmission. Check calibration per the guidance in ASHRAE Guideline 11-2018, Field Testing of HVAC Control Components.
• Inspection and Maintenance: Verify HVAC systems function per design intent using ASHRAE Standard 180- 2018, Standard Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Commercial Building HVAC Systems, or equivalent. Ensure that energy recovery devices can be operated safely.
• Ventilation and Filtration: Confirm systems provide required minimum amounts of outdoor air for ventilation and that the filters are MERV 13 or better filters for recirculated air. Combine the effects of outdoor air, filtration, and air cleaners to exceed combined requirements of minimum ventilation and MERV-13 filters.
• Building Readiness Plan: Create a plan to document the intended operation for the building, highlighting the mitigation strategies, temporary and permanent, to be implemented for the facility. o Non-HVAC Strategies: Note if face masks are required or recommended; implement social distancing, establish occupancy levels, and establish cleaning and handwashing requirements. o HVAC Strategies: Increased ventilation, improved filtration, and/or air cleaning technologies.
• Pre- or Post-Occupancy Flush with Outdoor Air: Focus on removing bio-burden pre-or post-occupancy of the building. Flush building for a time required to achieve three air changes of outdoor air (or equivalent, including effect of outdoor air, particulate filtration, and air cleaners).
• Modes of Operation for the Building: Operate in Occupied Mode when people are present in the building, including times when the building is occupied by a small fraction of its allowable capacity.
• Water Systems: In general, building water systems should be flushed before they are reopened. Refer to EPA Guidance on this topic here and ASHRAE Standard 188-2018, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems, and Guideline 12-2020, Managing the Risk of Legionellosis Associated with Building Water Systems.
• Energy Savings: During Evaluation and Inspection, determine optimized control strategies that can be implemented per ASHRAE Guideline 36-2018, High-Performance Sequences of Operation for HVAC Systems. HVAC&R systems play an important role in minimizing the spread of harmful pathogens, and ASHRAE is ready to provide technical resources and answer questions.

The most up-to-date ASHRAE COVID-19 guidance can be found https://www.ashrae.org/file%20library/technical%20resources/covid-19/guidance-for-re-opening-buildings.pdf