Chaos and Opportunity

Chaos and Opportunity

3/27/20

At the time of this writing, we are all dealing with various forms of  "sheltering in-place" and "stay at home" orders from federal, state and local authorities as we collectively try to staunch the expansion of the COVID-19 virus.  We are not really sure how long this will last, but we know at some point, we will be getting back to work in our regular work places, doing our jobs the way we used to (perhaps with some modifications with the lessons learned from this situation).  Many of us have had experience in the past working with different tools to facilitate communication 'virtually', but few have had the chance to put them in practice the way have been forced to recently.

It isn't easy making these sorts of adjustments, but adjust we must.  In the beginning of this quarantine period, many people spent the majority of their time just trying to get their footing, so to speak - adapt to working from home, getting more familiar with the tools at their disposal, and trying to make sense of the current workload.

We should have reached somewhat of a steady-state by now and there are undoubtedly some tasks that are starting to become more "routine".  Effectiveness and efficiency in our new processes is important because it allows us to be productive.  Now is the time to get even more creative.  Looking ahead, to the time when you will be getting back to your regular routine at your workplace, ask yourself:  What are those things that are going to consume my focus as we get back up to speed?  What can I do now to NOW to make that process easier?  What sort of things to I have the opportunity to address NOW that I am away from the normal day to day distractions?  You may find that in this time of chaos there are opportunities for you to dig into problems and address concerns that you simply didn't have the time or resources to do before.  Now that you have been working from home for a while and you have cleaned out the garage or the closet that has been bugging you, what sort of things have you been neglecting at work that you could now get done remotely? 

Perhaps you don't have the time or expertise to address these things personally, but there is a good chance that there may be resources that available to help you with them.  Contractors, engineering firms, consulting firms and others are all re-adjusting their work load just as you are. This may be the perfect time to engage them to get these things done.  By so doing, you will also strengthen that corporate relationship and you may find long term benefits from the effort. 

We all have to respect the requirements to knock back this virus, but that could actually lead to some positive opportunities.   Give it a try.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

The Hidden Electrical Panel

The Hidden Electrical Panel

3/26/20

One gets to see all manner of things when you spend your time performing building inspections.  That was, in fact, one of the inspirations for this series of publications.  The hope is that by highlighting some of these issues, you can take a more critical look at the buildings in your portfolio and improve the way they are maintained.  It is fitting, as we work through the COVID-19 virus and re-evaluate how we conduct ourselves with respect to personal hygiene and spacing to prevent the spread of this disease, that we take a moment to also re-think our buildings and perhaps not ignore those things that "have always been that way" because some of those situations can lead to truly disastrous problems if not addressed.

Case in point:  what is wrong with this picture?  Most, if not all of you, already know.  Not only is it against code to have anything stored within 36" of an electrical panel, but stacking flammable materials this close to panel or switchgear is just asking for trouble!  Yet, of all of the problems observed in building, this (or a variation of it) is probably the most common.  Why do we do it?  Sometimes it is laziness.  Sometimes our buildings are built with a lack of proper storage space, or that storage space is already full.  Sometimes we tell ourselves that it is "just temporary" until we get those filters where they need to go.  NONE of those would be acceptable answers of the fire marshal showed up for a pop inspection though, and we know it. 

While we all know this is wrong and against NEC code, we continue to do so, often because we have been able to "get away with it" for so long in the past.  We fool ourselves into thinking that it can't be that bad because it has been that way for years, and I really don't have any other place to put that stuff anyway.  However, just as we are re-evaluating some of the social interactions that we are having to limit to prevent the spread of this virus, we now have to recognize that even though something doesn't appear to be likely, if the potential for serious harm is high, we need to take the threat seriously.

Years ago, while managing a group of buildings nearby, we contracted a well known, national electrical contractor to perform some much needed / overdue preventive maintenance and service to our electrical switchgear.  In watching the contractor go about his work, I was impressed by his commitment to safety.  This was 1999, but he was wearing full arc-flash rated clothing and face protection, he made sure the work area was clear of obstructions and debris, and he made sure I was at a safe distance before he began his work, among other things.  At the end of one work day, I complimented him on his commitment to safety.  He shared that he hadn't always been so cautious, but that the year prior, he lost a friend to a workplace accident involving arc-flash.  They were leaving the work site and his co-worker noticed an unsecured panel on an overhead buss duct.  They were in their street clothes, but his friend thought he could take the minute or two to re-secure the loose panel on their way out of the facility.  He was wrong, and the arc-flash that caught him ignited his non-rated clothing.  He died two weeks later from the burns he sustained. 

I share that story because it is directly related to the picture above.  While that isn't a person standing in front of those panels, but it is certainly combustible material, and an arc-flash here could ignite those boxes and potentially the entire building. 

This problem was addressed immediately when pointed out to the appropriate facilities maintenance personnel.  How many times, though, have we seen the same or similar problems in our facilities?  Electrical panels with cleaning supplies stored in front of them.  Electrical panels with water lines that have been routed over them.  Unsecured electrical panels in public spaces (especially in schools were children can access them).  Too often, we walk right by these things because we don't really "see" them - they have become the background 'noise' of our environment.  Let's take a moment and add this to our 'to-do' list and clean this stuff up.  The building you save may be your own.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020

Challenge Issued

Telecommuting.  Distance working.  Remote access.  Skype.  WebEX.  MS Teams. Google Hangouts.

We have been using these tools and these buzzwords in business for years now, and for some of us, they are actually regular parts of our everyday work.  Others have heard of them and perhaps used them from time to time, but are not as familiar with them.

The time is NOW to take what we have learned and leverage these tools in this most unusual of circumstances that we find ourselves in.  As I write this, we are a little over a week into a sort of soft lock-down of "self-quarantine" and maintaining proper "social distancing" as we try to beat back the Covid-19 virus.  All indications are that we have weeks more to go before we are out of the woods on this.  There are only so many re-runs to watch.  We are driven, productive, business oriented people with a nagging voice in the back of our head saying "Do Something!".  In addition to that, we likely have businesses that face uncertain futures, employees and family members that are relying on us.  Do something indeed!  Now is the time for action.

With the restrictions put upon us by prudence and the government, we are limited in some ways with what we can do, but there are still opportunities to be productive and move the business forward.  All those buzzwords you have heard, those social media and networking tools that you have dabbled with in the past, now is the time to transform them into truly useful business tools.  We can find ways to get work done in virtual spaces, using the very powerful communication tools at our disposal.  Many of us work with data and information as our core stock and trade, so lets continue to do that.  Let's find ways to meet our client's needs even when we can't meet with them face to face.  Let's work on those items on the "To Do" list that we always talk about getting around to doing, but never seem to find the time.

We are living in extraordinary times and it will take some extraordinary thinking to work our way out of this.  However, we have have been blessed to have this crisis hit us at a time when we have more tools and resources at our disposal than ever before.  Let's take this opportunity to re-evaluate what CAN be done and not focus on what we are prevented from doing.  Those companies that can effectively leverage their available resources will come out of this situation stronger for it.  Let's see if there are ways in which we can help our fellow families, employees and companies stay engaged and productive even if the office we are working in looks a bit different.

This is the challenge that has been laid at our feet.  Let us together meet this challenge and through creativity, find ways to help each other be successful.

© Michaud Engineering Inc. 2020