Flooding can impact any facility in any industry, but healthcare can be especially problematic. Not only are hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and other structures part of critical infrastructure – caring for and sometimes housing the most vulnerable members of our communities – they present special challenges due to their features and architecture.
There is a lot to consider when you’re planning flood protection for your building / facility. When choosing the best flow barrier, for example, one must consider more than just the size and structure of the opening, the means of deployment (active vs passive) and the water pressure. It’s also critical not to forget that the current within floodwaters often carries debris with it.
There are a lot of certifications out there, and depending on the industry you work in, some of them can be more meaningful than others. FM Approvals, on the other hand, is a name that demands respect no matter where you see it.
Some floods come with advance warning, whether it comes in the form of weather alerts, seasonal data or river level reports. Other floods come quickly as infrastructure fails or conditions exceed expectations. In both scenarios, having flood protection already in place or stored nearby can give you the edge you need to stop water from inundating your property.
The primary assets included in this acquisition will be Flex-Cover®, Flex-Gate® and Flex-Wall®, which together make up an innovative lineup of flood barrier products constructed using a revolutionary combination of high-strength textiles and corrosion resistant hardware. Many of these products are stored at the point-of-use and are unique in the marketplace. As of January 17, 2023, these products will be manufactured by PS Industries and sold under the PS Flood Barriers brand.
The idea of American governing bodies requiring that materials used in publicly funded projects originate in the United States is not a new one. In fact, the original Buy American Act originated in 1933, requiring federal agencies to purchase “domestic end products” and use “domestic construction materials.” This act has been amended multiple times over the past 90 years or so, including revisions in the late 1970s and the Build America, Buy America (BABA) Act introduced in 2021 (and taking effect in 2022). How do these regulations govern the inclusion of doors in a project? Read on for more information.
Flood protection is serious business, and rightly so. If a company claims that a product will perform a certain way under flooding conditions, failing to live up to those claims can be disastrous for everyone involved. As a result, various organizations have evolved in North America over the past century with the purpose of standardizing, testing and certifying manufactured flood protection measures. However, each of these entities approaches this critical task in a slightly different way, and that can lead to confusion on the part of those purchasing and installing the products. Here’s a brief overview of the most important organizations in flood control – and what each of them views as their responsibility in making sure that flood products live up to their promise.
All production facilities, from manufacturing to agriculture to food preparation, deal with industrial spills. These accidents range from inconvenient (like an accidental sprinkler release) to hazardous (oil or chemicals, for example), but all spills require a fast, dependable response that benefits from planning. For the most part, the adverse impact of an industrial spill of any scope is inversely proportional to the preparedness of the team and facility responsible for it. In other words, the more you plan for spills, the less of a problem they present.
Industry has been built on ingenuity, but as a result, many companies face something of a consistency problem. Seven out of ten pieces of equipment in their plant are “standard,” but those other three have been modified somehow to meet a unique need. Some of the most important jobs in an industrial setting need to be done by custom-built products, and that goes for doors, hatches, gates and barriers as much as it does for automation and technology.
Are there reliable flood protection barriers that don’t require human intervention? Are there measures that deploy automatically when flooding occurs? The answer is yes.
