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Start preparing for 2011 hurricane season now With one of the most active Atlantic Hurricane seasons on record now over, the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) is encouraging business owners to use the cooler months ahead to add hurricane-resistant features to their commercial buildings. Commercial properties located in hurricane prone areas should have their roof covers inspected for needed repairs. Some repairs may be small; however, depending on the condition of your roof and its remaining useful life, more significant improvements may be needed. Modified bitumen and built-up roof cover systems should be inspected for leaks, bubbles, and severe cracking. These can be signs of trapped moisture. A simple moisture survey/thermal scan can determine if the insulation within the cover is wet, and it can measure how bad it is. Single ply membrane roofs should be checked for leaks as well as tears along seams and fasteners, shrinkage, and brittleness. For membrane covers with a parapet, particular attention should be paid to the area where the membrane goes from the deck up the parapet. If there has been shrinkage, the membrane will be overly tight and stretched with a trampoline affect. Conversely, if the membrane is too loose, this may be a sign that the adhesive used has degraded. Other items that should be inspected for securement is the roof cover’s drip edge / flashing, gutters, and roof mounted equipment. Rusted or corroded materials should be replaced. Inadequately secured roof mounted equipment can be secured to the structural component of the deck such as a steel bar joist using ¼ in. steel cables, turnbuckles and screws. The additional roof mounted equipment securement should never go directly into a roof deck unless it is verified to be structural concrete. This is also the best time to re-evaluate your hurricane plans. If you implemented your plan during this passed hurricane season, take the time to get feedback on its effectiveness. Survey all involved in order to making improvements to the plan. If you haven’t used your plan, you should still review your documented procedures and ensure that it is up to date. Make sure that the plan is well understood by all. Review proper shut down & start up procedures and include necessary training. Check the condition of your supplies and obtain the major supplies needed. It’s also a great time to schedule table top exercises and dry runs of the plan for the first or second quarter of 2011. http://www.disastersafety.org/ •Date: 8th Dec 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: DR general
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