January Archives - Standards Michigan

Winter Sport

“Indians Playing Lacrosse on the Ice” 1934 Yale University Art Gallery

The literature for designing, building and maintaining sport and recreation related spaces in education settlements cuts across so many safety and sustainability risk aggregations that, starting 2024, we begin breaking up the topic according to four seasons; mindful that not all seasons are present in all settlements at all times of the year and in different age groups.

Volleyball at the high school level in the USA is a winter sport but a fall sport at the collegiate level. Rifle and Fencing is only a collegiate sport. Swimming “short course” (25 meter) competition is a winter sport depending upon regional facilities. (e.g. University of Southern California, University of North Carolina Wilmington, University of Michigan)

Join us today when we sort through the literature and any live public consultations on proposed changes to the most frequently referenced titles.

Hockey

Ice Hockey Arena Lighting

Figure Skating

Rifle

Recreation

Swimming

Coetzenburg Swimming Pool

Readings / Sport, Culture & Society

Maths and Sport

National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security

Virtual reality technology in evacuation simulation of sport stadiums

Du froid

“Weather is fate”

— Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu

“Road to Versailles at Louveciennes” 1869 Camille Pissarro

Heat tracing is a process used to maintain or raise the temperature of pipes and vessels in order to prevent freezing, maintain process temperature, or ensure that products remain fluid and flow through the system properly. Without electric heat tracing; much of the earth would be uninhabitable.

Heat tracing works by using an electric heating cable or tape that is wrapped around the pipe or vessel, and then insulated to help retain the heat. The heating cable is connected to a power source and temperature control system that maintains the desired temperature by regulating the amount of heat output from the cable. Heat tracing is commonly used in industrial applications where temperature control is critical, such as in chemical plants, refineries, and oil and gas facilities.

There are several types of heat tracing, including electric heat tracing, steam tracing, and hot water tracing, each of which have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. The selection of the appropriate type of heat tracing depends on the specific application and the required temperature range, as well as factors such as cost, maintenance, and safety considerations.

Heat Tracing for Piping Specification | NECA Standards (N.B. Link unstable)

2026 NEC CMP-17 Public Input Report | 2026 NEC CMP-17 Second Draft Report

Northern Michigan University | Marquette County

Capturing snow flakes as the fall out of the sky

[📹 Dmitry Dotsenko / dots_foto]pic.twitter.com/e3rwNUGLmK

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) January 29, 2025

Today we review the literature for snow and ice management (and enjoyment) produced by these standards-setting organizations:

Accredited Snow Contractors Association

American Society of Civil Engineers

American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ASTM International

FM Global

Destructive Deep Freeze Strikes Cold and Hot Regions Alike

Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers

Electrical Heat Tracing: International Harmonization — Now and in the Future

Indiana University.

The most beautiful college campus in the country covered in snow. pic.twitter.com/Tp33cQgKuq

— Alex Paul Photo (@alexpaulphoto) January 11, 2025

International Code Council

International Building Code: Chapter 15 Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures

National Electrical Contractors Association

National Fire Protection Association

Winter is Coming: Is Your Facility Protected? (Holly Burgess, November 2022)

National Electrical Code: Articles 426-427

National Floor Safety Institute

Snow and Ice Management Association

Underwriters Laboratories

Manufacturers:

Chromalox Electrical Heat Tracing Systems Design Guide

It is a surprisingly large domain with market-makers in every dimension of safety and sustainability; all of whom are bound by state and federal regulations.

Join us at 16:00 UTC with the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

Red surely made the most of his snow day! 🛷 ☃️

Who’s team snow on campus? ❄️ pic.twitter.com/F03KX1XyaR

— The Catholic University of America (@CatholicUniv) January 14, 2025

There have been several recent innovations that have made it possible for construction activity to continue through cold winter months. Some of the most notable ones include:

Heated Job Site Trailers: These trailers are equipped with heating systems that keep workers warm and comfortable while they take breaks or work on plans. This helps to keep morale up and prevent cold-related health issues.
Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs): ICFs are prefabricated blocks made of foam insulation that are stacked together to form the walls of a building. The foam insulation provides an extra layer of insulation to keep the building warm during cold winter months.
Warm-Mix Asphalt (WMA): WMA is a type of asphalt that is designed to be used in colder temperatures than traditional hot-mix asphalt. This allows road construction crews to work through the winter months without having to worry about the asphalt cooling and becoming unusable.
Pneumatic Heaters: These heaters are used to warm up the ground before concrete is poured. This helps to prevent the concrete from freezing and becoming damaged during the winter months.
Electrically Heated Mats: These mats are placed on the ground to prevent snow and ice from accumulating. This helps to make the job site safer and easier to work on during the winter months.

Overall, these innovations have made it possible for construction crews to work through the winter months more comfortably and safely, which has helped to keep projects on schedule and minimize delays.

Somewhat related:

Why so much slip and fall attorney advertisements after SCOTUS Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977)

Capturing snow flakes as the fall out of the sky

[📹 Dmitry Dotsenko / dots_foto]pic.twitter.com/e3rwNUGLmK

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) January 29, 2025

Map showing what states can actually drive in snow pic.twitter.com/qgKEhLtKbr

— Midwest vs. Everybody (@midwestern_ope) February 7, 2025

Electrical heat tracing: international harmonization-now and in the future

C. Sandberg

Tyco Thermal Controls

N.R. Rafferty – M. Kleinehanding – J.J. Hernandez

E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company, Inc

Abstract: In the past, electrical heat tracing has been thought of as a minor addition to plant utilities. Today, it is recognized as a critical subsystem to be monitored and controlled. A marriage between process, mechanical, and electrical engineers must take place to ensure that optimum economic results are produced. The Internet, expert systems, and falling costs of instrumentation will all contribute to more reliable control systems and improved monitoring systems. There is a harmonization between Europe and North America that should facilitate design and installation using common components. The future holds many opportunities to optimize the design.

CLICK HERE to order complete paper

Heat Tracing Installation

Industrial electroheating and electromagnetic processing

Pipe Heating

Heat Tracing

Pipe Heating

Capital Construction and Planning

Standards Colorado

Gates of Kiev | Pictures at an Exhibition | Promenade

“Own only what you can always carry with you:

know languages, know countries, know people.

Let your memory be your travel bag.”

— Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (The Gulag Archipelago, 1973)

Standards Ohio

Ohio K-12 Facilities Construction Commission | Map of K-12 Schools

The Great Gate of Kiev: Pictures at an Exhibition

The Year Ahead 2026

“Chance favors the prepared mind.”
— Louis Pasteur

Today at 16:00 UTC

The Year Ahead 2026

Agenda

Technical:

Respond to client queries and retainers

Prepare new proposals for the NFPA 2029 National Electrical Code

Prepare comments on the IEEE 2028 National Electrical Safety Code

Recap of activity in the ISO and IEC catalogs. We are members of Healthcare Management. We coordinate our responses to IEC CDV’s with IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee.

2025 “Wins” and “Losses”

“Wins”: All of the references to IEEE research and recommended practices that appear in electrical related titles in the NFPA catalog are the result of Standards Michigan advocacy in collaboration with the IEEE

“Losses”: Persist in getting Article 210 (Soon to be in Chapter 1) 180 VA per outlet requirement down to 150 VA instead of 120 VA in the ASHRAE suite from an energy conservation perspective. This will be the most meaningful and transformative code “win” since our 2014 code “win” in 2014 NEC Section 220.12.

Expansion of user-interest advocacy for the 2028 IEEE National Electrical Safety Code.

Follow up driving electrical safety concepts into the ASHRAE and ICC catalog that cannot, or will not, be incorporated into the NFPA catalog

Continue driving IEEE best practice literature into the NFPA, ASHRAE and IEEE catalog

Electric service reliability data gathering for point of common coupling of merchant utilities and schools, colleges, universities with emphasis on large health care systems. (Bob Arno’s IEEE 493 Gold Book update)

Break out coverage of ASHRAE 90.1 in its entirety in a dedicated content management system now that its scope includes outside/between buildings.

Break out coverage of Chapter 27 (Electrical) of the International Building Code as a “pivot” or “anchor” post for other relevant titles in the ICC catalog.

10-year retrospective on the IEEE Education & Healthcare Facilities Committee at the May Technical Conference in Montreal

Administrative:

Expansion of our unaccredited for-profit educational mission to Michigan school districts, colleges, universities, trade schools. In the normal course of business we present educational opportunities to faculty and students administered by ANSI, ASME, AWS, ACI, ICC, IEC, IEEE, IEEE, NIST, SAE and others. List of Faculty & Student Standards Education Resources

New signage at our State Street office

Rollout the platform to at least two more states — we have only one now.

Re-organize web pages to track IEEE, NFPA, ASHRAE, ICC, CSA Group and TIA catalog action more effectively. ASTM and UL catalogs remain “problematic” because their titles are so deeply embedded in products and less so in systems.

List of ANSI Accredited Standards Developers

List of US TAGS to the ISO

USNA IEC

Other:

Our thanks for the collegiality and wisdom of Larry Spielvogel as he enters retirement

Continued mentorship of electrical engineering students in the IEEE Southeastern Michigan Section. Introduction to mentorship partner Nathan from private industry.

Social Page Rollout: Engagements, Weddings & Births

A few of the University’s Electrical Engineers

The Year Ahead 2025

The Year Ahead: 2024

How to Care for Horses in the Winter

“No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.”
— Winston Churchill

Utah

Gulliver’s Travels

…”The curiosity and impatience of my master were so great, that he spent many hours of his leisure to instruct me. He was convinced (as he afterwards told me) that I must be a Yahoo, but my teachableness, civility and cleanliness, astonished him; which were qualities altogether opposite to those animals…”