BTC's Mike Wiscons Published in RCI's August 2016 Interface Journal

An article authored by Michael Wiscons, Senior Structural Engineer of Building Technology Consultants, Inc. (BTC), along with former employee Jaclyn May entitled: “Fall Arrest Anchorage: The Right Testing Procedure for Your Project” was recently published in RCI’s August 2016 issue of its Interface journal.

The article provides a brief review of standards related to fall arrest anchor testing, describes testing procedures for a specific fall arrest anchorage installation project, and includes a discussion of reference standards, testing forces, testing equipment, and results analysis.

When it is time to inspect or perform maintenance on mid- or high-rise building facades, suspended scaffolding is often the preferred method of access. In addition to proper rigging, attaching fall arrest to sturdy anchorage is essential. As such, fall arrest anchorage should be evaluated when systems are initially installed, when significant modifications or repairs are performed, or if use and/or exposure have led to concerns regarding the integrity of structural elements that cannot be easily inspected. Since each project is unique, it is important that the engineer responsible for evaluating fall arrest anchorage understands how to implement proper testing procedures. BTC has previously designed and tested fall arrest anchorage and davit systems for several projects.

Mr. Michael Wiscons, SE, PE is a previously published author, a member of the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois, serves on the Chicago Chapter Board of Directors of the International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI), and is a member of the Building Enclosure Council–Chicago (BEC). His 30+ years of professional experience includes facade evaluations, structural condition assessments, forensic investigations, structural analyses, project management, repair design and preparation of contract documents, construction contract administration, and construction observations.

Mike’s full article can be found here.  For more information about RCI, Inc., please visit their website - http://rci-online.org.