With many states finally lifting stay-at-home orders and businesses reopening, employees returning to work may have new illnesses to worry about other than coronavirus. 

Many buildings have been shut down and unoccupied for months, causing a number of dangerous health risks, including degraded water quality, an increased risk of harmful pathogens such as Legionella, contaminants such as lead, or even gases that enter buildings through dry sanitary sewer drain traps. 

There is an industry consensus that precautions must be taken to safeguard building tenants from dangerous microbes and other bacteria that may have infected not only the entire plumbing system, but possibly HVAC systems as well. Last month, ASHRAE offered three free webinars and a detailed course focused on mitigating potential health risks during reopening of buildings closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the CDC has written guidelines for building water systems to ensure that they are safe after prolonged shutdown or minimal use. (View the guidelines here: https://bit.ly/2CH6KQu). 

Much like in plumbing, stagnation in other areas can be detrimental. I read a compelling quote the other day from author Leonard Sweet. It went, “Stagnation is death. If you don’t change, you die. It’s that simple. It’s that scary.”

Here at PM Engineer, we’re always searching for ways to be better. Unlike a plumbing company that might add a new leak detection product, in the media business, we do it differently. Starting this month, our magazine is moving to a digital platform. Our digital editions are in the same format as the print magazine — only better! These editions will allow interaction with our content in ways print simply cannot do. This includes new video overlays, digital messaging and even audio reading of content. 

You may have also noticed our publication has undergone a significant redesign. We put a lot of time and effort into making our product even better for you, our readers. However, PM Engineer will continue to remain your trusted source for industry news, market trends, new products and technology and more! 

Eventually, as industry events and meetings slowly begin to come back online, we look forward to seeing you there, and we will have physical copies, if you so desire. If you have any comments on our redesign, please reach out to me at krawcken@bnpmedia.com. I’d love to hear from you.