Highlights of LJB’s 2018
One of LJB’s secrets to longevity is our ability to evolve. As we stride into 2019, our 53rd year, our evolution continues. In 2018, we opened new offices and expanded existing ones, we celebrated collective and individual accomplishments, we networked and educated at events around the globe, and we had some fun. Most of all, […]
LJB Co-ops Put Theory into Practice and Learn the Value of Teamwork
This summer, LJB has had the pleasure of hosting four amazing co-ops—one working in our Houston, Texas, office and three in our Dayton, Ohio, office. Having salaried co-ops isn’t new to LJB. Human resource manager Laurie Iulg says co-ops have been part of the LJB fabric for more than 30 years. The company’s goal has […]
Never Underestimate the Risks of a Confined Space
Last month, a high school classmate of mine, and his co-worker, were involved in a fatally tragic, yet totally preventable, accident in a grain elevator—among other hazards, a confined space. I’ve spent my whole life working and doing my part to make sure that family, friends and coworkers are educated about the hazards involved with […]
Recent Posts
Never Underestimate the Risks of a Confined Space
Last month, a high school classmate of mine, and his co-worker, were involved in a fatally tragic, yet totally preventable, accident in a grain elevator—among other hazards, a confined space. I’ve spent my whole life working and doing my part to make sure that family, friends and coworkers are educated about the hazards involved with […]
Why the 3M SRL recall is about more than the equipment
As you may have heard, 3M has issued a stop use and recall of its DBI-SALA® Twin-Leg Nano-Lok™ edge and the Twin-Leg Nano-Lok™ Wrap Back Self-Retracting Lifelines—likely the most significant recall in the history of fall protection in terms of units, cost to the manufacturer and users’ business disruption. As part of a personal fall […]
Vol. 6 – OSHA clarifies RDS certification requirements
As many in the fall protection industry expected, OSHA has published a letter of interpretation (LOI) in response to a question about testing anchorages for rope descent systems (RDS). You can read it for yourself here, but when you do, I caution you to be attentive to the details. You’re probably familiar with those optical […]
LJB Project Manager Gives Back
LJB project manager Tracey Riepenhoff, P.E., C.S.P., PMP, has led and performed hundreds of fall hazard risk assessments and abatement design projects for LJB clients. It’s meaningful work that Tracey never takes lightly—knowing that her expertise may be the difference between someone safely working at heights and someone suffering a catastrophic fall. But, for Tracey, […]
Highlights of LJB’s 2018
One of LJB’s secrets to longevity is our ability to evolve. As we stride into 2019, our 53rd year, our evolution continues. In 2018, we opened new offices and expanded existing ones, we celebrated collective and individual accomplishments, we networked and educated at events around the globe, and we had some fun. Most of all, […]
Vol. 5 – Spend Wisely on Anchorages to Truly Improve Safety & Manage Risk
To conclude this blog series, we want to provide a specific recommendation for how to not only comply with OSHA’s regulations, but also increase safety and manage risk for your organization. Simply put: You cannot comply with one line of the OSHA regulation and think your systems are safe. Consider this: When you prepare to […]
Vol. 4 – The Value of a Qualified Person
As explained in the previous blog posts in this series, the evaluation of rope descent anchorages can be incredibly complex—and potentially very damaging. However, that doesn’t change the fact that OSHA still requires building owners to provide the assurance that their anchorages are fit for use. When deciding how to move forward, it is critical […]
Previous Posts
Never Underestimate the Risks of a Confined Space
Last month, a high school classmate of mine, and his co-worker, were involved in a fatally tragic, yet totally preventable, accident in a grain elevator—among other hazards, a confined space. I’ve spent my whole life working and doing my part to make sure that family, friends and coworkers are educated about the hazards involved with […]
Why the 3M SRL recall is about more than the equipment
As you may have heard, 3M has issued a stop use and recall of its DBI-SALA® Twin-Leg Nano-Lok™ edge and the Twin-Leg Nano-Lok™ Wrap Back Self-Retracting Lifelines—likely the most significant recall in the history of fall protection in terms of units, cost to the manufacturer and users’ business disruption. As part of a personal fall […]
Vol. 3 – If Load Testing Isn’t the Answer, What Is?
As mentioned in the previous blog post in this series, load testing without analysis is not a reliable way to determine anchorage strength. To avoid damage and unnecessary expense, anchorage strength should be predicted using analytical methods. When workmanship cannot be verified visually, such as with adhesive anchors, then nondestructive testing may be appropriate. But relying […]
Vol. 2 – Is Anchorage Load Testing Doing More Harm than Good?
Because of the new OSHA regulation language on rope descent anchorages, which we covered in our last blog post, many facility owners are heavily investing in designing, installing, inspecting and testing anchorages. Too often, though, the resources spent do nothing more than provide a false sense of security—or worse, cause more harm than good. It is […]
Vol. 1 – Do I Have Rope Descent Anchorages and What Does that Mean for Me?
When an organization takes ownership of a building, they also take on the responsibility for protecting workers who will inspect and maintain the facility. Many building owners hope to transfer that liability to the contractors they hire, but it cannot be fully avoided. In some cases, OSHA specifically places responsibility on the building owner. Rope […]
LJB Co-ops Put Theory into Practice and Learn the Value of Teamwork
This summer, LJB has had the pleasure of hosting four amazing co-ops—one working in our Houston, Texas, office and three in our Dayton, Ohio, office. Having salaried co-ops isn’t new to LJB. Human resource manager Laurie Iulg says co-ops have been part of the LJB fabric for more than 30 years. The company’s goal has […]
Saving Mussels One Project at a Time
Did you know that all native mussels are protected in Ohio? Since mussels are protected, scientists must determine the presence or absence of freshwater mussels before any construction activity disturbs a stream or river with a drainage area greater than 10 square miles. When we find evidence of mussels, we must conduct a larger survey […]
LJB Sustainability Challenge Yields Impressive Results
Last month, following our annual Earth Day celebration, LJB’s Sustainability Committee challenged our employees with a two-week Sustainability Challenge. Our team rose to the occasion and really focused on becoming more sustainable. Using mobile app Shine by Joulebug, our employees competed in teams to see who could reduce their ecological footprints the most. As shown […]
Spring ephemerals mean spring has finally arrived!
For our environmental science team, spring marks the beginning of the field season, when we trade our interior workstations for field visits to project sites. The official field season is typically timed to match the growing period of most plants, but may be designated by each agency. For example, ODOT projects only accept data collected […]
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability has origins in ecology and is described in that field of study as the endurance of systems and processes. Today, we most often link the term “sustainability” to environmentalism. One generally accepted definition for sustainability is: meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. […]
What is My Carbon Footprint and What Do I Do About It?
We often hear pleas to reduce our carbon footprint, but what does that mean and how can you do it? According to Wikipedia, a carbon footprint is defined as the total emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, or product. As we consume food, fuel, manufactured goods, and materials, and utilize roads, buildings, transportation, and […]
The 5 Rs of Environmentalism: Refuse
For the final “R” in our blog series on The Five Rs – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Replace, Refuse, we have focused this post on ways that you can refuse items to minimize your impact on the environment. Do we really need all this stuff? In the United States, we are bombarded with free stuff from […]
Highlights of LJB’s 2018
January 3, 2019 By Leah Kirby Leave a Comment
One of LJB’s secrets to longevity is our ability to evolve. As we stride into 2019, our 53rd year, our evolution continues. In 2018, we opened new offices and expanded existing ones, we celebrated collective and individual accomplishments, we networked and educated at events around the globe, and we had some fun. Most of all, […]