Miscellaneous Engineering Solutions

The City of Cincinnati is currently requiring building owners to inspect fire escapes attached to their buildings. We are familiar with the current mandates that the City has recently published and are effective in providing the documentation the City is looking for. As structural engineers, we are licensed professionals qualified, willing, and able to perform these investigations.

To ensure public safety, the City of Cincinnati now requires an inspection of all fire escapes. This means a visual examination by a professional, or someone under their direct supervision, to check the connections, condition of the metal or wood, and operation, to determine if it is in safe condition and will perform its intended purpose. Program requirements and deadlines are based on the age of the building and must comply with the following:

• The inspection form and report must be completed by a professional engineer or architect registered and authorized by the State of Ohio and include any recommended repairs.
• The inspection form and report must bear the seal and signature of the professional making the examination and report.
• The application must be accompanied with the filing and review fee of $100.00 + 3% technology fee = $103.00 total, payable to the City of Cincinnati.

Notices of examination requirements are being sent out to property owners whose building qualifies for this program. The director of the Department of Buildings & Inspections shall review each report and issue orders to make needed repairs based on one of the following conditions:

• Safe
• Safe With an Ordinary Repair and Maintenance
• Unsafe
• Unsafe and Imminently Hazardous

Our engineers are finding that most of the fire escapes they have examined fall in the Safe or Safe With an Ordinary Repair and Maintenance category. The director shall then order that the repairs and maintenance recommended by the professional be performed within the recommended timeframe and that the owner or person in control resubmit a report indicating that the repairs and maintenance conform to the recommendations. Penalties, fines, and Class D Civil Offense charges may apply to owners that do not comply.

Bridges are a critical aspect of transportation infrastructure. Whether a bridge is used to access private property, span obstacles on a small country road, or on a major highway, failure of the structure is not optional. CES can provide a complete structural analysis of your existing bridges or provide designs for a new structure.

Wood decks, and decks in general, are a highly desired design element of both single family residences and apartment complexes. The materials used in deck construction can often deteriorate faster than other aspects of a structure due to constant exposure to the weather. If you have concerns about the structural integrity, CES provides complete assessments and repair designs for commercial and residential decks.

The IBC (International Building Code) requires that handrails and guardrails, and their supports must be designed for 50 pounds per linear foot, applied in any direction at the top of the top rail, and a concentrated load of 200 pounds applied in any direction at any location along the top of the top rail. What does this mean? If a guardrail or handrail run is 50 linear feet in length, that system must be able to withstand 2,500 pounds of force (50lbs/ft x 50 ft run = 2,500 lbs). The connections for these systems can be simple for basic building materials but become more complicated with decorative guardrails.

Handrail, guardrail and materials testing are methods used for ensuring the ability of materials to meet the standards required by various building codes. We apply forces to various points of materials and connections, and provide documentation to prove that your architectural feature will comply with the necessary building codes. Safety is a very important aspect of public facilities.

Entertainment structures, or temporary structures, for festivals and celebrations often require permitting from city or county authorities. Just because a structure is unconventional, doesn't mean we can't handle it.