Critical Member Analysis is a vital part of structural engineering that focuses on evaluating the strength, integrity, and performance of essential structural elements within a building or system. These “critical members” are the components—such as beams, columns, trusses, or load-bearing walls—that are crucial to the overall stability and safety of a structure. Failure in any of these elements can compromise the entire system, making thorough analysis not just important, but necessary.

At EES Group, our Critical Member Analysis process is designed to identify potential weak points and ensure that key structural components meet both design standards and real-world demands. Whether you’re dealing with new construction, structural retrofits, or insurance evaluations after a natural disaster, our team uses advanced engineering tools, modeling software, and field data to assess the true condition of each member under various loading scenarios.

The goal of Critical Member Analysis is to prevent failure before it happens. This includes analyzing how a member performs under stress, impact, temperature changes, or aging. By modeling loads and forces, engineers can determine if a beam is under-designed, if corrosion has reduced the load capacity of a steel column, or if settlement is putting uneven strain on a foundational wall. These insights allow for proactive solutions—like reinforcement, material replacement, or design changes—before costly or dangerous problems arise.

This type of analysis is especially important in mission-critical environments such as hospitals, schools, government buildings, or aging infrastructure where failure is not an option. Property managers, architects, and developers rely on Critical Member Analysis to make informed decisions during renovations, inspections, or project planning. It’s also a key requirement for meeting local code compliance and insurance assessments.

At EES Group, our engineering team brings decades of expertise to every project. We take pride in delivering reliable, data-driven insights through Critical Member Analysis that help safeguard your investment and ensure long-term structural performance. Whether you’re managing a high-rise, commercial plaza, or municipal facility, our solutions are engineered to support the critical members holding your project together.

AutoCAD is one of the most widely used computer-aided design (CAD) software platforms in the world—and for good reason. Developed by Autodesk, AutoCAD allows engineers, architects, and designers to create precise 2D and 3D drawings used in construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure development. Its ability to streamline complex design processes makes it a critical tool in industries where accuracy, efficiency, and detail are essential.

One of the biggest benefits of AutoCAD is increased accuracy and precision. Manual drafting is prone to errors and inconsistencies, but AutoCAD’s grid systems, snap tools, and dimensioning features ensure that every line, arc, and angle is exact. This precision is vital when developing mechanical components, structural layouts, electrical schematics, or HVAC plans—where even the smallest mistake can lead to costly rework or safety issues.

Another major advantage of AutoCAD is time efficiency. Features like reusable block libraries, layer controls, and automated updates across multiple sheets help speed up revisions and reduce duplication of effort. This means projects can be completed faster without sacrificing quality. Whether it’s for a new building, electrical system, or retrofit design, AutoCAD streamlines the drafting process from concept to completion.

AutoCAD also enhances collaboration and communication across teams. DWG files can be easily shared, edited, and reviewed by engineers, project managers, and contractors, allowing for real-time collaboration and fewer miscommunications. Plus, its compatibility with BIM (Building Information Modeling) software and cloud platforms makes it easier to integrate designs into broader project workflows.

In summary, using AutoCAD for technical drawings brings measurable benefits—greater accuracy, faster delivery, improved collaboration, and reduced project risk. Whether you’re developing blueprints for a high-rise, electrical layouts for a commercial facility, or custom parts for manufacturing, AutoCAD remains a cornerstone tool for delivering professional, compliant, and reliable results in today’s fast-paced design environments.

A Professional Engineer (PE) is a licensed engineer who has met rigorous standards in education, experience, and examination to legally offer engineering services to the public. The PE license is granted by state licensing boards and is recognized as the highest standard of competence in the engineering profession. To earn this title, candidates must first complete an accredited engineering degree, pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam, gain relevant work experience under a licensed PE, and then pass the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam.

Professional Engineers play a critical role in ensuring the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of infrastructure and systems across a wide range of industries, including civil, mechanical, electrical, and environmental engineering. Their work can involve designing bridges, supervising construction projects, overseeing power systems, or improving HVAC performance in commercial buildings. A PE’s stamp signifies that a design or plan meets code, is structurally sound, and is safe for public use.

One of the key distinctions of being a PE is the legal authority to sign and seal engineering documents, which is often required for government permits and public projects. This added responsibility means PEs must adhere to a strict code of ethics and are held to high accountability standards. Their approval carries significant weight in areas like public safety, regulatory compliance, and project feasibility.

Hiring a PE gives businesses and developers a competitive edge. Whether it’s planning a new building, improving energy efficiency, or troubleshooting complex systems, a PE brings certified expertise that helps avoid costly errors and ensures regulatory approval. In high-stakes environments such as construction, utilities, or manufacturing, their input is essential for project success.

In summary, a Professional Engineer is more than just a technical expert—they are licensed professionals trusted to make critical decisions that impact safety, compliance, and sustainability. Working with a PE guarantees your engineering project is in the hands of someone qualified, accountable, and committed to the highest professional standards.

A Certified Safety Professional (CSP) is a credentialed expert in the field of occupational health and safety, recognized for their advanced knowledge in identifying, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards. This certification is awarded by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) and is considered the gold standard for safety professionals across industries. To become a CSP, individuals must meet education and experience requirements and pass a comprehensive examination covering safety management systems, risk assessment, emergency planning, and more.

CSPs are instrumental in reducing workplace injuries, illnesses, and incidents by implementing effective safety programs and fostering a culture of safety within organizations. Their work spans across industries like construction, manufacturing, logistics, energy, and government operations—anywhere health and safety risks can impact workers, equipment, or the environment. CSPs don’t just enforce safety rules—they use data and analysis to develop practical solutions that prevent future issues.

One of the key responsibilities of a CSP is ensuring compliance with federal and state safety regulations, including OSHA standards. They conduct inspections, write safety plans, lead training programs, investigate incidents, and help develop risk mitigation strategies. Their insights are essential during audits, policy reviews, and legal proceedings, making them valuable assets in both proactive and reactive safety management.

Hiring a CSP signals a company’s commitment to worker well-being and operational integrity. Beyond compliance, CSPs help reduce insurance costs, minimize downtime, and improve employee morale by creating safer, more efficient work environments. They often lead safety committees, assist with safety certifications, and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives throughout the organization.

In short, a Certified Safety Professional is not just a title—it’s a trusted role in protecting lives and maintaining business continuity. Whether you’re a growing company or an established operation, partnering with a CSP ensures that your workplace safety efforts are guided by proven expertise, helping you stay ahead of potential risks and regulatory challenges.

A Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) is a professional who specializes in identifying and controlling environmental hazards in the workplace that could affect employee health and safety. These hazards may include chemical exposure, air quality issues, noise, radiation, biological agents, and ergonomic stressors. CIHs are certified by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) after meeting rigorous education, experience, and examination requirements, making them one of the most trusted resources for occupational health and safety consulting.

CIHs play a vital role in creating safer work environments across a wide range of industries including manufacturing, construction, energy, healthcare, and government. They evaluate potential risks using scientific methods such as air sampling, noise measurements, and chemical exposure assessments. From there, they recommend controls like ventilation improvements, personal protective equipment (PPE), engineering solutions, or changes to workplace procedures to minimize risk.

In addition to identifying hazards, CIHs are also responsible for ensuring compliance with OSHA, NIOSH, and other regulatory standards. Their expertise is often called upon during audits, accident investigations, or when companies want to proactively assess risk before expanding operations or launching new facilities. Their input can be critical for reducing liability, lowering insurance premiums, and maintaining worker productivity.

Hiring a CIH can benefit organizations both large and small. Whether it’s improving indoor air quality, conducting mold or asbestos inspections, or setting up a respiratory protection program, a CIH provides evidence-based strategies for healthier, more compliant workplaces. They also assist in training programs, policy development, and long-term health and safety planning.

Ultimately, a Certified Industrial Hygienist is more than just a safety consultant—they’re a vital part of your risk management strategy. By identifying unseen threats and implementing preventative measures, CIHs help protect your workforce, safeguard your operations, and ensure your company remains compliant and competitive in today’s highly regulated landscape.

OSHA repeatedly said masks do not protect.

Daniel Horowitz | March 12, 2021 (Click Here For Original Link)

“Asbestos particles are on average 5 microns, which are much larger than SARS-CoV-2, yet nobody in my field – industrial hygiene – would recommend that we could protect workers from asbestos exposure using a mask,” said Stephen Petty, a certified industrial hygienist and hazardous exposure expert, on my podcast last week. “In fact, I would argue that you’d lose your credentials for saying such a thing.”

The notion that cheap cloth and surgical masks are considered proper protection, much less bona fide PPE, for a virus that is 0.1 microns – 1/50^th the size of average asbestos fiber – was always absurd. And the fact that this virus spread for two entire subsequent waves after masks became universal, with zero evidence they played any role in altering the natural course of the virus – is proof of this universal fact that OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and other agencies that dealt with hazardous exposure always understood.

For respiratory protection, OSHA has the Respiratory Protection Standard — RPS (29 CFR 1910.134), which has strict prescriptive requirements for use of respirators. Masks are not part of the RPS because they cannot be fit-tested – and OSHA knows this. Only fitted respirators can help protect against particles anywhere near the size of viruses. A surgical mask is absolutely not considered PPE, and even if it were, it would work as well as a chain-link fence in front of swarming gnats.

Mask-wearing has become such a religious sacrament that people will place them on their toddlers for hours, they will exercise in them, and they will engage in all sorts of contradictory and absurd behavior that implicitly ascribes super-magical powers to cheap Chinese cloths. Yet few people remember what OSHA has said for years about the issue of masks and protection against viruses.

In order to remind a nation under an unfathomable psychosis of “toxic maskulinity,” here is your handy timeline of statements OSHA made about masks when the agency was actually trying to follow science and properly protect people, not engage in politics and virtue-signaling. As you read through it, you will understand why Ian Miller’s more than 100 mask charts demonstrate that masks have never worked anywhere against this virus.

May 2009: OSHA Fact Sheet: Respiratory Infection Control: Respirators Versus Surgical Masks

While explaining that surgical masks only work for splashes or large droplets, OSHA made it clear: “Surgical masks are not designed or certified to prevent the inhalation of small airborne contaminants.” OSHA goes on to say: “Their ability to filter small particles varies significantly based upon the type of material used to make the surgical mask, so they cannot be relied upon to protect workers against airborne infectious agents.”

December 16, 2009: Video: The Difference Between Respirators and Surgical Masks

In this video, the narrator says very emphatically, “A surgical mask is not a respirator, and that’s an important distinction for you and your employer to understand.” The video is targeted mainly at health care workers. “Face masks are not designed or certified to seal tightly against your face or to prevent the inhalation of small airborne contaminants.” The video also says: “Remember, face masks are not considered respirators and they do not provide respiratory protection.”

January 2011: Respiratory Protection for Health Care Workers Training Video

OSHA again reiterates that while face masks, including surgical and medical procedure masks, protect against splashes, they “are not designed or certified to seal tightly against your face or to prevent the inhalation of small airborne contaminants” (at 9:20). As the video shows arrows of contaminants getting around and through the mask, the narrator declares, “During inhalation, small airborne contaminants pass through gaps between the face and the face mask and the material of the mask.” The narrator emphasizes again, “Remember, face masks are not considered respirators and do not provide respiratory protection.”

May 2015: Hospital Respiratory Protection Program Toolkit

Per this 96-page resource for respirator program administrators, on the very first page, it states that it contains recommendations as well as descriptions of mandatory safety and health standards. These are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace. In this resource, OSHA indicates: “Facemasks are not considered respiratory protection.”

December 20, 2017: OSHA letter from worker requesting clarification of OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard

In response to a question by the writer as to whether surgical masks should be permitted on a voluntary basis when respiratory protection is not required, OSHA states: “Surgical masks do not seal tightly to the wearer’s face, nor do they provide a reliable level of protection from inhaling smaller airborne particles.”

April 2020: Ten Steps All Workplaces Can Take to Reduce Risk of Exposure to Coronavirus (a poster)

This was OSHA’s initial guidance to employers on how to deal with the virus in the workplace. The agency recommend disinfecting the room and limiting the number of people, which is in line with long-standing protocol, but did not mention a word about masking, presumably because the idea of a mask blocking a virus would be absurd.

However, at some unknown point, OSHA placed a disclaimer on the top of this poster stating the following: “Given the evolving nature of the pandemic, OSHA is in the process of reviewing and updating this document. These materials may no longer represent current OSHA recommendations and guidance. For the most up-to-date information, consult Protecting Workers Guidance.”

Clearly, those promulgating this material didn’t want to show their work and accentuate the point that they never believed masks worked, but still had to broadly notify people that the science is “evolving.”

January 29, 2021: Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace

Now, roughly eight months after mask-wearing became a national religion, they suddenly change their tune with this “guidance,” which appears to be updated periodically. Under the section “What Workers Need to Know about COVID-19 Protections in the Workplace,” this document states:

• Face coverings are simple barriers to help prevent your respiratory droplets or aerosols from reaching others. Not all face coverings are the same; the CDC recommends that face coverings be made of at least two layers of a tightly woven breathable fabric, such as cotton, and should not have exhalation valves or vents.
• The main function of a face covering is to protect those around you, in case you are infected but not showing symptoms. Studies show that face coverings reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth.
• Although not their primary value, studies also show that face coverings can reduce wearers’ risk of infection in certain circumstances, depending upon the face covering.
• You should wear a face covering even if you do not feel sick. This is because people with COVID-19 who never develop symptoms (asymptomatic) and those who are not yet showing symptoms (pre-symptomatic) can still spread the virus to other people.

Notice carefully how they slipped in the word “or aerosols” in expressing the disproven assumption of mask efficacy, which stands in opposition to years of their own research, but then when they speak about the actual “studies” on efficacy, they only identify “spray of droplets” as the extent of effective protection from masks. Note also the “emotional persuasion” argument to falsely suggest you help others by wearing a mask, not yourself.

As anyone with a scintilla of logic recognizes, very few people, especially with everyone keeping so far away from each other, are spitting into each other’s mouths with visible droplets that would be large enough for masks to block. In no way could such a rare occurrence account for the rapid spread of tens of millions of cases long after people wore the masks as regularly as pant and shirts.

Recently, Biden’s former top epidemiologist, Michael Osterholm, joined a group of scientists criticizing the CDC for continuing to downplay aerosol transmission and not updating its indoor guidance based on this fact. But it was OSHA that said for years that masks absolutely do not work for aerosols.

As the FDA says on its website until this very day, masks do not work for airborne-transmitted viruses, only to “block large-particle droplets, splashes, sprays, or splatter,” which is not the primary transmission method of the virus. The FDA also says, “Surgical masks are not intended to be used more than once,” guidance rarely abided by as a result of the mask mandate.

Absurdly, on OSHA’s “evolving” web page on “Control and Prevention,” the agency plainly recommends that workers “wear cloth face coverings.” Buried deep down in the document, though, is a memorial to the pre-political scientific view: “Surgical masks are not respirators and do not provide the same level of protection to workers as properly-fitted respirators. Cloth face coverings are also not acceptable substitutes for respirators.”

So they openly admit cloth masks are worthless, and then toss out an unverifiable throwaway line that surgical masks “do not provide the same level of protection,” when they know all too well that they provide no level of protection for the small aerosols, which are what really gets into people’s lungs.

The fact that everyone universally understood this until last April, and the fact that every place that had an ironclad mask mandate in place for months with low cases, such as Los Angeles and the Czech Republic, yet still suffered from the most prolific spread in the world in later months, should make it clear that the long-standing guidance predating COVID politics is the authentic science.

Last June, after mask-wearing had already morphed into a budding religious cult, Cambridge and Greenwich Universities published a study predicting that universal mask-wearing would prevent a second wave. As Reuters explained their findings, “Even homemade masks can dramatically reduce transmission rates if enough people wear them in public.”

Well, it wasn’t just “enough” people who wore them, but it became universal with the sternness of nothing we’ve ever seen before in society. Yet there were two more waves of the virus subsequently that were greater than the first wave, especially in the areas with strict lockdowns and mask-wearing. But to this day, they will look us in the face and say we need masks to prevent the fourth wave, as if the world began yesterday.

It’s not merely a problem of collateral damage – in which government is forcing children to suffer long-term mental and physical health problems from prolonged mask-wearing in return for zero protection from the virus. It’s that they are offering people who are legitimately vulnerable to the virus a false sense of security that masking will protect them indoors when they know quite well that anyone advocating this for other hazards as small in size as this virus would lose their job over such a recommendation.

As Stephen Petty said on my podcast, the way his profession always deals with exposure risks is to employ engineering controls, which include destruction, dilution, or containment. For a fraction of the cost we’ve spent on destroying and then subsidizing the entire economy, we could have focused on filtration systems or self-cleaning systems that would actually have protected people. Just as on the pharmaceutical side, our government focused on expensive and ineffective treatments rather than cheap established drugs and supplements that could have fortified most people against the virus, it likewise focused on lockdowns and masks as an illusory means of exposure protection rather than actually killing the virus.

How much science are our government officials willing to distort, and how many lives are they willing to sacrifice for an article of faith that has already been disproven by two uncontrolled waves after universal mask-wearing became a fundamentalist religion? Exactly as long as we allow it to continue.

By Megan Mansell (Click Here For Original Link)

“I’ve always believed that credentials don’t matter in science. If you have a good idea, you can have no credentials, and if the evidence supports your positions, then you’re right.” Dr. Jay Bhattacharya at 42:50 in Governor DeSantis’ Roundtable, 04/13/2021

It was never about reality. 

Had it been about the scientific process, it would have begun with minimum viable particle size under pressure, which for COVID-19-size particulates is .06 microns. We’d have noted that this particle is under .3 microns, placing it firmly within the radically-behaving particulate range, noting that multiple virions can compose a single particle cluster and still fall well under that threshold. 

It would have then become about respiratory emission particle size ranges, and we would have observed that around 90% of exhaled particulates fall within the radically-behaving particulate airborne particulate range.

Why does this matter? We heard “DROPLET” nonstop for 6 months before anyone began acknowledging airborne pathogenic spread, without ever correcting course on our nation’s personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations, especially the use of random face masks as source control. 

Exhale matters a great deal with an airborne pathogen. COVID-19 is a low minimum infective dose pathogen, so when every breath you take increases the atmospheric viral load in an enclosed space, and it doesn’t take very much of it for vulnerable individuals to get sick, a contagious individual should not wear a mask or respirator that creates a concentrated stream on exhale of fine particulates that do not respond predictably to gravity and remain aloft for hours (even days, as explained thoroughly by Senior Industrial Hygienist Stephen Petty here), as this exacerbates the spread of airborne pathogen.

For a closer consideration of the mechanics involved in the process of aerosolization through a membrane, please see my article “Indignation in a Polarized State,” where I discuss at length how changes in respiratory pressure through a membrane cause the forced aerosolization of droplets, creating both pressurized plumes and forced filtration of larger droplets, taking what would fall in a predictable 6-foot arc and sending it into an 18-20-foot trajectory, where it remains aloft, officially killing the “6 feet over or 6 feet under” rhetoric.

Some are not yet brave enough to say the tide has turned, yet the waters are churning, murky and dark, and many are fighting back, finally creating alignment with the relevant scientific fields, such as Senior Industrial Hygienist Kristen Meghan Kelly and OSHA integration expert Tammy Clark’s stellar and concrete takedown of OSHA-non-compliant apparatuses being required, with near-impossible public exemption requirements, and how  medical consent and medical clearance fit into workplace respirator and PPE requirement guidelines and implementation. Their joint testimony aided in the success in passing North Dakota House Bill 1323, which is aimed at the prevention of future masking requirements. 

Medical consent is a huge part of the COVID-19 conversation that has been swept under the rug time and again, as school districts require children to wear masks to attend federally-funded free and appropriate public educational institutions, while failing to acknowledge that child-size masks are unregulated and have no standards for use. If someone had told me an ethics board would approve a study on children that would decrease their oxygen intake for prolonged periods, increase recycled carbon dioxide exposure, come with grave microbial inhalation issues (as children wear them in dirty public restrooms, drop them, put them on lunchroom tables and then back on their faces, blow their noses in them, put them back on their faces, even vomit in them, and breathe this for 8 hours), I’d have obviously said they were spending too much time sniffing glue.

Medical consent belongs in all conversations involving non-standard integration requirements for a given student. Not only are exemptions being denied rampantly in public schools without freecourse (that’s recourse without it costing you, and yes, I just made that word up), but truly immunocompromised students are compliant with these masking orders, and it is putting the lives of our truly vulnerable in undue risk when there are far better options for tiered integration of special populations within our schools. But here we are, performing this very experiment on those we hold dearest, and they are defenseless. This must stop. 

Those of us on Team Reality have had our spirits trampled over the past year. The food becomes flavorless, as a caged bird does not sing. The lockdowns and unfathomable distancing of local leadership from behaving as responsible, attentive representatives has been an absolute dumpster fire. Ask me how I know. 

Yet I found myself humming recently, and it took me by surprise. I see reason taking root, and I am becoming content with the peace that these shifting tides have brought to us, but I fear we’ll flip a switch and leave our developing nations in a confused and aimless scramble, as we must engage in dissent with the rest of the world to truly slay this many-headed beast of misinformation and woke credentialism without substance.
 
We expected a prepared and targeted response. We got the national flood mitigation equivalent of boats full of holes. 

Free our people from these mandates and treat this as an environs mitigation issue, not solely a medical dilemma. And in the case of future pandemics, can we all agree to leave out the granny-made non-PPE?

Megan Mansell is a former district education director over special populations integration, serving students who are profoundly disabled, immunocompromised, undocumented, autistic, and behaviorally challenged; she also has a background in hazardous environs PPE applications. She is experienced in writing and monitoring protocol implementation for immunocompromised public sector access under full ADA/OSHA/IDEA compliance. She can be reached at MeganKristenMansell@Gmail.com.