Creepy Office Memo - Anybody Ever Heard of This?

[kittensaver]

Today when we arrived at the office, there was a general memo waiting for us from the building management. They want everyone to vacate the building no later than 7 pm tonight (and they are enforcing a building sweep to make sure that everyone is out) because they are - get this! - X-RAYING one of the floors!

How creepy is that? Or is it just me? Anyone know why someone would want to x-ray an ordinary office building? Are they looking for dead bodies or something? *shudder*

Anyway - if anyone's ever heard of this (or you have any other juicy/bizarre office stories), I'd like to hear it/like to know why.

[973beachbum]

I have only ever heard of it once.  They were doing some work and weren't exactly sure where the electrical wires were.  doing the xray thing was actually cheaper than busing up all the concrete and hoping not to hit one.

I have also know a few building where they thought they knew exactly where all the buried stuff was only to be proven really wrong!

[MarleyKeezy78]

They will x ray floors to see if they need to avoid things if they need to cut/pull them up for some reason. Or maybe they are looking for a body in the concrete 

[Cookies Galore]

Is someone hiding pot in the walls?

[ArchietheDragon]

Jimmy Hoffa!

[Deleted]

Are they looking for dead bodies

Maybe, like mice or rodents. Sometimes they are in the walls stinking up the place and you can't find them. But finding the wiring sounds good too.

[hoops902]

Looking for structural defects (crack in a beam), looking for where wiring and HVAC is run, etc.  It's probably nothing exciting like Hoffa.

[Blonde Granny]

There could be a water line leak between floors also.  Xray is a less expensive option to find the right place to repair withut tearing everything else up.

[NancysSummerSip]

How creepy is that? Or is it just me? Anyone know why someone would want to x-ray an ordinary office building? Are they looking for dead bodies or something? *shudder*

You can be honest with us. Tell us where you hid the body. It's OK, we won't tell a soul. They've got nothing on you.

[lynnerself]

Not the same, but DH got a request that the entire State not log out of their e-mail one night.
They were looking for evidence in an investigation.

[kittensaver]

Mar 13, 2015 12:48:32 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

How creepy is that? Or is it just me? Anyone know why someone would want to x-ray an ordinary office building? Are they looking for dead bodies or something? *shudder*

You can be honest with us. Tell us where you hid the body. It's OK, we won't tell a soul. They've got nothing on you.

[milee]

Mar 13, 2015 12:34:18 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Are they looking for dead bodies

Maybe, like mice or rodents. Sometimes they are in the walls stinking up the place and you can't find them.

Yeah, but if we expose them to xrays, won't we get Giant Mutant Rodents?!?  I'm thinking the live version of the RUS. 

[HoneyBBQ]

Definitely looking to see if the building is stable and/or it matches the blueprints. No big deal, really. 

[dannylion]

Here's what I'd do: I'd call the facilities office or building maintenance or whoever sent the memo and ask them.  If they wouldn't tell me, then I'd start to worry.  The chances are they would tell me, though, and then I could be all smug and know-it-all when my co-workers are speculating about Jimmy Hoffa and giant mutant rodents and what not and tell them "Oh, no, they just need to assess the goncularity of the reticulated hemiframitz.  It's no big deal."  'Cause that's probably what they're doing.  Checking the goncularity of the reticulated hemiframitz.  Or something similar. 

[hoops902]

Maybe someone thinks using x-rays is a good way to see what is in all of your computer files in one fell swoop.

[Phoenix84]

Kittensaver,

I work in the radiation safety field, and what's happening is what's called x-ray radiography. The radiographer is going to be getting x-ray images of the structure of the building to determine if there are any micro factures or other structural integrity problems.  It can also be used to locate unknown wiring or buried items.  It's a commonly used non destructive testing (NDT) method.

It is extremely important for the radiographers to clear the area, as a radiography source can expose an individual to extremely high radiation areas, and cause serious injury in a very short period of time.

But there's no danger after the shot has been completed, radiography does not leave any contamination.  It is actually quite common.  They use it on buildings, ships, airplanes, and oil pipelines.  It's just a tool engineers use to assess structural integrity.

It's very highly regulated, and it's the job of people like me to ensure they're doing what they are supposed to.

[hoops902]

::It is extremely important for the radiographers to clear the area, as a radiography source can expose an individual to extremely high radiation areas, and cause serious injury in a very short period of time.::

Chances of Hulkification due to this radiation?

[kittensaver]

Mar 13, 2015 17:53:23 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Kittensaver,

I work in the radiation safety field, and what's happening is what's called x-ray radiography. The radiographer is going to be getting x-ray images of the structure of the building to determine if there are any micro factures or other structural integrity problems.

It is extremely important for the radiographers to clear the area, as a radiography source can expose an individual to extremely high radiation areas, and cause serious injury in a very short period of time.

But there's no danger after the shot has been completed, radiography does not leave any contamination.  Radiography is actually quite common.  They use it on buildings, ships, airplanes, and oil pipelines.  It's just a tools engineers use to assess structural integrity.

It's very highly regulated, and it's the job of people like me to ensure they're doing what they are supposed to.

Thanks Phoenix84.

I was curious so I asked, and was told what others have said here - - they are planning to drill into the floor and do some other major infrastructure work, and they want to make sure they do it in the right place and don't damage anything or start an electrical fire.

But I STILL say the memo was creepy .

[Phoenix84]

Mar 13, 2015 17:57:36 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

::It is extremely important for the radiographers to clear the area, as a radiography source can expose an individual to extremely high radiation areas, and cause serious injury in a very short period of time.::

Chances of Hulkification due to this radiation?

More like getting cancer or losing some fingers.

[Cookies Galore]

Mar 13, 2015 17:59:36 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Mar 13, 2015 17:57:36 GMT -5 hoops902 said:

::It is extremely important for the radiographers to clear the area, as a radiography source can expose an individual to extremely high radiation areas, and cause serious injury in a very short period of time.::

Chances of Hulkification due to this radiation?

More like getting cancer or losing some fingers.

But the fingers grow back as Adamantiium claws, right?

[yogiii]

Mar 13, 2015 14:57:58 GMT -5 milee said:

Mar 13, 2015 12:34:18 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Maybe, like mice or rodents. Sometimes they are in the walls stinking up the place and you can't find them.

Yeah, but if we expose them to xrays, won't we get Giant Mutant Rodents?!?  I'm thinking the live version of the RUS. 

[NastyWoman]

Mar 13, 2015 17:59:09 GMT -5 kittensaver said:

Mar 13, 2015 17:53:23 GMT -5 Phoenix84 said:

Kittensaver,

I work in the radiation safety field, and what's happening is what's called x-ray radiography. The radiographer is going to be getting x-ray images of the structure of the building to determine if there are any micro factures or other structural integrity problems.

It is extremely important for the radiographers to clear the area, as a radiography source can expose an individual to extremely high radiation areas, and cause serious injury in a very short period of time.

But there's no danger after the shot has been completed, radiography does not leave any contamination.  Radiography is actually quite common.  They use it on buildings, ships, airplanes, and oil pipelines.  It's just a tools engineers use to assess structural integrity.

It's very highly regulated, and it's the job of people like me to ensure they're doing what they are supposed to.

Thanks Phoenix84.

I was curious so I asked, and was told what others have said here - - they are planning to drill into the floor and do some other major infrastructure work, and they want to make sure they do it in the right place and don't damage anything or start an electrical fire.

But I STILL say the memo was creepy .

That's what they WOULD say. So did you hear anything about Jimmy Hoffa turning up yet ? 

[Deleted]

Things like this would make good teachable moments.

Why not just send out a memo that they need to examine the structure of the building. People would learn it is possible to do that, and why, rather than gossip about murder.

[NastyWoman]

Mar 15, 2015 11:21:47 GMT -5 @workingshasta said:

Things like this would make good teachable moments.

Why not just send out a memo that they need to examine the structure of the building. People would learn it is possible to do that, and why, rather than gossip about murder.

It could, but what would be the fun in that? Sometimes a little outrageous speculation makes life more fun 

[hoops902]

Mar 15, 2015 11:21:47 GMT -5 @workingshasta said:

Things like this would make good teachable moments.

Why not just send out a memo that they need to examine the structure of the building. People would learn it is possible to do that, and why, rather than gossip about murder.

You give people too much credit.  "We need to examine the structure of the building" would be "OMG the building is unsafe and could fall at any moment" by the end of the day.

[kittensaver]

Mar 18, 2015 17:50:00 GMT -5 alwaysbeoptimizing said:

meh, one of our building had this done several times. they were inspecting the steel framing that is embedded in concrete due to some issue.

Yep, turns out this is my office too. Apparently the building has not only framing, but also some cabling that supports this framing. They want to make sure that when they drill between floors they don't accidently damage the cabling or any of the electrical systems.