School Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality Services
Indoor air quality (IAQ) and building ventilation problems can be complex, difficult to resolve and common sources of concern to public health authorities and administrators within schools. From our experience, proper maintenance is a key to prevent IAQ related complaints and perceptions including sick building syndrome, infectious disease transmission, such as SARS-CoV-2, and negative long- and short-term health effects for students, teachers and staff. RHP Risk Management’s Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH), public health scientists and certified safety professionals have extensive knowledge and expertise in assisting school building engineers and building maintenance staff in navigating straight forward or complex IAQ projects with services including assessment of school building ventilation system performance, measuring ambient temperature and relative humidity, measuring and calculating air exchange rate (air changes per hour (ACH)), monitoring for indoor air pollutants, and reviewing air filtration performance and efficiency. A well-designed and validated school indoor air quality management plan yields substantial benefits to school administration, teachers, staff, students, and parents. A case study of our process in schools can be seen in “Assessment of Existing Ventilation Conditions and Comparison to Recommendations for Reducing Risk of Virus Transmission”.
Contact Us Today To Learn More About Our Building Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality Services!
How Ventilation, Assessment, Performance and Testing Drives a Healthier School
Evaluating IAQ and assuring a school building ventilation system is working properly can help schools reduce health concerns associated with poor IAQ and increase comfort and productivity. RHP professionals follow a two-fold ventilation assessment approach of 1) testing and measuring a building ventilation system performance and clearance of particulates, pollutants, and infectious aerosols and 2) working with school administration, building engineers and facility managers towards the goal of IAQ best practice guidance from Federal, State, local, scientific, educational, and professional organizations [such as the CDC, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), AIHA (backtoworksafely.org), the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineer (ASHRAE)]. By following best-practice guidance, combined with current school and higher education specific operations, successful customized building ventilation assessments for risk reduction strategies can be implemented to protect students, teachers and staff as well as provide a safe, productive and healthy environment.
RHP professionals have worked closely with HVAC, MEP contractors, and construction contractors to assess additional building ventilation risk reduction technologies such a bipolar ionizers / bipolar ionization, and we can work with your facility to assess these technologies onsite or replicate and assess onsite conditions in our exposure science laboratory.
Analytical Methodology and Testing in your School
RHP Risk Management’s school ventilation system assessment services include:
- Review of current school ventilation system performance and maintenance which includes collaborating with building staff and facility engineers to review the configuration of the facility ventilation system, evaluate current filtration efficiency based on Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) ratings, and supply and exhaust air system analysis.
- Tracer gas testing to measure the actual air-change rate in order to quantify the rate of fresh-air (outside air) delivery to each occupied space generally following ASTM method E741 – 11(2017) “Standard Test Method for Determining Air Change in a Single Zone by Means of a Tracer Gas Dilution”.
- Verification of engineering and HVAC controls veriDART® by SafeTraces, is the only liquid aerosol-based solution for verifying engineering controls and HVAC performance. The technology uses proprietary airborne tracers that safely mimic the chemical composition, particle size distribution, and mobility of viral emissions from coughing and sneezing. veriDART® detects how air travels within a building by proactively identifying potential infection hotspots and quantitatively assessing ventilation and filtration controls.
- Laboratory ventilation assessments including hood ventilation studies (ANSI/AIHA Z9.5) to assess effectiveness of classroom and higher education laboratory hood performance to confirm laboratory ventilation equipment is calibrated to effectively flow at regulatory, method, and contaminant specific airflow removal rates and clean room validations studies.
RHP professionals look to authoritative sources such as ANSI/ASHRAE standards and AIHA as tools and guidance on good ventilation (e.g., ASHRAE standards 62.1 and 6.2 for ventilation system design and acceptable indoor air quality). Through ASHRAE standards and controls, RHP’s partners with school building engineers to develop unique ventilation programs for your school. Building ventilation is a critical building component and should be regularly assessed to ensure optimal performance. Ventilation system assessments and engineered solutions provide valuable information and benefits to building owners and managers that include indoor air quality improvements, occupant comfort, and risk reduction.
The Benefits of RHP’s Ventilation Guidance for Schools
RHP Professionals are experienced, knowledgeable, and ready to provide ventilation guidance for schools, K-12, childcare centers, universities and higher education facilities to provide practical, effective and actionable steps towards the safe operations of schools through prevention, early detection, and control of COVID-19. It is imperative that school administration and boards consistently monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented mitigation strategies and alter their approach as needed and as regulatory guidance changes. RHP’s expertise and guidance on infectious disease mitigation strategies can provide staff, teachers, students, and parents confidence in their learning environment and safer attendance. RHP professionals work to find solutions tailored to the unique needs of each school, district, and community to promote a healthy learning environment.
Look to the Expertise and Knowledge of RHP Professionals for a Consultation for a Healthy School
RHP professionals partner with schools, childcare centers, daycares, and universities and institutions for higher education to analyze infectious disease plans for best practices, protocols, and guidance for reopening actions. Through engineering controls, administrative controls, masking, hygiene, and social distancing requirements, RHP works with building maintenance, engineers and administrators to assess and validate procedures which will lead to safer, trusted and practical procedures to expedite opening and in person learning. Effective solutions are not limited to a single control mechanism or practice, instead effective and sustaining solutions include the implementation of multiple control measures to add layers of protection such as social distancing, face coverings, personal hygiene, and engineering and administrative controls that work together to reduce risk.
Contact RHP for an initial phone consultation and learn more about our professional services.
Go with the Flow: Ventilation and the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
Frank Pagone, PhD
Pandemic Infectious Disease Plan: Returning to a New Normal
Jason Lang, CIH, CSP / Frank Pagone, PhD