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Building Air Quality Alliance Program fro Building Management
Abstract
Indoor air quality (IAQ) has emerged as a major
concern for building owners, managers, engineers
and tenants. As the public recognizes the importance
of healthy, comfortable. and productive indoor
environments, their awareness and demand for good
IAQ increases. EPA studies rank indoor air pollution
among the top five risks of environmental threats to
public health. Guidance on achieving acceptable air
quality and on preventing indoor air pollution is
available. The 199 1 EPAMIOSH guide, Building Air
Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility
Managers. has been widely accepted as a state-of-the-
art guide to indoor air management. To promote
the use of these straightforward guidelines, the EPA
and other leaders in the IAQ field developed a
voluntary program based on the principles outlined in
the Building Air Quality guide. Government funding
to promote and operate the program was eliminated
due to budgetary constraints although the program
had gained widespread support. The University City
Science Center, a private non-profit institution, has
introduced a private sector Building Air Quality
Alliance closely patterned after the EPA program.
This paper outlines these programs.
The guiding principals of the Alliance program
include; 1) Make IAQ a Priority - establish good
health. open communications, and mutual respect as
priorities 2) Know How to Prevent Pollution - ensure
building staff are knowledgeable, 3) Practice Good
IAQ Management, 4) Fix Things That Go Wrong -
establish effective problem-resolution procedures and
act to solve problems promptly, 5) Communicate
with Building Occupants. The Alliance action plan
includes specific management practices including;
Step I) Designate an IAQ Manager, Step 2) Develop
an IAQ Profile of the Building, Step 3) Address
Existing and Potential IAQ Problems, Step 4)
Educate Building Personnel About IAQ, Step 5)
Develop and Implement a Plan for Facility
Operations and Maintenance, Step 6) Manage
Potential Indoor Pollutant Sources, Step 7)
Communicate with Tenants and Occupants, Step 8)
Establish Procedures for Responding to IAQ
Complaints.
Citation
Kettler, G. J. (1998). Building Air Quality Alliance Program fro Building Management. Energy Systems Laboratory (http://esl.tamu.edu); Texas A&M University (http://www.tamu.edu). Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /6766.