Evaluation of the Impact of Health and Safety Policies and Measures in the University Built Environment - Term Paper Example

EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICIES AND MEASURES IN THE UNIVERSITY BUILT ENVIRONMENT Student’s Name: Code + Course name Professor’s name University City, State Date Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Indoor Environmental Quality Policy 3 3.0 The Impact of Indoor Environmental Quality 4 3.1 Indoor Air Quality 4 3.2 Sick Building Syndrome 5 3.3 Thermal Comfort 5 3.4 Acoustic Comfort 6 3.5 Visual Comfort 6 4.0 Prevention, Reduction and Management of IEQ in the University 6 5.0 Dealing with Contaminants 8 6.0 Firescape risk-to-resilience Case Study 9 7.0 Conclusion 10 8.0 Reference List 11 1.0 Introduction Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) refers to the health of the occupants of a building influenced by aspects of the environment such as thermal comfort, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), lighting or visual quality, and acoustic quality (Arif et al. 2016). IEQ policies in the construction of the built environment have had a significant impact on improving the safety and health of individuals that use such environments (Brennan 2010). The construction of built environments in universities also require strict adherence to the IEQ policies. This ensures that learners, lecturers, support staffs and other occupants of the buildings within the university are safe by guaranteeing a hazard-free or hazard-responsive built environment. The paper covers the impact of safety and health policies on the indoor environmental quality in the selected university. 2.0 Indoor Environmental Quality Policy CDC established guidelines for IEQ that aim at protecting the occupants of the building. This applies to students and other occupants of built structures within the university. The policy contains procedures and guidelines that ensure that the IEQ is safe for its occupants. The policy commences with the design and construction phase of the built environment. An evaluation of the university’s policy revealed that the Buildings and Facilities Office (BFO), the Local Safety Officer and the Office of Health and Safety (OHS) assess all buildings during their construction or renovation. In the maintenance and operation phases of the building, it is the responsibility of the BFO to implement best practices that protect occupants from hazards (CDC 2009). The policy also requires students, workers and other occupants of the university’s buildings to understand that there exist certain personal care products that may have adverse health effects on occupants that are sensitive to chemicals. Therefore, occupants should not apply personal care product such as perfumes, colognes, hair products, scented skin and essential oils within public structures. The policy also recommends effective communication to all occupants regarding the building materials. Such materials include personal care products, chemicals, and cleaning supplies (CDC 2009). All occupants should also be aware of maintenance procedures within the university that have a negative influence on the IEQ. Understanding such procedures enables occupants to implement preventive measures in advance. According to the IEQ policy, occupants should be aware of the introduction of new chemicals or the construction of new structures at least five days before the onset of the construction process or the introduction of the chemicals. The policy also requires occupants to inform health and safety authorities after experiencing irritations or symptoms that have an association with IEQ. Following the reception of the complaint from the affected occupants, the IEQ requires BFO to identify and evaluate heating, ventilation, maintenance, and structural issues that may be responsible for the reported hazard. The Policy requires occupants to fill the Indoor Air Quality Questionnaire to assist in the effective implementation of investigative procedures (CDC 2009). 3.0 The Impact of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) The individual components of IEQ have different effects on the occupants of the buildings. The components include: 3.1 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has both short and long-term effects on the health of an occupant. Integrating IAQ in the design and construction of a building necessitates improving the ventilation rate to reduce air pollution or reducing the source of pollution to reduce air contamination from both within and outside the building (Daisey et al. 2003). In the event that there are minimal levels of pollution in the outside environment, it is proper to use natural ventilation systems as a guarantee of the quality of indoor air. However, structures constructed in polluted areas such as cities require the use of mechanical ventilation systems that filter outdoor air prior to its entry into the occupied building. 3.2 Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) SBS entails health problems resulting from the indoor environment of a building (Hedge & Erickson 1997). The primary causes of SBS in occupants include biological and chemical pollution, uncomfortable humidity and temperature, psychosocial status, office equipment, uncertified and untested new construction materials and products, and the closure of natural ventilation openings. Individuals suffering from SBS exhibit symptoms such as eye, throat, and nose irritations, wheezing, cough, headache, light sensitivity, depression, cognitive disturbances, and gastrointestinal distress. Occupants of mechanically ventilated buildings present the highest cases of SBS symptoms. The other causes of SBS symptoms include carbon monoxide, circulation rates or air exchange, carbon dioxide, lighting, tobacco smoke, pesticides, airborne fungi, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), indoor aldehydes, allergens, mite, dust, and moulds (OSHA 2011). Achieving good IEQ is crucial towards reducing SBS symptoms in occupants. 3.3 Thermal Comfort Occupants such as staff, student and gustes need a thermally comfortable indoor environment for greater productivity (Shafaghat et al. 2014). It is also evident that the thermal adaptation of an individual has an impact on the thermal comfort exhibited by the person. Factors that influence the thermal adaptation of an individual include age, race, gender, geographical location, time of year, and climate. The human body uses heat exchange to maintain a body temperature of 37oC. Thermal comfort has a direct influence on controls tweaking as well as the building’s energy consumption. Environmental parameters that influence thermal comfort include air temperature, air velocity, relative humidity of the air, and mean radiant temperature. The design phase of a building should consider all these factors. 3.4 Acoustic Comfort This refers to the ability of the building to protect its occupants from noise besides providing a suitable acoustic environment that reflects the intended purpose of the building (Yee 2014). Causes of acoustic problems among occupants include airborne sounds, office equipment noise, sound generated by nearby facilities, noise from nearby spaces, and outdoor noise. Designers of buildings ought to consider the activities that are bound to happen both within and outside the building. Possible remedies include the use of sound absorption, sound blocking, and sound covering techniques. 3.5 Visual Comfort Visual comfort bears paramount significance to the productivity of occupants in a building. Inability of students and other occupants to see information and objects clearly emanates from insufficient light issues. Achieving a proper lighting of the building depends on proper architectural design of the building (Moazzeni & Ghiabaklou 2016). 4.0 Prevention, Reduction and management of IEQ Issues within the University’s Built Environment The prevention and management of IEQ issues within the university’s built environment starts from the pre-planning phase. During the phase, the BFO, OHS, and local Health Officer identifies possible chemicals and physical sources of dust and odor including odor and dust that emanate from demolition and construction activities (Codreanu 2013). The other sources of chemicals, dust and odor include construction equipment and products. Pre-planning also ensures the adherence of the building to CDC design standards that recommend the utility of low VOC-emitting interior finishes such as flooring and carpeting. It is also imperative to review all construction products using specific Material Safety Data Sheets for each product. Pre-planning also enables the identification of already occupied construction areas including the locations and timings that may subject occupants to airborne pollutants. This also includes the estimation of the duration and amount of exposure to pollutants by occupants to enable the identification of control measures. The control measures include protecting HVAC systems by sealing all openings, shutting down HVAC, filter replacement following project completion, and the use of temporary filters on diffusers and grills (CDC 1991). In the built environment of the university, pre-planning also includes controlling the source of the pollutant. Some of the pollutant-control measures include the use of low or no VOC-emitting products, use of equipment powered by electricity instead of diesel or gas-powered equipment, and dust control. Other preventive measures in the pre-planning phase include the prohibition of diesel or gasoline-powered equipment and vehicle idling near operable windows, air intakes, and entryways in the university. Pre-planning also requires interrupting pathways for pollutants such as the use of HEPA-filtered exhaust systems that create negative pressure in the occupied areas (Spengler et al. 2001). In the quest to prevent probable water entry, one of the pre-planning strategies includes the use of vapor barriers. Housekeeping measures such as cleaning and dust control are also necessary. In order to prevent occupants from being exposed to indoor air contaminants, pre-planning recommends the scheduling of specific activities that produce high emissions of contaminants such as roofing repair and painting. In order to prevent damage caused by building products and materials before and during the construction of the building, pre-planning requires the proper storage and protection of such materials and products. Notifying occupants about the proposed construction project and the potential dusts, odors, and chemicals that may emanate from the construction process and building properties also occurs before the construction of structures within the university as a preventive measure. In the need of conducting maintenance and repairs on the structures, the BFO notifies all occupants especially where the maintenance materials and products have an adverse impact on the occupants. In addition to activities that yield large amounts of dusts and those that involve hazardous chemicals, the BFO also informs occupants about activities that may generate loud noise. This enables the proper scheduling of maintenance procedures for the safety and health of the occupants. 5.0 Dealing with Contaminants The OHS provides technical assistance to the BFO to ascertain timely identification and remediation of hazardous contaminants such as microbial contamination, asbestos, and lead-based paint. The contaminants are most prevalent during maintenance, renovation, and demolition activities. Pest management sufficed to be the other IEQ aspect within the university. Within the university, pest management covers both lawn care and buildings. In cases involving the mandatory use of pesticides, the university uses least-toxic pesticides. In most cases where it is not mandatory to use pesticides, the university uses non-chemical pest management strategies (EPA 2016). The university had also implemented housekeeping guidelines that ensure the emission of low-level VOCs. Some of the guidelines include ensuring that paints, soaps, and other cleaning products are odor-free and safe. Under housekeeping, the university’s staffs vacuumed thoroughly and regularly using vacuums fitted with HEPA filters. All janitorial and storage rooms were properly cleaned and maintained (Al-Rajhi et al. 2010). Moreover, air-handling rooms did not have any stored materials and products. Storage rooms had proper airflows and clearances. The university staffs had also stored operational and maintenance supplies in order to prevent possible air contamination and infestation by rodents and pests. The staffs had also labeled all products for easy identification and proper storage in the dry, clean storage rooms. Regular emptying of waste containers was also evident within the institution. Moreover, the location of the containers were far from the air intakes. There were warnings in occupied buildings of the institution that prohibited occupants from using fragranced or scented products. The university administration had also prohibited the use of tobacco products such as pipes, cigars, and cigarettes within the occupied buildings. 6.0 Firescape risk-to-resilience Case Study The history of forest fires in the British Isles led to the necessity of evaluating the risk in the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment conducted in 2012. The evaluation found out that severe droughts and changes in patterns of land-use were the primary causes of wild forest fires in the British Isles. Some of the risk mitigation measures included the integration of wildfire mitigation into forest management planning, adequate preparation for forest fires and the move to protect the most vulnerable areas. One of the resilience strategies was the need for landowners, government sectors, and NGOs to produce detailed contingency plans. The plans covered the assessment of risks, determination of prevention measures, and preparing for incident response. Some of the intervention measures included the introduction of firefighting equipment, reducing accidental ignitions through education, and the implementation of effective landscape design principles (Smith et al. 2016). 7.0 Conclusion Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) plays a pivotal role to the comfort of the occupants of a building. IEQ issues have an association with the quality of air as well additional environmental factors such as cleanliness and lighting. The aspects of IEQ include Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, and visual comfort. IAQ refers to the quality of the indoor environment of a building that is improved through improving ventilation or reducing pollution both within and outside the building. SBS comprises health problems associated with the indoor environment of a building. Thermal comfort entails the comfort of an occupant based on the prevailing thermal conditions of a building. Acoustic comfort entails the ability of the building to protect its occupants from noise without compromising its intended purpose. Finally, visual comfort entails the comfort of an occupant regarding the prevailing lighting conditions of the building. The evaluation of IEQ aspects in the selected university revealed that the university had integrated effective IAQ, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, and visual comfort into the design and construction of its premises. The design and construction of structures within the selected university also aimed at reducing SBS symptoms among the occupants of the structures. 8.0 Reference List Al-Rajhi, S, Ramaswamy, M and Al-Jahwari, F. ( 2010) IAQ in Hospitals-Better Health through Indoor Air Quality Awareness. IAQ. Arif, M., Katafygiotou, M., Mazroei, A., Kaushik, A. and Elsarrag, E . (2016) Impact of indoor environmental quality on occupant well-being and comfort: A review of the literature. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment 5( 1) pp.1-11. Brennan, T. (2010) Indoor Environmental Quality and Climate Change. US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC. CDC. (1991) Building Air Quality: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers. CDC. (2009) Indoor Environmental Quality Policy. Safety Management. Codreanu, M.E. ( 2013) Indoor environmental quality. Risk assessment concerning occupants comfort and health. Buletinul Institutului Politehnic din lasi. Sectia Constructii, Arhitectura 59(1), p.191. Daisey, J.M, Angeli, W.J, and Apte, M.G. (2003) Indoor air quality, ventilation and health symptoms in schools: an analysis of existing information. Indoor Air 13(1) pp. 53–64 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2016) Pesticides’ Impact on Indoor Air Quality. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/pesticides-impact-indoor-air-quality Hedge, A. and Erickson, W.A. ( 1997) A study of indoor environment and sick building syndrome complaints in air conditioned offices: benchmarks for facility performance, International Journal of Facilities Management, 1(4), pp.185-192. Moazzeni, M.H. and Ghiabaklou, Z (2016). Investigating the Influence of Light Shelf Geometry Parameters on Daylight Performance and Visual Comfort, a Case Study of Educational Space in Tehran, Iran. Buildings, 6(3), p.26. Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA). (2011) Indoor Air Quality in Commercial and Institutional Buildings. Shafaghat, A., Keyvanfar, A., Lamit, H., Mousavi, S.A. and Majid, M.Z.A. (2014). Open plan office design features affecting staff’s health and well-being status. Jurnal Teknologi, 70, ( 7). Smith, A.M., Kolden, C.A., Paveglio, T.B., Cochrane, M.A., Bowman, D.M., Moritz, M.A., Kliskey, A.D., Alessa, L., Hudak, A.T., Hoffman, C.M. and Lutz, J.A. ( 2016) The science of firescapes: achieving fire-resilient communities. Bioscience 66( 2). pp.130-146. Spengler, J.D., Samet, J.M. and McCarthy, J.F( 2001). Indoor air quality handbook. Sage. Yee, T.C( 2014). Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ): A Case Study in Taylor’s University, Malaysia. International Journal of Engineering, 5 ( 7), pp.8269. Read More