Page 13 - College Planning & Management, January/February 2019

Such problems create serious road- blocks to learning for students. In addition, professors and instructors may also suffer and become less effective.
What Causes Poor IAQ?
While there are a number of causes for poor IAQ, poorly functioning ventilation and air filtration equipment are considered primary contributors.
The Occupational Safety and Health Ad- ministration (OSHA) website (www.osha.gov) says inadequate IAQ stems from poor condi- tions related to temperature, humidity, mold from water damage, chemical exposure, and lack of sufficient outside air or poor ventilation.
Indoor remodeling and construction— especially combined with painting—can also adversely affect indoor air.
Consider the case of a school in New Hampshire. In 1996, the local health department cited several IAQ deficiencies and required school officials to remedy those problems. The maintenance staff ad- dressed those deficiencies by adjusting the school’s energy management system. That, however, did not solve the problem.
In fact, the problem grew worse. Over the next several months, administrators, teach- ers, and students began to complain more and more vociferously about general discom- fort, inadequate temperature control, and odors. Some began to suffer from dizziness and tingling feelings in their extremities.
Such a problem could certainly arise on any college campus.
Searching for a solution, the school’s officials came across the EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools program and Action Kit, which helped resolve the problem.
The EPA’s Action Kit includes a list of best practices and industry guidelines to
maintain IAQ, sample IAQ policies, and
a sample IAQ management plan. The Kit shows maintenance teams how to imple- ment a plan to improve indoor air problems at little or no cost, using in-house staff.
12 Steps to Maintaining Good IAQ
In the commercial world, OSHA requires employers to provide a workplace “free from recognized hazards that may cause harm to employees.” That language covers IAQ which, if poor, may cause em- ployees to become ill.
So how can a college or university comply with these policies and maintain healthy indoor air quality? The EPA recom- mends the following 12 steps:
1. Start with an inspection of the HVAC
systems in buildings across campus.
2. Check out the ventilation systems in the various buildings. Are they functioning
properly? Poor ventilation can set the
stage for poor IAQ.
3. Inspect the campus maintenance facili-
ties. Repair leaks and clean up spills— right away. Secure chemical products and other supplies.
4. Set a regular schedule for inspecting and changing HVAC filters in all cam- pus buildings.
5. Clean condensate pans and make sure they are draining properly.
6. Establish a regular cleaning schedule
for air supply diffusers, return regis-
ters, and outside air intakes.
7. Isolate outdoor air intakes—at ground
level and on the roof—from possible sources of pollutants, such as dump- sters, idling buses/vehicles, plumbing vents, and kitchen exhaust fans.
8. Clean the ducts and the insides of air- handling units or unit ventilators.
9. Keep papers, trash, and other items away from unit ventilators.
10. Set the HVAC system to turn on and off in step with the building use schedule, including days, evenings, nights, and weekends.
11. Educate the faculty and staff about the importance of maintaining HVAC systems to ensure proper building ventilation.
12. Make regular use of the EPA’s IAQ Tools for Schools resources to identify, correct, and prevent IAQ problems.
Indoor air quality is a serious issue on campus. Failing to attend adequately to IAQ issues can adversely affect the quality of teaching and instruction provided. That, of course, can adversely affect students’ futures.
In recent years, however, maintenance professionals have gained an ever-better understanding of how to manage and improve IAQ, enabling instructors to teach more effectively and students to learn more comprehensively. CPM
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 / COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 13
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