As part of its new Healthy People in Health Places Equals a Health Economy, the U.S. Green Building Council has released four new LEED pilot credits building owners and managers can plug into their operations and maintenance plans to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The four credits, categorized “Safety First,” offer four strategies to help facilities managers help occupants be safe and green as buildings reopen. They include:
1. Safety First: Re-Enter Your Workplace
2. Safety First: Cleaning and Disinfecting Your Space
3. Safety First: Managing Indoor Quality During COVID-19
4. Safety First: Building Water Recommissioning
The credits are available for any registered LEED project, including those using Arc to certify with the LEED for Operations and Maintenance rating system.
And speaking of Arc, also this week, USGBC released a suite of tools called Arc Re-Entry to help building owners and facilities managers safely and sustainably reopen buildings.
The tools can help facilities managers document infection control, gauge occupant experience, and monitor indoor air quality. The tools are intended a stepping stone for the four Safety First Pilot Credits, as well as the new WELL Health-Safety Rating system also released this week. Arc Re-Entry is immediately available for any facilities manager already using the Arc tool to track building performance.
This post was submitted by Greg Zimmerman, executive editor, Building Operating Management and FacilitiesNet.com.
