Create an IAQ Team
February 11, 2011
Ensuring good indoor air quality is not a job to undertake alone. It's important to assemble an IAQ team.
The core of this team should include the building owner or representative, a building or facilities manager, systems operator, occupant representative, energy manager and HVAC service contractor. For major construction or renovation projects, the team should also include the architect, engineer and general contractor.
The team should meet periodically to review the facility's procurement policy, compliance plan, proactive IAQ strategies, complaints, remediation actions, monitoring results and any construction projects.
Occupants also play a significant role in a building's IAQ, so make sure the IAQ team informs them of their responsibilities.
Create a process whereby occupants notify building management if they are bringing in any machinery that exhausts fumes, such as photocopiers, or other machinery that affects IAQ, such as a personal humidifier.
Other IAQ culprits that seem innocuous but can impact the indoor environment include food and plants. Since occupants aren’t likely to fess up to everything they bring in the doors, keeping an eye open for potential occupant-induced IAQ problem spots while walking the floors is a good idea.
Having an occupant representative as part of the IAQ team will help facilitate any conversations necessary to prevent or remediate problems, such as convincing someone to keep their small forest of potted plants at home.
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