Indoor air quality has taken center stage in many institutional and commercial facilities as building occupants have paid far greater attention to their indoor environments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. For occupants of one federal facility, IAQ issues seem to have reached a breaking point.
Staff at the top research center for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently complained to federal regulators about hazards in the site's ventilation system, according to Reuters. The new complaint alleges that the chillers at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Maryland, have not received maintenance in more than three years. Maintenance tasks should be performed on a schedule ranging from daily to annually, according to the complaint.
The new complaint comes months after a federal complaint raising other workplace safety concerns. In May, building’s staff filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel (OSC), which protects federal whistleblowers, alleging poor maintenance and unsafe work conditions, including poor lab ventilation, broken fire alarms and wild temperature swings.
The USDA closed one major research building at the site for repairs after the initial complaint. In June, the OSC ordered USDA to investigate the workers' claims.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
