Developing an Indoor Air Quality Profile for your Building | Advanced Filtration Concepts, Inc.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is an ongoing concern among businesses, building managers, tenants and employees across the nation. Poor IAQ can impact the health, safety, well-being, and productivity of building occupants. On average, Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors and many spend their working hours in an office environment. One of the best things you can do for the IAQ of your building as well as for the health and safety of its occupants, is to develop a proper Indoor Air Quality Profile.

What is an Indoor Air Quality Profile?

Simply put, an Indoor Air Quality Profile is a document that contains a description of the features of your building’s structure, the building’s function, and the occupancy rates of which directly impact the IAQ of your building. Completing an Indoor Air Quality Profile will give you an understanding of the current status of the air quality in your building and baseline of information on the factors that have potential for causing air quality issues in the future.

Benefits of an Indoor Air Quality Profile

Studies done by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that indoor environments can sometimes have levels of airborne pollutants that are higher than the levels found outside. Pollutants in our indoor environment can increase the risk of illness. The EPA estimates that poor IAQ may cost the nation tens of billions of dollars each year in lost productivity and medical care.

Improved IAQ can result in higher productivity and reduce the number of sick days taken by employees. Creating an Indoor Air Quality Profile can help you identify potential problems in your building’s air quality and prioritize maintenance budgets or for future modifications.

An Indoor Air Quality Profile can also be useful as protection from lawsuits. In the event of litigation pertaining to IAQ complaints, the value of the Indoor Air Quality Profile as a resource document is immeasurable. This document greatly benefits from real-world measurements.

It is advised to make some actual and repeated measurements of airflow, temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide (CO2), and/or pressure differentials. These measurements provide far better information on current conditions than can be obtained from the plans and specifications, but are better to be measured in person. This information in your profile can make all the difference.

Key Questions to Answer While Developing an Indoor Air Quality Profile

● What was the original intended function of the building? What are the components of the building and what furnishings does it have? What kind of mechanical equipment is inside (HVAC and non-HVAC systems)? What is the average and maximum occupancy of the building and what type of activities go on inside the building? Knowing this information is the cornerstone of your Indoor Air Quality Profile.

● Once you know the building’s functions inside and out, ask yourself if the building is functioning as designed. If you are unsure about the original design, find out more by the building’s commission and if the current condition meets the intended designs. This will help you compare and contrast the status quo vs. the expected results.

● Find out if there have been any construction changes to the layout of the building since its creation. This is your opportunity to find out the current state of your HVAC system. If there has been construction since it was built, your building’s HVAC may require a reset or at least to be tested to reflect the current usage. This will help you to identify any under performing areas of your HVAC system in your building.

● The last and biggest question to keep in mind is what changes you may need to implement to prevent future IAQ problems in your building. Does the HVAC system work as intended? Has the system been properly reset and cleaned? Do you have a quality air filter? Are there blockage or airflow problems throughout the building? Look for every opportunity to improve the air quality in your current system.

Creating Your Indoor Air Quality Profile

Many of the resources needed to create an IAQ profile might already be on hand within your organization. Information and data can be collected by people who have the following skills:

● Basic understanding of HVAC system operations

● Ability to read architectural and mechanical plans and understand manufacturer’s catalog data on equipment

● Ability to collect information about HVAC system operation, equipment condition, and maintenance schedules

● Ability to work cooperatively with building occupants and gather information about space usage and airflow

● Authority to collect information from subcontractors about work schedules and materials used (particularly cleaning and pest control activities)

If your organization is small or incapable of meeting these specifications with your current staff, then it is highly recommended you hire a professional to help you create your IAQ profile.

3 Major Steps

Here are the three major steps required to create your IAQ Profile:

1. Collect and Review Existing Records:
Collect all available documents that describe the construction and operation of your building. This could be architectural or mechanical plans, specifications, commissioning reports, adjusting and balancing reports, inspection records, or operating manuals.

Study the original architectural and mechanical design so that you understand the building’s layout and intended functions. Identify and note locations in which changes in equipment or room usage creates potential for IAQ problems. If there is an organized record of past occupant complaints about the building environment, review those complaints to identify building areas that deserve focused attention.

2. Conduct a Walk through Inspection of the Building:
The intent of a walk through inspection is to get a good overview of occupant activities and building functions while you look for IAQ problem indicators. Problem indicators can include odors, unsanitary working conditions, moldy smells or visible fungal growth, water damage on the walls, smoke damage, hazardous substances or unusual noises from electrical equipment.

Check the building for inadequate maintenance, blocked airflow, heat sources, vent and exhaust locations. This is also the perfect opportunity to introduce staff and other building occupants to the topic of IAQ and to understand current staff responsibilities in relation to housekeeping and other maintenance activities. It can also help you understand occupant comfort levels, signs of overcrowding in special use areas and other factors of your IAQ levels.

3. Collect Detailed Information:
Document all data you collect along the way. Track your HVAC system operation inspection and make proper HVAC maintenance checklists. Keep record of inventory pollutant pathways and for potential inventory pollution sources.

Collection information on the occupancy of your building at different times of the day as well as any problems with under ventilation. Log all complaints from occupants and update records as conditions improve in your building. Information is power when creating your IAQ profile.

If the information you collect while creating an IAQ profile indicates that you have one or more IAQ problems with your building, you need to prioritize finding solutions to these problems. The financial and professional consequences of ignoring them could be catastrophic.

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