Pro-active Monitoring

Building Owners, Managers and Employers nationwide have become increasingly concerned about indoor air quality and its potential threat to and from tenants and employees. In several instances, employers were forced to financially reimburse their employees for illnesses that the workers blamed on the indoor environment of their offices. Then there are the cases of tenants vacating office spaces and severing leases due to air quality complaints. Thus, whether the building owner or employer is threatened by litigation or wants to head off future problems, managers would be prudent to solicit advice and service from specialists in indoor air quality diagnosis.

The key to any indoor air quality problem is prevention. With the health of so many at stake, increased absenteeism, and the potential loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars, managers are finding it cost effective to ensure that indoor air quality and employee health is kept at a premium.

Preventing the Problem

Building managers and owners can take steps to prevent indoor air pollution from affecting the health of their tenants. These steps are part of a pro-active monitoring programme designed to inspect, analyse and evaluate a building’s air handling system on a regular basis. Employers should also protect themselves in a similar fashion.

Why Pro-active Monitoring?

It reduces the chances of a “healthy” building from becoming “sick”. Problems or potential problems are quickly identified and corrected at minimal expense.
It protects against owner of employer liability. In addition to reducing the chances of litigation, pro-active monitoring demonstrates that the owner has taken necessary steps to assure a healthy work environment.
It reduces employee absenteeism. Thirty to fifty percent of employee absenteeism is due to upper-respiratory complaints – symptoms that are common in occupants who are plagued by poor indoor air quality.
It enhances management’s relationship with tenants and employees by demonstrating a genuine concern for the employee’s well being.
It improves overall building maintenance and operations. Indoor air quality is improved through regular monitoring of ventilation rates and filtration efficiencies.
It is a selling point for private and commercial real estate owners in marketing and advertising their properties and thus can be used as an effective tool in the competitive real estate market.

Who Needs Pro-active Monitoring?

Property Managers – Pro-active monitoring can act as an effective communications tool to enhance relations with tenants and prevent indoor air quality complaints at the outset. It can help to attract new tenants. Also, new lease agreements increasingly include statements on air quality and overall building performance. Tenants can break their existing lease if poor air quality adversely effects their staff.
Owner / Occupants – Staff losses, absenteeism and low productivity directly impact the bottom line of any business. Frequently these losses can be reversed.
Architects – Pre-construction consultation avoids faults in design. Pre-occupation inspections improve quality and integrity of workmanship and on-going monitoring proves attainment of relevant specifications.
Banks – Banks and mortgagee companies incur a loss when building owners and developers default on loans due to indoor air pollution litigation and liability against them.
Insurance Companies – Insurance companies are forced to pay court settlements and legal fees for employees whose illnesses are caused by sick buildings.
Hospitals – Cross infection problems, which are common in hospitals, increasingly are being traced to contamination or blockages in ventilation ducts.
Others – Schools, colleges, universities and diverse government agencies will find value in having their buildings tested on a regular basis for similar reasons to those noted above.

What is a Pro-active Monitoring Programme?

A pro-active monitoring programme consists of a detailed investigation of the design and operating practices of a building’s air handling system. This information is integrated with the data collected from a comprehensive air sampling and analysis study. An indoor air quality database is established which becomes the benchmark for evaluating changes in the air quality in the future.

At an initial inspection HBI Auditaires – airborne particulate contamination sensors – are installed in the ductwork. These become a focal point of the continuing surveillance service.

The on-going monitoring involves repeat inspections at six-month intervals. Analytical results from the initial inspections and subsequent studies are then compared with a composite database of hundreds of major buildings.

The key to a successful programme is that the results of improvements by implementing remedial actions can be quantified. Conversely, in the event of adverse trends in indoor air quality over time, changes can be implemented to rectify the situation before complaints arise from the building’s occupants.

Pro-active Monitoring by HBI – The Steps Involved

Part I – Inspection

Survey of design and operating practices of air handling systems
Ventilation rates, distribution and volume controls
Filtration design, integrity of fit and efficiency
Examination of heating, cooling and humidification systems
Visual inspection of internals of supply and return ductwork

Part II - Sampling

Carbon dioxide and monoxide levels
Airborne particulates – quantitative analysis
Airborne particulates – qualitative analysis
Selected organic and inorganic vapours/gases
Identification and quantification of bacteria and fungi
Temperature and relative humidity readings

Part III – On-going Monitoring

Installation of AUDITAIRES (airborne contamination sensors) in ductwork
Establishment of an indoor air quality database for specific buildings
Re-inspection of air quality at six month intervals
Comparison with composite database of hundreds of major buildings
Comprehensive reports with results, methodology, conclusions and recommendations

The Future

It is a safe prediction that some form of indoor air quality monitoring will be mandatory in Australia in the not too distant future. It is already mandatory to inspect HVAC systems annually. Many private companies and institutions have developed their own “clean indoor air” policies. However, most of these policies simply restrict smoking and do nothing to correct the more fundamental causes of indoor pollution. Perhaps the most comprehensive attempt to deal with this burgeoning problem was the release of the Australian Standards A.S.1668.2-1991 “Mechanical Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality” soon to be superceded by A.S.1668.2-2002 “Ventilation Design for Indoor Air Contaminant Control”, and A.S.3666-2002 “Air handling and Water Systems of Buildings – Microbial Control”.

Unfortunately, these standards do not address all the issues involved although their adoption into local building codes is a step in the right direction. Given the increased attention afforded to the “Sick Building Syndrome” issue by news media, policy makers and the legal community, it is only a matter of time before pro-active monitoring will shift from the novel to the norm.