Title: Reading and Audio-Visual Assignments
Course: WGF 106 DEVELOPMENT > Section: Content

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Sub-Title | Bad IEQ Practices and Their “Shedding”
Content | Health Hazard Evaluations NIOSH conducts investigations of possible health hazards in the workplace. These investigations, called Health Hazard Evaluations (HHEs), are conducted under the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the authority of the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, which authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, following a written request from employees, authorized representative of employees, or employers, to determine whether any substance normally found in the place of employment has potentially toxic effects in such concentrations as used or found.
Video
NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP_W121FmZQ

Published on Aug 29, 2013

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/
A short video describing what the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation Program is and how we can assist employees, employers, and unions. The Health Hazard Evaluation Program responds to requests to evaluate worksites throughout the United States to help identify occupational health hazards and recommend ways to reduce or eliminate those hazards.
Content
SHEDDING  BAD  IEQ  PRACTICES…

What workers should “NOT” do:

When workers suspect their health problems are caused by exposure to building-related dampness or mold, workers often:

- Fail to report concerns immediately to supervisors or those persons responsible for building maintenance.
- Seldom see your doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.
- Ask your doctor whether you should be medically restricted from the affected environment.

What management and building owners should “NOT” do:

When health problems are believed to be caused by exposure to dampness or mold in the workplace, owners and managers should:

- Failing to respond when occupant health concerns are reported.
- Following unclear procedures for recording and responding to IEQ complaints to ensure an adequate and timely response.
  - Not logging all complaints or problem reports.
  - Failing to collect information about each complaint.
  - Breaking confidentiality by sharing personal medical information.
  - Lacking a plan for response.
  - Not identifying appropriate resources for response.
  - Failing to apply remedial action.
  - Little or no feedback to building occupants regarding the complaint and response actions.
  - Poor or little follow-up to ensure that remedial action has been effective.
- Failing to regularly inspect building areas for evidence of dampness; take prompt steps to identify and correct the causes of any dampness problems found.
- Not conducting regularly scheduled heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system inspections, and promptly correct any problems.
- Preventing high indoor humidity through the proper design and operation of HVAC systems.
- Failing to dry any porous building materials that have become wet from leaks or flooding within 48 hours.
- Inability to clean and repair or replace any building materials that are moisture-damaged or show evidence of visible mold growth. Follow remediation guidelines such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings.
- Failing to encourage occupants who have developed persistent or worsening respiratory symptoms while working in the building to see a health care provider.
- Poor follow-up to health care provider recommendations for relocation of occupants diagnosed with building-related respiratory disease.
- And not establishing an indoor environmental quality (IEQ) team consisting of a coordinator and representatives of the building employees, employers, and building management who would oversee implementation of an IEQ program. The EPA Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools can be used as a model for such a program.
Links/Uploads
Indoor Air Quality – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/iaq/

Some recent HHE reports related to indoor air quality have been listed below, but for a comprehensive listing, please search the HHE Database.

- 2012-0081-3169 – Lighting, Indoor Environmental Quality Concerns, and Job Stress at a Call Center – California
- 2011-0096-3176 – Evaluation of Indoor Environmental Quality at an Accounting Office – Florida
- 2011-0004-3128 - Evaluating a Persistent Nuisance Odor in an Office Building – Maryland
- 2010-0168-3136 - Indoor Environmental Quality Evaluation at a Health Clinic – Indiana
- 2010-0045-3129 - Evaluation of Health Concerns in a Public Middle School – Virginia
- 2009-0172-3124 - Evaluation of Dampness-associated Respiratory Symptoms with Relocation of Staff during Remediation of an Elementary School - North Carolina
- 2009-0193-3114 - Evaluation of Exposure to Tuberculosis among Immigration Employees – Illinois
- 2008-0237-3097 - Evaluation of Cancer, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Potential Chemical Hazards at a Police Department - Ohio
- 2008-0166-3079 – Evaluation of Cancer among Occupants of Two Office Buildings
Attributions | Image courtesy of Whole Building Design Guide – National Institute of Building Sciences Content courtesy of National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention