Each month we publish a newsletter titled IAQ Website of the Month. The excerpt below was originally published in the July 2013 newsletter.
How do you perform an indoor air quality assessment? There is no single right answer. In fact, you find a wide range of quality and pricing when you compare the strategies of different consultants. Is there anyone we can emulate?
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) performs government sponsored air quality assessments on certain properties. These “health hazard evaluations” (HHEs) are performed at no cost to building owners or employers. I love to read the reports from HHEs related to indoor air quality to sharpen my skills.
These reports uncover:
- Equipment used by NIOSH researchers
- Investigative procedures
- Sample questionnaires
- Recommendations based on the problems found
- Pictures of common indoor air quality issues
Through the years, NIOSH has performed over a thousand health hazard evaluations. Because not all reports are related to indoor air quality issues, you’ll need to do some searching. Below are links to recent reports related to indoor environmental quality:
- Evaluation of indoor environmental quality at an accounting office, Florida 2013
- Lighting, indoor environmental quality concerns, and job stress at a call center, California 2013
- Assessment of mold and indoor environmental quality in a middle school, Texas 2011
- Evaluating a persistent nuisance odor in an office building, Maryland 2011
- Cancer among occupants of two office buildings, Ohio 2009
To visit this month’s featured website, click NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluations. If you would like to search reports for those related to indoor environmental quality, click IEQ and scroll toward the bottom of the page.
To subscribe to this newsletter click the following link: IAQ Website of the Month. To consult with Ian on an indoor air quality issue visit the following link Air Quality Testing.
