Safe Removal of Mercury-Containing Flooring in School Gyms

  |  June 12, 2023

Products such as thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent light bulbs, and some electrical switches have long been known as potential sources of mercury. In recent years another mercury-containing product – polyurethane flooring – has garnered public attention and concern. Some polyurethane or rubber-like floorings manufactured from 1960 to 1980 contained mercuric acetate. These floors are most often...
Read More

Streamlined Management of Asbestos in Soil: UMass Boston’s UCRR Project

  |  June 3, 2022

The hallmark of a successful construction project is marked by proper planning and budgeting. Even so, setbacks such as schedule delays are to be expected. But the sequence of events associated with the unanticipated discovery of asbestos contaminated soil on a construction site is anything but predictable. It can undoubtedly be a major roadblock against...
Read More

Successful Laboratory Energy Reduction Programs Start with
Buy-In

  |  February 24, 2021

While laboratories present a significant opportunity for energy savings, executing a successful energy saving program is challenging. This is largely due to the complexity of the environments and the sensitive operations being performed combined with the need to prioritize and ensure safety. Correctly qualifying laboratory spaces for energy conservation measures (ECM) such as occupied ventilation...
Read More

Preparing Schools for a Safe Reopening: Recommendations and HVAC Maintenance and Support

  |  August 3, 2020

With the 2019-2020 school year cut dramatically short by the COVID-19 pandemic, public and private school systems and higher education institutions across the nation are exploring strategies today to prepare their buildings for a safe return to school this fall. EH&E Supports Rep. Auchincloss in Getting Kids Back to School   Appropriately operating and maintained...
Read More

Successful Strategies for Creating a Culture of Laboratory Safety

  |  March 2, 2020

It’s been over 10 years since the tragic death of a staff research assistant in the chemistry department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Devastating and high-profile laboratory accidents such as this have elevated safety concerns for academic and biotech research facilities in recent years, driving many to seek ways make safety an...
Read More

Lab Energy Optimization: How to Do it Safely

  |  January 24, 2020

College campuses across the country are instituting green initiatives and signing aggressive carbon reduction goals to become better stewards of the environment. While this aim is admirable and necessary, many colleges and universities set these goals without fully developing a plan for how to achieve them. Once they discover their plan isn’t as easy to...
Read More

Construction Air Quality Monitoring for Higher Education

  |  June 28, 2018

Putting a real-time air quality monitoring plan in place prior to a complicated demolition or interior renovation project can give universities an additional layer of assurance that they’re protecting sensitive populations in the area. Too often plans to control dust emission on demolition or renovation projects get overlooked. Once demolition has begun—and complaints of dust...
Read More

PCBs on Campus: What Colleges and Universities Need to Know About This Emerging Environmental Concern

  |  May 14, 2018

As an institution of higher education, you’re focused on protecting the health and safety of your students, faculty and staff — all while maintaining the quality of your campus environment. But now, on campuses across the US, there is growing anxiety about potential health concerns from an old contaminant found in building materials: polychlorinated biphenyls,...
Read More