Bringing Buildings Back: The Path for a Safe and Healthy Reopening
Weeks of stay at home orders have made people anxious and hesitant to return to buildings and the workplace. Through news and media outlets they’ve followed conflicting reports on how the virus is spread and the risk it presents in the various environments they are preparing to reenter. People will have expectations of their work environment and will be carefully evaluating it for safety. Building owners and managers need to implement measures and effectively communicate them to assure occupants of their safety and avoid the risk of having their building or workspace perceived as an unhealthy environment, which could result in further disruptions to operations.
To address occupant and leadership concerns, and to ensure confidence in your building, building managers need to take an integrated approach to returning to the workplace. The focus of this session is the critical components of an integrated management plan to get you on the path for a healthy and safe reopening:
HVAC performance
- When is disinfection or cleaning needed?
- Ventilation and filtration guidelines
- Job hazard analysis and risk assessment
Indoor air quality
- Benchmarking prior to and after occupancy
- Tracking key metrics for healthy buildings
Water quality management
- Measures to prevent growth of waterborne bacteria such as Legionella
- Interpreting CDC guidance
- How to verify treatment effectiveness
Disinfection and cleaning for health
- Identifying hotspots
- Ensuring proper use of EPA approved products
- OSHA record keeping
- Communication and specific steps to take if a COVID-19 positive case is identified in the building
- Arranging for additional cleaning and disinfection services
Managing operations following reports of a COVID-19 positive occupant