OSHA Act of 1970 Section 5(a)(1) Duties, as may be amended.

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1 TO: FROM: PREPARED BY: SUBJECT: PPM #: ALL COUNTY PERSONNEL VERDENIA C. BAKER COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RISK MANAGEMENT INDOOR AIR QUALITY (IAQ) PROGRAM CW-L-037 ==================================================================== ISSUE DATE EFFECTIVE DATE January 13, 2017 January 13, 2017 ==================================================================== PURPOSE: To provide programs for supplying sufficient air quality and quantity in County-owned or leased facilities, and procedures for addressing the indoor air quality concerns of County employees who work in these facilities. UPDATES: Future updates to this PPM will be the responsibility of the Manager of Employee Safety Loss Control under the direction of the Director of Risk Management. AUTHORITY: OSHA Act of 1970 Section 5(a)(1) Duties, as may be amended. POLICY: To provide indoor air that meets or exceeds the guidelines set by the American Society for Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and to provide air that is as free as feasible from contaminants in County-owned or leased buildings. RESPONSIBILITIES: A. Risk Management/Loss Control shall; 1. Manage the indoor air quality program. 2. For Airports, Water Utilities and Fire-Rescue, perform IAQ walk-through surveys, perform initial IAQ evaluations and refer employees experiencing health symptoms potentially associated with indoor air quality to the Occupational Health Clinic. CW-L-037 Page 1 of 5

2 3. Assist maintenance personnel in performing initial IAQ walk through surveys and evaluations. 4. Coordinate advanced IAQ evaluations. B. Facilities Development and Operations shall; 1. Design and renovate HVAC systems in accordance with the indoor air quality guidelines of ASHRAE. 2. Develop departmental policies and procedures addressing design, renovation and preventive maintenance for HVAC systems. 3. Perform IAQ walk-through surveys and initial IAQ evaluations in coordination with Loss Control for buildings that they maintain. 4. Refer employees experiencing health symptoms potentially associated with indoor air quality to the Occupational Health Clinic. 5. Coordinate advanced HVAC evaluations if recommended by Loss Control. C. Airports, Water Utilities and Fire-Rescue shall; 1. Design and renovate HVAC systems in accordance with the indoor air quality guidelines of ASHRAE. 2. Develop departmental policies and procedures addressing design, renovation and preventive maintenance for HVAC systems. D. County Employees 1. Report IAQ concerns to Loss Control. 2. Provide information regarding the IAQ concern to Loss Control. I. PROCEDURES A. PREVENTION OF INDOOR AIR QUALITY PROBLEMS To prevent indoor air quality problems, the following strategies should be implemented by maintenance personnel working in County owned or leased buildings. CW-L-037 Page 2 of 5

3 1. In buildings with mechanical cooling systems, maintain relative humidity below 60%. 2. Use general or local exhaust ventilation where housekeeping and maintenance activities involve use of equipment or products that could reasonably be expected to result in hazardous chemical or particulate exposures to employees working in other areas of the building. 3. Maintain mechanical equipment rooms and any non-ducted air plenums or chases that transport air in a clean condition. Store hazardous substances properly in other areas. 4. Promptly repair water leaks or areas where condensation collects to inhibit mold growth. 5. Use and apply cleaning and maintenance chemicals according to manufacturers recommendations. B. REPORTING PROBLEMS WITH COMFORT VENTILATION All problems with air conditioning or ventilation systems (e.g., temperature control problems, drafts, lack of air movement) should be reported directly to the appropriate maintenance personnel. C. REPORTING ACUTE INDOOR AIR QUALITY PROBLEMS 1. Sudden problems with a contaminant release shall be reported to the 24-hour dispatch center at the Emergency Operations Center who will contact the appropriate Loss Control Specialist and Facilities Manager. 2. Decisions to send employees home as a result of a contaminant release will be made by the director(s) of the department involved or his or her designee in conjunction with Loss Control and FDO. Employees with health symptoms (where feasible, at the discretion of the Department Director or designee) must report to the Occupational Health Clinic (OHC) prior to leaving work for the day. D. REPORTING CHRONIC INDOOR AIR QUALITY CONCERNS 1. Chronic indoor air quality concerns may include odors, visible mold growth, excessive dust or health symptoms thought to be due to air quality. County employees may initiate a request for an IAQ evaluation by contacting their Maintenance group (e.g. FDO) and Risk Management, Employee Safety / Loss Control. CW-L-037 Page 3 of 5

4 2. Employees who feel they are experiencing health symptoms related to indoor air quality must report to the OHC for a medical evaluation. The OHC will document any symptoms experienced by the employee(s) and evaluate the potential for the symptoms to be caused by indoor air quality. E. INITIAL IAQ EVALUATION The initial IAQ review will consist of the following steps: 1. The appropriate maintenance personnel will do the following in coordination with Loss Control: o Conduct an initial walk-through survey to observe the area of concern and the characteristics of the building; o Obtain background information about the problem using the IAQ Background Information Checklist contained in Exhibit B; and o Obtain an overview of the Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) design, the HVAC major components and the HVAC operation and maintenance. 2. If the initial survey indicates the presence of employee health symptoms, employees will be referred to the OHC for evaluation and follow-up. 3. The appropriate maintenance personnel will perform an initial HVAC Evaluation. A report summarizing the findings will be forwarded to Loss Control. 4. The appropriate maintenance personnel will test the temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide, and air flow rate for comparison with ASHRAE standards. 5. FDO will document all conditions found and corrective actions and provide a copy to Loss Control within 30 days. Loss Control will document additional actions taken (if any) beyond those reported by FDO and provide a copy to FDO. 6. Following implementation of corrective action, an evaluation period will be observed to determine if the corrective action was successful. CW-L-037 Page 4 of 5

5 F. ADVANCED IAQ EVALUATIONS 1. Loss Control will determine if advanced IAQ evaluations are indicated and will determine the scope and content of the evaluations. Loss Control will determine the scope and extent of any sampling to be conducted. 2. Loss Control will determine if advanced HV AC evaluations are indicated. The evaluations will be coordinated by the appropriate maintenance personnel. VERDENIA C. BAKER COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Supersession History: 1. PPM # CW-L-037, dated 7/21/ PPM # CW-L-037, dated 2/09/2012 CW-L-03 7 Page 5 of 5