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Renovation and Repair
Indoor Air Quality Design Tools for Schools
- Preliminary Design Phases
- Controlling Pollutants and Sources
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC)
- Moisture Control
- Construction
- Commissioning
- Renovation and Repair
- Operations and Maintenance
- Portable Classrooms
Renovation is one of the major causes of poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools, and is often conducted while the building is occupied. When planning and conducting renovations in schools, it is important to remember four potential causes of indoor air problems during renovation and repairs:
- Demolition that releases toxic materials (e.g., lead, asbestos, or mold).
- Construction dust and fumes.
- Designs that interfere with ventilation.
- Off-gassing from new building materials and products.
The Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit contains a detailed Renovation and Repairs Checklist which can be used to establish a detailed renovation plan for the school. Also follow applicable guidance in the Construction section of this site.
Techniques for Protecting Occupants from Renovation Pollutants
- Testing Before performing any demolition, check for lead-based paints and asbestos.
- Timing When possible, perform work at times when the occupants are not in
the building, such as vacation breaks, weekends, or evenings.
- Distance Keep building occupants as far from renovation activities as possible.
The greater the distance between pollutants and occupants, the less
concentrated the pollutants will be upon reaching the occupants.
- Barriers Install temporary barriers (e.g., plastic sheeting) to seal the work
areas from the occupied areas. Cover all supply and return air grilles
if the HVAC system in the renovation area also serves occupied areas
so that the air ducts will not spread pollutants to occupied area.
Exhaust air from the construction area
so that pollutants cannot flow from the construction area to the
occupied areas.
- Containment When possible, keep pollutants confined to as small an area as
reasonably possible, rather than allow them to spread to larger
areas. Examples include wet sanding or vacuum sanding drywall to
prevent the spread of dust, misting asbestos with water to prevent
it from easily becoming airborne during demolition, and keeping
containers of chemicals such as solvents, adhesives, paints, and
other coatings closed as much as possible. Do not operate the
heating/cooling equipment when work is causing dust to be visible in
the air.
- Cleanup At least daily, construction debris, dust, and scraps should be adequately cleaned up so that there is less chance that these pollutants will enter occupied areas. See also Construction and demolition (C&D) debris - www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/debris-new/index.htm
-
EPA
Region 9
Construction and Demolition Debris page -
www.epa.gov/region09/waste/solid/construction/
- Preventing
Indoor Air Quality Problems During Construction and Renovation - www.mass.gov/dos/iaqdocs/iaq-388.htm
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Labor and Workforce
Development, Division of Occupational Safety
-
School Construction News. Website containing news,
information, products, and resources about the design, construction,
maintenance, management, and operations of schools. A free on-line
e-news letter subscription is available.
www.schoolconstructionnews.com/
- The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractor’s National Association (SMACNA) IAQ Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Construction
- Maintaining Acceptable Indoor Air Quality During the Renovation of a School, Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Business Education, School Facilities Branch, 200 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore Maryland 21201. (410) 767-0098