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ES+H Multifamily Building Upgrades_508c_02 09 2016

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58 Energy Savings Plus Health | INDOOR AIR QUALITY GUIDELINES FOR MULTIFAMILY BUILDING UPGRADES PRIORITY ISSUE 23.0 PROTECTING INDOOR AIR QUALITY (IAQ) DURING CONSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT PROTOCOLS (AP) MINIMUM ACTIONS (MA) EXPANDED ACTIONS (EA) AP 23.1 Assess Occupan- cy During Construction Periods Determine the nature of building occupancy during the construction periods. Identify areas of the build- ing that will be occupied. Identify any special needs of the building occupants (e.g., children, elderly, dis- abled). Identify occupant complaints or concerns. AP 23.2 Identify Construc- tion Contaminants and Pathways Identify potential IAQ contaminant sources from building upgrades (e.g., activities, materials and equipment that have the potential to cause IAQ problems) and pathways through which contami- nants could affect the air quality for the building occupants (e.g., adjacent areas, return ducts, stair- wells). AP 23.3 Identify Risk of Mercury Exposure Identify the extent to which mercury exposure is a risk during the building upgrade. Mercury exposure is a risk in a building where broken mercury-containing products and devices such as thermometers, thermo- stats, compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs, and fluorescent lamps are identified—especially when a designated place for proper disposal of such material is not available. If the upgrade involves installing or replacing mercury-containing prod- ucts such as thermostats, thermometers, fluorescent lamps and CFL bulbs, mer- cury is a potential risk as part of the upgrade. MA 23.1 Minimize Occupant and Worker Exposures During Construction When conducting activities that may result in exposure to airborne contaminants (e.g., cutting or grinding materials, painting, installing insulation) comply with local laws and adhere to the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA) Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for Occupied Buildings Under Con- struction. Minimize occupant and worker exposure to VOCs, particles and other airborne contaminants using the following procedures: • Restrict building occupants and workers without the personal protective equipment needed for the work being performed from construction areas. • Separate construction areas from occupied portions of the build- ing using appropriate containment and ventilation practices. En- sure that work areas are properly isolated (e.g., by constructing a sealed, rigid-wall air barrier with a lockable door separating the work area from occupants or isolating smaller work areas with a plastic sheeting air barrier). Ensure that work areas are ventilated with exhaust to the outdoors to protect workers and occupants. Contaminants should be captured as close as possible to the emissions source. Work areas should be under negative pressure relative to surrounding spaces. Ensure that construction contami- nants exhausted to the outdoors do not re-enter the building. Note: If negative pressurization in the work areas is not possible, consider an exhausted double wall buffer zone to separate work areas from surrounding areas. • Ensure fire egress requirements from occupied portions of the building are maintained when isolating work areas. • Do not conduct dry sanding without implementing containment measures for the dust generated. • Establish vehicle staging areas for loading and unloading mate- rials and equipment at least 100 feet from outdoor air intakes, operable windows and entryways to the building. • Clean the area thoroughly and frequently, and before re-entry of unprotected workers or occupants to ensure removal of any dust that may contain pollutants. Use sealed HEPA-rated vacuums. • Follow all manufacturers' printed instructions, which may indi- cate the need to evacuate building occupants and other unpro- tected individuals from work areas during and for some period after the use of a product. • Ensure sufficient ventilation and cure time to protect occupants before re-entry into the work area. • Create specific plans to contain particulate matter during demo- lition activities. • Limit the impact of airborne contaminants released by roof- ing materials during installation (e.g., hot mop asphalt, seam sealing on ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), polyvinyl chloride or modified bitumen roofing). Establish isolation barri- ers and keep roofing materials away from outdoor air intakes. • Promptly respond to any occupant complaints or concerns. EA 23.1 Consider Ad- ditional Protections As Appropriate Consider implementing the following options: • Require rigid-wall air barriers with sealed, lockable entries be- tween work areas and occupied spaces and provide negative pres- surization to contain contaminants. • Create a buffer zone around work sites. • Restrict construction activities to hours of reduced occupancy when feasible. • Conduct temporary air cleaning. • Stage construction activities in controlla- ble sizes. • Control pressuriza- tion and the indoor environment with temporary HVAC equipment. • Vacate the entire building, when fea- sible. EA 23.2 Replace Mercu- ry-Containing Products and Materials, Where Possible Encourage replacement of mercury-containing products and devices (excluding fluorescent lights and CFL bulbs) with products that do not contain mercury. See Appendix A: Worker Protection

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