ASHRAE has compiled a COVID-19 Preparedness Resources webpage that includes a recently approved position document on Airborne Infectious Diseases.
The site (ashrae.org/COVID19) provides resources from ASHRAE to building industry professionals. The position document advises that new and existing healthcare intake and waiting areas, crowded shelters, and similar facilities should go beyond the minimum requirements of these documents.
Techniques covered in ASHRAE’s Indoor Air Quality Guide can better prepare building owners to control airborne infectious disease, an ASHRAE news release states. “Because small particles remain airborne for some period of time, the design and operation of HVAC systems that move air can affect disease transmission in several ways, such as by:
· Supplying clean air to susceptible occupants
· Containing contaminated air and/or exhausting it to the outdoors
· Diluting the air in a space with cleaner air from outdoors and/or by filtering the air
· Cleaning the air within the room
ASHRAE recommends the following strategies to address disease transmission: dilution ventilation, laminar and other in-room flow regimes, differential room pressurization, personalized ventilation, source capture ventilation, filtration (central or unitary), and UVGI (upper room, in-room, and in the airstream). “Owners, operators, and engineers are encouraged to collaborate with infection prevention specialists knowledgeable about transmission of infection in the community and the workplace and about strategies for prevention and risk mitigation,” the release says.
Related Stories
| Nov 27, 2013
Vancouver, B.C., bans doorknobs in building code update
The goal of making it easier for people to age in place led to amendments to Vancouver, B.C.’s building code including banning doorknobs in favor of lever handles.
| Nov 22, 2013
Kieran Timberlake, PE International develop BIM tool for green building life cycle assessment
Kieran Timberlake and PE International have developed Tally, an analysis tool to help BIM users keep better score of their projects’ complete environmental footprints.
| Nov 20, 2013
WDMA receives final approval on code amendments
The Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) was granted final approval of several amendments it proposed to the 2015 editions of the International Residential Code (IRC), International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), and International Existing Building Code (IEBC).
| Nov 20, 2013
Safe Jobs Act would provide more protection for New York City construction workers
Legislation that would require safety training for construction workers on public projects in New York City has been introduced to the City Council.
| Nov 20, 2013
Boston officials grapple with impact of new FEMA flood maps
New federal maps for Boston significantly expand the number of homes and businesses in areas considered at high risk of flooding, a change that could force thousands of property owners to purchase expensive insurance and complicate redevelopment along the city’s waterfront.
| Nov 20, 2013
How LEED and Green Globes stack up
An analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Green Globes rating system and LEED standards puts LEED ahead, but doesn’t discount the merits of Green Globes.
| Nov 14, 2013
First LEED v4 certified project garnered by Beijing furniture showroom
Haworth’s showroom in Beijing’s Parkview Green building has been recognized as the world’s first certified LEED project under the USGBC’s new LEED version 4 beta program.
| Nov 14, 2013
OSHA proposes requirement for large firms to disclose workplace injuries
A proposal from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would require companies with more than 250 employees to disclose workplace injury and illness reports online.
| Nov 14, 2013
GSA asks for input to help study energy-efficient technologies on its buildings
The General Services Administration has posted a request online, asking those in industry, academia and nonprofits for information on green building technologies.
| Nov 14, 2013
Document on gypsum boards sets stage for preparing Environmental Product Declaration
The Gypsum Association has completed the development of a product category rules (PCR) document for North American gypsum boards.
