Scientists and health professionals are warning building owners to heed the risk of Legionella prior to reopening buildings after COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.
The risk of this deadly disease is elevated after extended shutdowns because stagnant water in HVAC systems can be a breeding ground for the Legionella bacteria. NSF Health Sciences and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) are hosting a virtual special session of the annual Legionella Conference on March 9-10, 2021.
“This virtual event will provide opportunity for experts from leading organizations to share insights and global perspective on an interactive platform,” according to a news release. “Specific topics include technical risk management and sampling strategies, safe reopening of buildings, and state-issued COVID-19 guidance related to water management, emergency planning and resiliency strategies to return to normal operations and prevent further public health hazards during a crisis.”
Online resources are available now at the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/building-water-system.html) and NSF Health Sciences (https://www.nsf.org/
Related Stories
| Feb 19, 2014
Obama Administration moves to boost fuel efficiency standards on heavy-duty vehicles
The Obama Administration wants to boost fuel efficiency of medium- and heavy-duty trucks for models made in 2019 and later.
| Feb 19, 2014
Net Positive Energy + Water is latest green certification standard
The advancement of sustainable construction has reached a new milestone with the development of Net Positive Energy+Water, a new green building certification standard that aims to improve net zero approaches to energy and water conservation.
| Feb 19, 2014
Obama’s climate resilience panel says PVs, cool roofs should be part of solution
Among the suggestions were rooftop solar energy systems and cool roofs, which could be encouraged by policies from local governments.
| Feb 19, 2014
OSHA proposes three-year postponement of crane operator certification requirement
OSHA’s proposal to postpone the compliance date for crane operator certification by three years was made official on Feb. 7 when it was published in the Federal Register.
| Feb 19, 2014
USGBC introduces new online educational platform
The U.S. Green Building Council has introduced “Education @USGBC” a new educational platform.
| Feb 17, 2014
Channeling weather forecasts to building systems can yield significant energy savings
Using weather forecasts to predict outdoor temperature changes can lead to significant energy savings, exceeding 10%, researchers say.
| Feb 17, 2014
Lawmakers may take away control of Florida hospital project from the VA
The project is $100 million over budget and has missed its scheduled completion date.
| Feb 17, 2014
Business, labor at odds over toughening of OSHA silica dust rule
OSHA says the rules will protect workers and prevent 700 fatalities annually. Others say the rules would hurt businesses and jobs.
| Feb 17, 2014
Tulsa, Okla., mulls code change to require storm shelters in new schools
State and city officials are pushing for increased bonding capacity to pay for the storm shelters.
| Feb 13, 2014
Appraisal Institute issues guidelines on evaluating green property
The Appraisal Institute and the Institute for Market Transformation have issued guidelines for training property appraisers to evaluate green buildings.
