&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Envisioning Excellence
IAQ Strategies in Action
The Framework for Effective School IAQ Management
Accelerating Action to Create Healthier
and Safer School Environments
Organize Communicate
If
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Accelerating Action to Create Healthier and Safer School Environments
the following pages you will find step-by-step actions that successful
_L A Aschool districts have taken to build effective and enduring IAQ
management programs. This tremendous knowledge base — built on the
accumulated learning of accomplished school IAQ management programs and
Z4Q Tools for Schools National Award winners — exists to help schools take
action to create healthier, safer learning environments. The Framework for
Effective School IAQ Management synthesizes this knowledge base, and EPA's
Envisioning Excellence materials provide in-depth access to it. The Envisioning
Excellence materials include actionable guidance, program strategy suggestions,
descriptions of approaches school districts can take to apply the Framework in
Envisioning Excellence Materials
Access all of the Envisioning Excellence
materials to learn how to achieve
success in your school district. Visit
www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/excellence.html.
examples from leading programs, and detailed
their environmental, health and safety programs.
What is the IAQ Strategies in Action Resource?
IAQ Strategies in Action presents an overview of the Framework for Effective School IAQ Management: Six Key Drivers —
the building blocks of sustainable health or wellness programs, including IAQ management programs. This resource gives
examples of the step-by-step strategies that any school district can apply to incorporate the Six Key Drivers into their programs.
What Is "The Framework" and How Can I Use It?
Years of research led to the discovery of a clear program Framework that underlies successful IAQ management programs. This
resource highlights a diversity of schools that are using the Framework to take action to achieve IAQ excellence — proving that
the Framework is highly flexible and adaptable. Any school, regardless of location, size, budget or facility conditions, can follow
it to launch and sustain an effective IAQ program. The Framework for Effective School IAQ Management: Six Key Drivers
presents the system for success and provides a common language for discussing the Six Key Drivers that contribute to effective
IAQ management programs:
• Organize for Success
• Communicate with Everyone, All the Time
• Assess Your Environments Continuously
• Plan Your Short and Long-Term Activities
• Act to Address Structural, Institutional and Behavioral Issues
• Evaluate Your Results for Continuous Improvement
The Framework for Effective School IAQ Management is a self-
reinforcing system. As school districts incorporate each Key Driver into
their programs, overall program effectiveness increases. In addition,
the strategies that support the Six Key Drivers are complementary;
working to develop one Key Driver will support and contribute to the
development of another. It is important to remember that effective school
IAQ management programs are works in progress and most districts put the
components of success in place over time. Effective IAQ management is a
marathon, not a sprint.
The Framework for Effective School
IAQ Management: Six Key Drivers
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KEY to ABBREVIATIONS:
Blue Valley School District (BVSD)
West Carrollton School District (WCSD)
Hartford Public Schools (HPS)
Katy Independent School District (KISD)
School Board of Broward County, Florida
(Broward)
Saugus Union School District (SUSD)
Visalia Unified School District (VUSD)
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Envisioning Excellence — IAQ Strategies in Action
KEY DRIVER #1 — ORGANIZE FOR SUCCESS
Strategy I.I — Develop Systematic Approach
Apply a systematic approach to coordinate and enhance
existing activities and build a sustainable IAQ initiative.
• Follow the IAQ Tools for Schools Program model to tie
disparate facility functions together, and to get the right
people talking about environmental management.
Strategy 1.2 — Identify Existing Assets
Assess your assets and build your IAQ management
program around what already works.
• Integrate IAQ management into effective management
processes, reporting and response protocols, staff functions,
resource allocations, etc.
Strategy 1.3 — Design Standard Operating Procedures
• Create standard operating procedures to ensure regular
facility assessments, preventive actions and swift problem
response for IAQ
• Publicize the links between your IAQ standard operating
procedures and the educational mission so decision-makers
and staff support your processes.
Strategy 1.4 — Empower an IAQ Leader
Put someone in charge of the program and empower that
person to make decisions.
• Choose a strong leader who is committed to facility health
and occupant wellness, and who has the influence required
to hold people accountable for progress.
Communicate with staff, teachers, parents and others to
make sure everyone knows who is in charge.
Strategies In Action — Develop Systematic Approach
BVSD used the IAQ Tools for Schools Program to identify which
procedures, resources and personnel to coordinate to improve
their facilities management. By integrating disconnected pieces,
BVSD created a stronger program from existing parts.
WCSD used the IAQ Tools for Schools Program model as a
leaping-off point for designing an environmental, safety, health
and wellness program.
Strategies in Action — Identify Existing Assets
When launching their IAQ program in the wake of a
mold crisis, the Broward team asked an institution that the
community viewed as effective and trustworthy for help.
The Facilities Task Force — composed of staff, parents and
community leaders — led the initiative.
Elementary school principals in VUSD are responsible
for school health and safety issues. When launching the
IAQ initiative, VUSD added IAQ issues to principals'
responsibilities and trained them on what to look for and how
to report their findings through the same channels already in
use for other safety and health issues.
Strategies in Action — Design Standard Operating
Procedures
BVSD adapted standard operating procedures for facility
design and capital construction, building envelope, and major
mechanical replacement programs to establish new IAQ
protocols. BVSD also made sure that staff understood how
adhering to the IAQ standard operating procedures would
contribute to outstanding learning environments that promote
student success.
Broward established standard operating procedures that enable
immediate remedial action in response to IAQ problems that
cost less than a threshold amount. If actions cost more than the
threshold, the problems are automatically elevated to decision-
makers.
Strategies in Action — Empower an IAQ Leader
KISD designated an Environmental Assistant Director position
within the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Department
to direct IAQ management, hire a team, conduct assessments,
oversee prevention and response activities, and communicate
with other department heads.
BVSD chose a coordinator for its IAQ initiative whose role
as Safety Manager had prepared him in many of the relevant
issues (facility management, pollution prevention, etc.). He
became the face of the Districts IAQ program — the "go-to
guy" critical to its success.
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Envisioning Excellence — IAQ Strategies in Action
Strategy 1.5 — Build an Effective Team
• Build a team that represents your district and community. •
• In large districts, consider a district-level team to coordinate
activities with IAQ teams at each site.
• Recruit members whose job functions, passions, interests
and knowledge equip them to:
• Act on IAQ management issues (e.g., facility managers,
custodial supervisors, HVAC technicians, business officials);
• Communicate the importance of IAQ management efforts
(e.g., nurses, public health officials, principals, concerned
parents);
• Influence decision-makers or make required decisions, such
as staff and resource allocations (e.g., department heads,
board members); and
•
• Provide expertise on IAQ issues and the interactions among
facilities management, occupant behaviors and IAQ
outcomes (e.g., industrial hygienists, environmental health
specialists).
• Consider "unusual suspects": Critics and people who do •
not initially trust the district can be great additions to the
team.
• Include union representatives, disgruntled parents and
teachers who have lodged IAQ complaints.
Strategies in Action — Build an Effective Team
Broward learned a powerful lesson about building a
representative IAQ team in the wake of a mold and public
relations crisis. The facilities staff had previously avoided
unions, teachers and parents as much as possible but found
that by bringing them onto the IAQ planning team, they
turned them from adversaries into allies. Broward also recruited
IAQ Committees at each school to serve as trainers, survey
administrators and communications channels and to coordinate
IAQ work with the district-level oversight team.
HPS' district-level health and safety team, which took
ownership of the IAQ program, augmented their resources with
team members from city, state, non-profit and local university
communities. Outside experts provide training, assist with
walkthroughs and help secure grant support.
WCSD s team includes school board members, the
Superintendent, teachers, administrators and once-skeptical
parents. WCSD invited the parents who were most vocal
during the IAQ problems onto its committee and gave
naysayers a chance to contribute constructively.
After facing an early IAQ crisis, SUSD created a Parent
Oversight Committee, comprising some of the district's most
vocal critics, to help plan the IAQ program and conduct
walkthroughs.
Strategy 1.6 — Create Champions
Create IAQ champions (on your team and in the
community) to promote program success.
• Find champions by broadcasting the link between healthy
IAQ and student performance, staff health and morale, and
facility health, and see who responds with energy.
Look for passionate, energetic risk-takers who will
communicate the program's mission, goals, objectives,
activities and results.
Strategy 1.7 — Secure Senior Buy-In
• Secure executive-level support for your program.
• Tie the IAQ programs goals, plans and expected results to
improved student health, wellness and performance.
• Use crisis moments as opportunities to build buy-in and
secure investments from decision-makers, school boards and
parents.
Strategies In Action — Create Champions
In BVSD, "Everyone knew how they could contribute to
healthy school environments that lead to student success ...
principals saw that the program could keep students healthy;
and custodians felt pride about being the first line of IAQ
defense."
KISD looked for "someone with energy, a self-starter, team-
focused, a risk-taker, a model of exemplary behavior and an
effective communicator," when hiring its Environmental
Assistant Director. KISD credits its IAQ success, in part, with
"the force of the team leader's personality and persistence,
which have helped ... to secure leadership buy-in and
community trust and to motivate colleagues."
Strategies in Action — Secure Senior Buy-In
HPS secured senior-level buy-in by presenting the IAQ
program as part of the solution to its high asthma rates and by
describing how IAQ Tools for Schools could improve student and
staff attendance and performance.
When the Director of M&O first arrived in KISD, he found
a mold infestation crisis, public mistrust and staff outrage. He
seized the moment to secure superintendent support for an
IAQ program and institutionalized the program by creating a
new M&O Environmental Assistant Director position.
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Envisioning Excellence — IAQ Strategies in Action
ommunicate
KEY DRIVER #2 — COMMUNICATE WITH EVERYONE, ALL THE TIME
Strategy 2.1 — Share Your Goals
Publicize your program's goals, plans and expected
activities.
• Communicate the connection between your IAQ activities
and program goals so stakeholders know what you are doing
and why it is important.
Strategies in Action — Share Your Goals
BVSD recorded its IAQ goals in its strategic plan,
communicated them to people across the District and
explained the rationale behind them.
A KISD parent reports that "the whole district, from students,
to staff, to administrators and parents ... is well informed
about IAQ and its health effects. The maintenance department,
new building department and administrators take a proactive
approach to maintaining our buildings ... We have to be aware
that keeping a building in top shape costs money, but we know
that it saves money in the long run."
Strategy 2.2 — Make IAQ Meaningful
Communicate the link between your program's plans,
activities and results and the issues that matter most to your
audience.
• Talk to parents about how your work safeguards their
children; tell staff and administrators how it promotes
health, productivity, attendance and performance; share
with facilities and operations and maintenance staff how
their work affects student success and reduces facilities' wear
and tear and maintenance costs.
Consider all avenues for communication. Hang up posters to
describe the mission; use websites, parent newsletters and other
channels to reinforce the message; communicate your IAQ
mission at every opportunity.
Strategies in Action — Make IAQ Meaningful
When marketing their program, HPS' team always described
the relationship between IAQ management, improved asthma
control, attendance outcomes and clean and healthy schools.
To recruit school nurses to lead site-based IAQ programs,
KISD s team leaders spoke passionately about how effective
IAQ management could improve nurses' jobs and student
health.
BVSD generated support for the IAQ program by emphasizing
how it would manifestly support the district's goal of "creating
outstanding learning environments." The IAQ team also
mailed newsletters to all households in the district, to share
the message that "Each day we wait to improve IAQ, money is
lost." The public got the message and now supports the IAQ
activities through bond initiatives and volunteerism.
VUSD sought help from a local asthma coalition and its
school nurses to educate teachers about the links between
non-approved chemicals (such as air fresheners and cleaning
products) and asthma problems in students.
Strategy 2.3 — Be Transparent & Inclusive
Be transparent when communicating assessment findings,
responses and prevention plans.
• Invite parents, media, health department officials and others
to examine problems and be part of the solution.
Be inclusive when planning your IAQ program to build
understanding, trust and support.
• Invite a broad group of people to the planning table,
including those who are most critical of your management,
to help you plan and implement your IAQ program.
Strategies in Action — Be Transparent & Inclusive
• The KISD team takes community members on walkthroughs
to demonstrate how their IAQ program functions and shares
information on problems and planned solutions.
• After a very public mold crisis, Broward revamped its
communications approach. Issues were once addressed quietly,
but the district now broadcasts information — problems and
all — on the Web, cable television and through parents' groups
and unions.
• WCSD involved the community in program planning and
implementation. "Involving everyone helped convince them of
our sincere commitment to protecting their health and safety."
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Envisioning Excellence — IAQ Strategies in Action
Strategy 2.4 — Communicate Results
• Communicate your results to everyone in the community.
• Share information on your efforts and their results so
the community can understand the full circle of IAQ
management — risk identification, action, prevention
and improvement — and see why IAQ investments and
behavior/policy changes are worth supporting.
Strategies in Action — Communicate Results
At WCSD, "Folks know that... things get done because we
make sure to follow every issue and we communicate what
we're doing, why we're doing it and what to expect next."
KISD delivers assessment reports to school principals
summarizing findings and responses. Over time, principals
have paid increasing attention to the reports because they have
seen the response and concluded that the reports must contain
important information.
BVSD shares IAQ program progress by reporting on daily,
weekly and monthly improvements to the school board and
community.
Every office manager in SUSD schools maintains an "IAQ File
Box" that is accessible to the parents and community. The box
includes completed checklists and walkthrough results.
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KEY DRIVER #3 — ASSESS YOUR ENVIRONMENTS CONTINUOUSLY
Strategy 3.1 — Walk the Grounds
Conduct regular walkthrough assessments to identify
pollutant sources, contributors and IAQ risks.
• Teach on-site staff to conduct walkthrough assessments.
• Look for structural, mechanical, environmental or occupant
behavior issues that can lead to poor IAQ.
• Describe to occupants the issues you are looking for, listen
to their concerns and describe your response plans.
Regularly review walkthrough results to identify responses
and preventive actions to avoid future problems.
Strategy 3.2 — Listen to Occupants
Survey occupants to collect information on the health of
the facility and assess their satisfaction.
• Use the survey to educate occupants about common IAQ
problems, what to look for and steps they can take to
safeguard the environment.
Create a standard format or system for collecting
information from occupants to make it easy for them to
share with you.
Strategies in Action — Walk the Grounds
HPS trained school-based teams by walking them through
example areas at a school site. They learned to spot a variety of
IAQ issues and other conditions that could compromise health
or create a hazard. The team members also learned to link
findings with reported health symptoms and report findings to
the district for resolution.
KISD's environmental team conducts regular walkthroughs of
all 10+ million square feet of their facilities. The team leader
trained her staff to conduct effective walkthroughs, capture
baseline and annual assessment data, process work orders
promptly and route work orders according to KISD protocols
to ensure swift response to any pending issues and regular
preventive actions to head-off problems.
Strategies in Action — Listen to Occupants
Broward uses a technology solution to collect data from
occupants at 253 schools. A simple, anonymous, online form
for reporting facility conditions generates valuable data.
Once per year, building occupants in WCSD receive a
survey on everything from chemical usage to cleanliness. The
Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) Committee uses
occupant surveys to design walkthroughs. "In the beginning,
we received surveys without names or room numbers. Now that
we have increased trust and credibility, the staff puts detailed
information on the surveys because they know we will examine
their concerns and take action."
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Envisioning Excellence — IAQ Strategies in Action
Strategy 3.3 — Use Technology
Use technology to simplify assessments and collect data.
• Use monitoring equipment to assess facilities. Many school
districts use tools such as digital psychrometers (reads
temperature and relative humidity, dew point, wet-bulb and
moisture content), anemometers (measures airflow), data
loggers (records temperature, humidity, illumination and
other inputs), CO monitors and other devices.
Use technology to manage data and track response and
prevention activities.
• A coordinated system can manage occupant survey data,
feed into a work order system and track pending, completed
and planned activities.
Strategies in Action — Use Technology
BVSD uses technology — including an Aircuity machine,
a Forward Looking Infrared camera and an Environmental
Management System — to measure facility parameters during
walkthroughs; and to continuously monitor filtration, air flow,
temperature and relative humidity in all facilities. BVSD s
tools help limit lost instructional time by heading off potential
problems.
The same system that Broward uses to collect survey data
helps district staff to plan walkthroughs and manage corrective
actions and preventive maintenance. Broward s IAQ inspectors
even have handheld devices with summarized occupant reports
that guide their validation assessments.
VUSD uses an electronic work order system to capture IAQ
concerns. A special check box denotes IAQ issues, and the
operations staff is able to begin its investigation to address the
concern within 24 hours of receiving the work order. Staff can
add pictures and comments in the system to create an online
record of each concern and its resolution. In addition, VUSD
uses an integrated electronic site checklist for IAQ and other
Strategy 3.4 — Determine a Baseline
Establish your facility performance baseline. Gather data on
usual performance to identify areas for improvement and to
establish metrics for tracking impact over time.
• Examples of baseline data to collect include average IAQ
complaints per month; average temperature, relative
humidity, CO2 and ventilation rates; frequency with which
HVAC filters are changed; and more.
Strategies in Action — Determine a Baseline
• WCSD conducts room checks at least once per month to
measure thermal comfort and CO2 and tracks variations against
the baseline.
• SUSD compiles an annual IAQ summary for each building
that includes information on cleanliness, moisture, thermal
comfort and ventilation. They compare annual data to identify
problems, trends and successes.
Strategy 3.5 — Keep Customers Satisfied
Respond promptly to occupant concerns and demonstrate
that you take their concerns seriously.
• Think of your occupants as customers and show them that
their concerns matter because you value their health.
Engage occupants in your work to generate trust and
support.
• Tell complainants what you plan to do in response to their
concerns, share any data you have with them and inform
occupants when and how concerns are resolved.
Strategies in Action — Keep Customers Satisfied
• BVSD's IAQ team follows up within 24 hours of receiving
an IAQ issue report by talking with the complainant and
describing next steps. They also discuss work in progress.
BVSD's culture of customer service has built trust and created a
joint sense of facility ownership.
• WCSD s EH&S Committee lets people know how to report
IAQ issues and ensures swift follow-up. "We educated the
teachers about what types of health or comfort issues may be
IAQ-related ... if there is a health complaint, we immediately
get into the school building and monitor temperature,
humidity, CO and CO2."
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Envisioning Excellence — IAQ Strategies in Action
Strategy 3.6 — Identify and Prevent Risks
Identify IAQ risk factors and opportunities for
improvement and take preventive, not just responsive,
action.
• Consider opportunities to educate occupants and
custodians, update maintenance and policies, or take
precautionary action, such as sealing foundation cracks to
prevent moisture intrusion. Schedule these actions now to
save time and money and reduce risks down the line.
Strategies in Action — Identify and Prevent Risks
• The BVSD team prioritizes custodian training. BVSD teaches
custodians "to identify and report moisture leaks and mold
growth and to take pictures and map leaks ... We aim for the
root of the problem."
• WCSD takes major preventive action as often as possible. For
example, when the district received $ 1 million because their
insurer restructured its business, WCSD spent some money to
replace carpets. It had been too difficult to ensure that carpets
were not harboring dust mites, paniculate matter, mold or
other allergens, so they replaced the carpet with tile. In the next
year, that school saw a nine percent improvement in attendance
rates.
KEY DRIVER #4 — PLAN YOUR SHORT AND LONG-TERM ACTIVITIES
Strategy 4.1 — Prioritize Actions
Think strategically about the order and importance of your
short and long-term activities.
• Prioritize the most serious risks, such as CO and CO
build-up and chemical releases, and those that can lead to
high-cost repairs, such as untended moisture leaks, as first-
order activities.
Strategies in Action — Prioritize Actions
KISD prioritizes IAQ activities in two ways: (1) After
walkthroughs, each M&O supervisor reviews his or her action
lists and ranks priority actions according to risk; and (2) Before
spending money on major upgrades, KISD seals all areas of the
building envelope, windows and doors to prevent moisture and
mold.
Strategy 4.2 — Put Goals in Writing
• Include IAQ program goals and objectives in documents
that codify standard operating procedures and
institutionalize long-term programs.
• List your program goals, plans and responsibilities in
the districts strategic plan, facility operations plans, staff
training programs, operating manuals, etc.
• Articulate your program's goals and objectives clearly and
publicly so they become accepted yardsticks for district
performance.
• Tie your goals to the results you expect.
• Target results might include decreased response time for
IAQ concerns, decreased number of complaints, improved
occupant satisfaction, decreased absences and improved
student performance.
Strategies in Action — Put Goals in Writing
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BVSD institutionalized its program by including goals and
measures for success in the districts strategic plan. The IAQ
team is publicly accountable and they have senior-level support
for the program because the board, superintendent and others
know the IAQ programs focus is on significant environmental
accomplishments.
KISD's IAQ program has a very public mission statement (on
its website, the office walls, etc.) that makes the programs goals
clear and ties them to results: "Good IAQ is an important
component of a healthy indoor environment and is necessary
for schools to reach their primary goal of educating students."
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Envisioning Excellence — IAQ Strategies in Action
Strategy 4.3 — Start Small
Continuously plan your prevention and upgrade activities
recognizing that you cannot do everything all at once.
• Effective IAQ management is a marathon, not a sprint.
Strategy 4.4 — Work in Stages
Do not try to do everything all at once: Make your goal
strategic action, not immediate action.
• Some districts begin with a pilot project. Others act on
all of the upgrades they can handle in-house at low cost
and later move onto more complex tasks, like equipment
replacements.
Identify your action steps, set a schedule, follow your work
plan and track your progress.
Strategy 4.5 — Plan for the Future
Design operations to ensure future IAQ protection and
continued best management practices.
• Planning should address everything from IAQ for
renovation and new construction to training and
communication plans to keep staff and district stakeholders
up-to-date on IAQ policies and results.
Strategies in Action — Start Small
• BVSD launched an IAQ program by finding opportunities
to improve IAQ without much new work. They "pushed the
fly wheel forward" with small wins that continually generated
momentum and support.
• HPS made upgrades at one site (e.g., repaired leaks, improved
cleaning and maintenance protocols, removed old carpet, etc.)
that contributed to reduced asthma visits to the school nurse,
and used the early success to fuel a multi-year program roll-out.
Strategies in Action — Work in Stages
HPS put the components of success in place gradually. Initially,
the district completed a pilot project, which it then used as an
example to build support for a broader program. HPS then
launched a district-wide training program and created school-
based health and safety teams. The teams then assessed the
facilities, and so on.
Broward has a plan for rolling out IAQ Tools for Schools to all
253 schools in the district in stages, including prioritizing
assessments and completing prevention and response activities.
Strategies in Action — Plan for the Future
KISD faces rapid population growth (adding up to 3-5,000
students per year). The district has ensured that growth will
not compromise IAQ by implementing a renovation and
construction plan that safeguards IAQ.
VUSD builds IAQ safeguards into its purchasing strategy.
When a site submits a purchase order for new equipment,
the purchasing department contacts maintenance to assess
how the potential purchase may affect IAQ. Integrating IAQ
considerations into purchasing plans allows VUSD to prevent
IAQ problems.
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Envisioning Excellence — IAQ Strategies in Action
KEY DRIVER #5 —
ACT TO ADDRESS STRUCTURAL, INSTITUTIONAL AND
BEHAVIORAL ISSUES
Strategy 5.1 — Educate Staff About IAQ
to Change Behavior
Educate staff on IAQ risks, signs of problems and how to
report what they find.
• Give occupants knowledge of common IAQ risks and the
power to act to protect their indoor environments. Turn
them into IAQ guardians and champions.
• Include leadership and stewardship messages in your
education programs. Convey that facility health is a
joint responsibility and that it takes a team of proactive
occupants, staff and managers to prevent problems and
deliver outstanding learning environments.
Act quickly on staff reports to teach them that their
attentiveness is valued.
• Show occupants the fruits of their labors to ensure that they
continue to serve as a first line of defense against IAQ risks.
Strategy 5.2 — Train Occupants to
Address IAQ Risks
Train staff and occupants to identify and prevent IAQ
problems to change the way your institutions function.
• Turn occupants into on-site facility managers, inspectors
and planners by training staff, administrators, teachers and
even students to look out for IAQ risks and take simple
actions to prevent problems (e.g., wipe up moisture spills
immediately, store foods in tight containers, do not allow
pets in classrooms, etc.).
Strategy 5.3 — Address the
Source of Problems
Identify the underlying cause(s) of problems at the first sign
of an IAQ issue and do not be satisfied with cosmetic fixes.
• Ground your preventive maintenance program in root cause
analysis: Programs that see the biggest return on investment
are those that address problems at the source.
Strategies in Action — Educate Staff About IAQ
to Change Behavior
• BVSD's IAQ team meets with principals annually to educate
them about the IAQ program and to share a "cheat sheet"
that lists the roles, responsibilities and contact information
of facilities department staff. Most principals subsequently
become active site managers.
• Each SUSD site elects a teacher to serve as IAQ Coordinator.
The Coordinators receive training and then train site-based
Committees. The Coordinators also provide program updates
at weekly staff meetings to build awareness of the IAQ program
across the district.
• KISD established an online work order system, and IAQ
Coordinators became the hub for IAQ concerns at each site.
The district-level team educated Coordinators and occupants
about IAQ issues and reporting protocols. Now, they report
issues using the online system because they have seen that their
reports lead to action.
Strategies in Action — Train Occupants to
Address IAQ Risks
HPS trained site-based health and safety teams to conduct
assessments, report their findings and rank priority actions.
In so doing, HPS empowered occupants with a role in facility
protection, dispersed authority across the district and built a
more sustainable program.
During assessments, Broward's IAQ team often identifies issues
that are behavioral at their root and addresses them through
training. For example, when investigating dust complaints,
the team found cluttered, hard-to-clean classrooms, so they
recommended that the site's IAQ Committee convene custodial
staff and occupants to talk about what it takes to keep a room
clean.
Strategies in Action — Address the
Source of Problems
In BVSD, training for all lead custodians focuses on "the
root of the problem" rather than superficial solutions. Lead
custodians learn to conduct regular walkthroughs, effectively
report potential problems (see it, map it, report it) and train
their colleagues to do the same.
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Envisioning Excellence — IAQ Strategies in Action
KEY DRIVER #6 — EVALUATE YOUR RESULTS FOR CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT
Strategy 6.1 — Solicit Feedback
Ask occupants for input on your program's effectiveness to
improve community relations and gather valuable data.
• Ask occupants for feedback on their comfort with your
IAQ program, the ease of reporting concerns, perceived
effectiveness of response to reports and satisfaction with the
indoor environment.
Strategies in Action — Solicit Feedback
Occupants in WCSD facilities receive an annual survey, the
results of which (in tandem with building walkthroughs) drive
the district's determination of the IAQ programs performance
and priorities.
BVSD asks occupants to score the school's indoor environment
on annual surveys and aims to receive scores of at least four out
of five from 100 percent of respondents.
Strategy 6.2 — Capture Return on Investment
• Establish and track quantitative targets for your program
wherever possible.
• Identify measures that assess program implementation and
your progress toward program goals. Consider tracking the
number of school nurse visits, IAQ complaints, operating
costs, training frequency and other metrics.
• Measure return on investment across several benchmarks
to identify accomplishments; recognize areas for more
concentrated effort; distinguish effective from ineffective
tactics; assess some of the financial value of your program;
and demonstrate program merit.
Strategies in Action — Capture Return on
Investment
WCSD tracked attendance rate improvements since the outset
of the IAQ program. These data have helped to encourage
the custodial staff and others who implement the program by
showing them how their efforts pay off in very tangible terms.
Based on the district's demonstrable results, WCSD's voters
approved the conversion of fixed-term to continuing levies to
provide continuous funds for long-term facility improvements
and upgrades.
BVSD documented reduced operating costs associated with
the IAQ program (e.g., energy savings from HVAC upgrades)
and used the proof of savings to invest money back into the
program. BVSD also documented a rise in test scores every year
since the IAQ Tools for Schools Program began and fewer per
capita IAQ complaints.
January 2011
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