The maintenance of acceptable Indoor Air quality (IAQ) is dynamic and complex requiring the efforts of a cross-section of the University community. Facilities Maintenance skilled trades, Custodial and Pest Control Services, Environmental Health & Safety, Facilities Planning and Construction, the occupants of a specific building and their Safety committee representatives all play major roles in maintaining IAQ. As a matter of fact, IAQ is just one component of a broader concept of the total indoor environment.
A healthy indoor environment contributes to occupants' productivity, comfort and a sense of well-being. The indoor air is free of significant levels of dust and contaminants and circulates to prevent stuffiness without creating drafts. Temperature and humidity are appropriate to the season and the use of the facility. Other indoor environmental factors such as noise, lighting, ergonomic stressors (i.e. work station and task design) and job psychosocial stressors combined with IAQ contribute to the overall indoor environment. With over 7 million square feet of occupied space at the University of Delaware, maintaining IAQ is a challenge and problems will arise.
Sometimes these problems are easily identified and corrected, such as a delivery truck running next to an air intake to the building, and sometimes IAQ problems are complex as in the case of inadequate control of temperature, humidity and airflow which can require a detailed investigation and an engineering solution. Regardless of the problem, we need to know about it.
For questions regarding the IAQ program contact Jeff Work (jwork@udel.edu / 302-831-3971) or Ed Jackson (ejackson@udel.edu / 302-831-0690).
The Safety Beacon is distributed across the University to raise awareness about Environmental Health and Safety issues.
Questions regarding General Health & Safety issues may be addressed to DEHS or call 831-8475.