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Lessons Learned from Construction Projects
in Occupied School Facilities
BY PAUL HAAS
Occupational and environ- mental health and safety professionals who work for
school districts understand all too
well the challenges of the school
environment. Perhaps more than
in other settings, effective communication—with both school administration and the public—is
paramount. Moreover, when construction projects take place while
schools are in session, OEHS staff
have to contend with additional
layers of complexity. This article
discusses the use of inspections
and other measures for controlling
indoor air quality (IAQ) during
renovations in occupied schools.
Schools often require renovation
while buildings are occupied. School
district OEHS staff is usually charged
with assuring the best possible learning
environment during and after renova-
tion projects; protecting occupants, oc-
cupied areas and materials; and
minimizing exposures. Since renova-
tions usually occur within compressed
work schedules, IAQ management must
be coordinated with inspections.
Case Studies
Isolating building occupants behind
barriers to construction dusts and odors
is often a cost-effective control strategy. Project managers might not understand the benefits of improved IAQ
controls and might object to their costs.
It’s important for architects, OEHS staff
and project managers to ensure that all
phases of projects use IAQ control
strategies that meet the schedule and
budget. Often, however, controls are
specified for little more than dust generated during finish change-outs. If
controls and critical-point inspections
aren’t planned for, they won’t happen,
and defects can be covered up by construction.
