Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
OSHA Mask
Standards Still
Not Issued
Universities
Need to Consider
the Longer Term
Safety Practices
Ecolab Provides
Seal of Approval
for Safety at
Six Supermarket
Chains
Open Salad Bars
and Infection
Prevention
____________________________________________________________________________
OSHA Mask
Standards Still
Not Issued
The OSHA
Covid-19
standard will,
unfortunately,
face
implementation
challenges due
to the late
stage in the
pandemic in
which it is
occurring. The
standard will
likely meet
resistance from
frustrated
business owners
who are
desperately
trying to
preserve their
livelihoods, one
year into the
pandemic. It is
critical that
the Biden
Administration
finds a way to
work with
business owners
to prevent
another wave of
infections
amongst the
largely
unvaccinated
labor force.
The exact
details of the
rule have not
yet been
released,
passing by the
initial March 15
deadline set for
OSHA by the
executive order
issued in
January.
However,
current guidance issued
by OSHA on
January 29
advises;
mask-wearing,
regular testing,
physical
distancing, and
better
ventilation,
routine cleaning
and
disinfecting,
hazard
assessment, and
minimizing the
burden on
employees who
need to
quarantine
through remote
work or paid
leave amongst
other
strategies.
These guidelines
are currently
optional but
likely to inform
the binding
standard which
would give OSHA
more power to
levy fines
against
employers who
don’t follow the
CDC’s safety
precautions.
Universities
Need to Consider
the Longer Term
Safety Practices
Campuses with
sustainability
commitments
likely haven’t
thought all that
much about
sustainability
in the past
year. Pushing
through the
pandemic and
holding classes
safely had to be
the priority.
With vaccines
rolling out,
administrators
and student
groups alike may
be starting to
wonder: What is
the
environmental
cost of all this
infection
control? Which
COVID-19
prevention
measures should
we keep in the
long term and
which may hinder
our
sustainability
goals? these are
questions
addressed by
Richard
Loveland, P.E.
,vice president
of BVH
Integrated
Services,
Michael
B. Tyre, AIA,
LEED AP,
principal
at Amenta Emma
Architects
A typical HVAC
system might
combine
approximately
20% outside air
with 80%
recirculated
air. When
information
about how
COVID-19 spreads
came to light,
many campuses
looked to
increase the
outside air
percentage.
Typical HVAC
design provides
some flexibility
for the amount
of outside air
the system can
handle. Often,
an existing HVAC
system can be
configured to
bring in about
10-15% more
fresh air, but
the energy cost
can be
significant and
occupant comfort
may be
compromised.
Maximizing the
outside input to
a standard HVAC
system could
result in higher
energy
consumption
except on
particularly
temperate days.
As a result,
it’s best for
sustainability
purposes to
return
ventilation
systems to their
design settings
once the
pandemic
subsides.
On temperate
days or in
temperate
climates, there
is one very
cost-effective
way to get 100
percent fresh
air: Outdoor
learning.
Many campuses
developed
outdoor learning
spaces during
COVID-19 and, in
fact,
outdoor-instruction
areas were a
rising trend in
higher education
before the
pandemic. These
spaces add
vibrance to
campuses and can
be as simple as
contours in
patios or
courtyards that
allow for
seating or
writing.
Last year,
administrators
across the
country suddenly
had to become
air-filtration
experts and
learn about MERV
ratings,
which is how the
effectiveness of
air filters is
measured. MERV
13 seems to be a
good start for
limiting the
aerosols that
spread COVID-19.
If your campus
made
air-filtration
upgrades during
COVID-19, you
may be thinking,
“Clean air is
good, what’s the
harm of leaving
this in place?”
The stronger the
filter, the
harder HVAC
systems have to
work to push or
pull air through
it. This can
increase the
energy
consumption and
reduce the
performance of
the system.
MERV 13 filters
are required in
many different
occupancy types.
Stronger air
filters are
typically the
providence of
hospitals, labs,
or other spaces
that require a
high level of
filtration.
UV systems have
been another
common upgrade
to HVAC systems.
While UV light
can deactivate
the virus on
surfaces, the
effectiveness of
UV systems on
airborne
particles should
be reviewed
before
installing a
system. UV
systems can add
a significant
electrical load
to the system as
well.
“One of the
things that
concerned us as
we adapted to
COVID-19 was our
lack of
knowledge about
our physical
assets,” says
Keenan Chenail,
planning, design
and construction
project manager
project manager
at Williams
College. The
Massachusetts
school had been
planning to take
a detailed
survey of its
buildings,
furniture and
infrastructure
when the
pandemic hit.
Williams College
has a deeply
held commitment
to
sustainability,
Chenail says.
But like with
every other
school across
the country,
that simply
couldn’t be a
priority as
testing sites
were set up in
parking garages
or tents.
“Knowing how
furniture could
be reconfigured
or the specs of
every HVAC
system would
have given us a
head start on
our response,”
Chenail adds.
“That said,
everyone at
Williams came
together to
bring our
students back to
campus and we
had a very
successful fall
semester.”
Living through
COVID-19 will
give a whole
generation of
administrators
new questions to
ask as they take
on development
projects.
Whether it’s a
pandemic, a
storm or
something else
we haven’t
thought of yet,
how is it going
to work when a
gym needs to be
something other
than a gym?
Designing for
flexibility will
enable campuses
to avoid making
tough calls that
compromise
sustainability
in the future.
The observations
by Loveland and
Tyre relate to
decision making
which can be
measured in
terms of life
quality. After
COVID is
vanquished what
will be the
harm and
good from higher
efficiency air
filtration. On
the negative
size the higher
efficiency comes
at higher energy
cost. This
requires an
investment which
could be made
for other
initiatives
which affect
life quality.
The
higher energy
results in more
CO2.
This in
turn will result
in more climate
warming and
affect life
quality 50 years
from now
On the positive
side there will
be less
transmission of
colds and flu.
At the height of
a cold or flu
the individual
may feel sick
enough to wish
that the
remaining hours
of misery would
just disappear.
In effect he is
saying he would
be willing to
shorten his life
by a few days to
avoid having to
cope with a bad
cold. The
willingness
rises with more
negative
experiences such
as appendicitis,
or days of grief
over loss of a
loved one.
The days of
grief avoided by
loss of loved
one can be
linked to COVID
and the
avoidance of
parental grief
if a student
dies from HVAC
transmitted
disease. Many
parents would be
willing to
sacrifice many
years of life to
avoid death of
children.
This
determination of
an individual of
reducing an 85
year life by a
few days of
colds provides a
metric entitled
quality enhanced
life days which
can measure any
aspect of
building air
quality
investment.
We are now
learning that in
cities such as
St Louis where
PM 2.5 levels
are low this can
be misleading.
New metal
monitors have
revealed that
lead content in
the particulate
varies
considerably
depending on
wind direction.
These small lead
particles will
be caught in
more efficient
HVAC systems.
The life quality
might be
measured in
prolonging the
life of students
for a few days
or weeks over
their life time.
Ecolab Provides
Seal of Approval
for Safety at
Six Supermarket
Chains
With COVID-19
still a big
concern to
shoppers, six
supermarket
chains from
across the
country have
joined the
Ecolab Science
Certified
program to bring
a “seal of
approval” to
public health
and safety
conditions at
their stores.
With the move,
Ingles Markets,
Brookshire’s
Food & Pharmacy,
Cub Foods,
Coborn’s,
Bristol Farms
and Lazy Acres
have committed
to “rigorous”
cleaning
protocols,
training and
audits to earn
the Ecolab
Science
Certified seal,
Ecolab Inc. said
yesterday. The
St. Paul,
Minn.-based
company is a
global provider
of water,
hygiene and
infection
prevention
solutions and
services to
businesses in
the food, health
care,
hospitality and
industrial
markets.
The Ecolab
Science
Certified
program combines
advanced
chemistries with
public health
and food safety
training, as
well as periodic
auditing, to
help the food
retailers
achieve a higher
level of
cleanliness amid
health and
safety
challenges and
new consumer
expectations amid
the coronavirus
crisis and other
emerging
pathogens,
according to
Ecolab. By
passing Ecolab’s
independent
audit and
adhering to the
program
guidelines, the
grocery chains
will be able to
display the
official Ecolab
Science
Certified seal
at their
combined
475-plus store
locations.
Brookshire
Grocery Co.
Visible signs of
health and
safety
practices, such
as this
Brookshire's
associate
donning a face
mask and gloves,
are a key
element of the
Ecolab Science
Certified
program for food
retailers.
The Science
Certified
program
incorporates
Ecolab’s
expertise in
helping keep
hospitals,
grocery stores,
restaurants,
hotels and other
businesses
clean. It
employs the
company’s
science-based
solutions and
insights from a
global team of
1,200
scientists, with
audits performed
by Ecolab
specialists.
In grocery
stores,
restaurants and
hotels, key
elements of the
Ecolab Science
Certified
program include
the use of
hospital
disinfectants
and food-contact
sanitizers —
approved by the
U.S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency (EPA) for
use against
COVID-19 virus
and other
pathogens — and
elevated hygiene
standards and
protocols based
U.S. Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention
(CDC)
guidelines,
according to
Ecolab. Detailed
public health
and food safety
training and
regular auditing
by Ecolab
personnel ensure
that public
health and food
safety practices
are being
followed, while
front-of-house
cleaning and
disinfecting and
the Ecolab
Science
Certified seal
provide a
visible sign of
“cleaner, safer
practices” to
customers, the
company said.
Proprietary
consumer
research
conducted in May
found that 72%
of frequent
grocery shoppers
feel “very safe”
or “extremely
safe” knowing
that
hospital-grade
disinfectants
were being used
in stores,
Ecolab reported.
Consumers also
expressed
greater feelings
of safety
knowing that a
store’s cleaning
and disinfecting
practices are
verified by an
independent
auditor with
cleaning
expertise. And
an Ecolab survey
last month
revealed that
95% of consumers
want “as much or
more” cleaning
and sanitation
practices where
they eat, stay
and shop even
after a COVID-19
vaccine becomes
available.
Part of the
Brookshire
Grocery Co.,
Brookshire’s
operates over
180 stores in
Texas, Louisiana
and Arkansas. In
the Midwest, Cub
Foods — a unit
of grocery
distributor
United Natural
Foods Inc. — has
79 locations in
Minnesota and
Illinois, and
Coborn’s
operates more
than 60
supermarkets in
Minnesota,
Wisconsin and
the Dakotas. And
In Southern
California,
gourmet grocer
Bristol Farms
has 14 locations
from Santa
Barbara to Palm
Desert, while
natural food
market Lazy
Acres fields
five stores from
Santa Barbara to
San Diego.
“Through the
Ecolab Science
Certified
program, we’re
helping our
customers
recalibrate to
meet higher
standards
throughout the
industry,”
commented Adam
Johnson, vice
president and
general manager
of Ecolab’s
global food
retail business.
“We look forward
to helping these
leading food
retailers build
consumer
confidence as
they implement
our
comprehensive
program.”
This was a
question
answered by a
food safety
expert back in
2015. But now
there are some
additional
questions.
One has
to be about
COVID
transmission.
But another has
to do with the
benefits of
masks and better
HVAC.
If those
stocking the
salad bar wear
masks and the
stores have
improved HVAC
the
contamination of
exposed foods
will be reduced.
These are
procedures which
should be
incorporated
even after COVID
is vanquished.
In the meantime
the fact that
shoppers are
also wearing
tight fitting
efficient masks
will also reduce
contamination.
The lab also
tested for a
wider variety of
E. coli, which
Dr. Samadpour
said can also be
harmful or
beneficial to
humans. This is
a food industry
indicator of
food quality and
safety. All of
the samples
passed the test.
Moving to the
present the
concern is about
COVID spread. A
quick and
convenient lunch
option may be
going the way of
the dinosaur
because of
COVID-19. The
supermarket
salad bar, sold
by weight and
created and
dished up by
you, can be,
according to
some health
officials, a hot
bed for the
spread of the
virus.
The virus,
experts fear,
can live on
uncovered foods
and on serving
implements. Even
the sneeze guard
cannot protect
you from the
virus.
Spread primarily
by almost
invisible drops
of respiratory
fluid from
coughing,
talking and
sneezing,
COVID-19 has
changed many
things, and
supermarket
management teams
are for the most
part choosing to
suspend salad
bar sales for
the time being.
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