Founders Hall Renovation - 12/10/18
Posted December 10, 2018
Facilities Management (FM) has received new particulate matter data from tests performed by Emergency Management and Safety on Tuesday, December 4, 2018. Results indicate that all areas were below our testing threshold of 10,000 parts per million (ppm), with the exception of one location in the southwest corner of the building that was slightly above at 10,050 ppm.
After receiving complaints from occupants of the smell of diesel fumes on Tuesday, December 4, 2018, FM tracked the source to a diesel powered chop saw our contractor was using to cut steel beams at the southwest tower. We also identified the saw as the source of elevated particulate matter in the area. In response, and in our expectation that this does not occur again, we have done the following:
- Located and sealed holes cut in walls for electrical conduit in the area to restrict air movement from construction areas to occupied areas.
- Held a meeting with our contractors to stress the importance of caution when using diesel powered equipment near occupied areas to maintain air quality.
- Are in the process of sealing windows with exterior caulking at several locations where we found leaky windows allowing infiltration of exterior fumes.
As your safety and wellbeing are paramount to our mission, FM and Emergency Management and Safety will continue to monitor air quality in Founders Hall and share results and actions we take to maintain a safe environment.
