Investigative Data Logging
According to The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indoor air pollution is one of the top 5 environmental risks to public health affecting as much as 30% of all commercial buildings. Building related problems associated with indoor air and environmental quality often have an impact on occupants and businesses. The EPA’s I-BEAM model states – If indoor air quality is not well managed, remediation of ensuing problems and/or resolution in court can be extremely costly.
The frequency of IAQ litigation is increasing and in most cases the responsibility rests with the owner and management, regardless of whether or not they directly contributed to the problem. However, if a building occupant believes that management is proactively monitoring conditions or promptly working towards a solution to resolve an air quality problem, then the likelihood of litigation is significantly reduced.
Every IAQ complaint or issue warrants a response and many IAQ problems are easily remedied once the problem has been identified. In order to identify and solve IAQ complaints in a way that prevents them from recurring, AirMD recommends implementing an investigative data logging plan. Investigative data logging allows the diagnostic assessment of building conditions over an extended period of time.
Dataloggers are small, electronic battery-powered monitoring devices used to collect data. They can be installed and removed without disrupting building occupants and can save troubleshooting time. Typical uses for installing a data logger include monitoring indoor air quality including temperature and relative humidity, VOC’s, ventilation rates and detecting hidden operating and maintenance problems. The data logger will take readings of the variables it is tracking and record it for further evaluation. The information allows for a detailed diagnostic assessment of conditions which may impact occupants and mechanical building systems.
The longer assessment time results in a better understanding of the potential risks for occupants and is superior to performing brief spot checks with a hand-held instrument. Dataloggers allow the environmental consultant to obtain accurate information on how building systems and mechanical systems are operating over a period of time. Most importantly, data logging will allow you to respond immediately to occupant complaints and identify issues before they become too costly.
Whether troubleshooting for an occupant complaint, a known problem or just trying to optimize building systems, our trained consultants have the experience and knowledge to assess complex data, identify issues and offer recommendations for improvement and prevention.
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