Building Air Quality

Action Plan

Step 1: Designate an IAQ Manager

Reference: Building Air Quality - Action Plan : Section 5, "Managing Buildings for Good IAQ: Select an IAQ Manager," Page 33; also, Section 3, "Communicating with Building Occupants," Page 13.

Purpose: To designate someone who is responsible for IAQ activities within a building.

The first step to good IAQ management is to assign the job of IAQ Manager. The IAQ Manager should be an employee of the building owner or manager and may be responsible for indoor air quality in more than one building. Once designated, the IAQ Manager will be responsible for implementing the rest of the Action Plan. The IAQ Manager may choose to seek assistance from outside contractors or consultants, but should retain primary responsibility.

Specific Activities

1. Choose an IAQ Manager to meet criteria in the Building Air Quality - Action Plan guide.
2. Educate the IAQ Manager on the Building Air Quality - Action Plan guide.
3. Have the IAQ Manager implement the Action Plan using the Checklist as a final check.

The IAQ Manager coordinates all indoor air quality activities in the building. Having overall responsibility makes it easier to manage the building’s IAQ and keep occupants informed and involved.

An effective IAQ Manager can come from a variety of backgrounds. Indoor air quality is a field that requires the application of many disciplines to prevent and solve problems, because no single field encompasses all the needed principles and skills. The person selected could be the facility manager, the building operating engineer, the health and safety director, or the employee-relations manager. Whatever the job title, the IAQ manager should be given sufficient authority to make decisions and implement improvements.

Keep in mind that the IAQ Manager will be working as a "team leader". Where specific skills are lacking, another team member may compensate. Nevertheless, it is critical that the IAQ Manager be familiar with the building’s structure and function and sufficiently conversant with IAQ issues to communicate effectively with occupants, facility personnel, and the building owner(s).

It is essential that the IAQ Manager be thoroughly familiar with the principles contained in Building Air Quality - Action Plan: A Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers (BAQ) (see Appendix 1 for ordering information.). Additionally, training may be helpful for both the IAQ Manager and other staff. Both the EPA and commercial vendors sponsor training on Building Air Quality - Action Plan and IAQ generally. Descriptions of EPA developed training materials are located in Appendix 2. EPA Regional Headquarters IAQ coordinators can help you locate EPA-sponsored training in your area. See Appendix 3 for a listing of the EPA Regional IAQ Coordinators contact information.

Building Air Quality - Action Plan [PDF - 905 KB]

Building Air Quality [PDF - 2,851 KB]