Indoor Air Quality
What Are The Functions Of The Air And Noise Pollution Control Section Related To Indoor Air Quality?
The Air and Noise Pollution Control Section of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is responsible for the control of air pollution both in the indoor and outdoor/ambient environment. In order to control the impacts on air pollution on human health and the environment the section carry out the following functions:
- Investigating indoor air quality complaints.
- Researching indoor air quality issues.
- Producing policy papers.
Indoor Air Quality Complaints
The Department attempts to respond to all complaints, however, the staff complement prohibits immediate responses. The complaints are responded to on a first-come-first-served basis for the most part, but extremely serious cases are dealt with as a matter of priority. The Department takes both written and telephoned complaints, but it should noted that written complaints pre-empt the ones that are called in. Written complaints should be addressed to:
Director
Environmental Protection Department
Jemmotts Lane
St. Michael
These complaints should outline the problem(s) being experienced, the duration of the problem(s), possible sources or events that could have triggered the problem(s) and it should also contain any other information that may be pertinent to the investigation.
The investigation may involve the distribution of two types of questionnaires, the Environmental Health Questionnaire and the Building Maintenance Questionnaire. The Environmental Health Questionnaire must be completed by a predetermined percentage of staff members. The Building Maintenance Questionnaire must be completed in its entirety by the Building / Facilities Manager or an appropriate officer. These questionnaires must be completed and returned to the Environmental Protection Department at least one week before the scheduled visit to facilitate their analysis.
There is the perception that the EPD officers can perform a full inspection of the building without assistance from the relevant personnel. However, for a thorough and efficient assessment to be conducted, the Building/Facilities Manager and the Air-Conditioning technician or an appropriate person responsible for the ventilation and air-conditioning (VAC) systems must be present during the visit. The visit will also entail interviews with staff; particularly those who have suffered the greatest number of symptoms. The EPD will also need to be furnished with a current floor plan, which should indicate the square footage of the area.
Legislation
The Health Services (Nuisances) Regulations, 1969 covers specifications for natural and mechanical ventilation. Regulation 3(16) identifies a nuisance as:
“any workplace –
(i) not ventilated so as to render harmless to the workers employed therein all gases, vapours, dust or their impurities generated in the course of the work carried out therein; or
(ii) so overcrowded as to be injurious to the health of the persons employed therein;”
Regulation 4 states:
(1) “For the purposes of paragraph (16) (ii) of regulation 3, a workplace shall be deemed to be so overcrowded as to be injurious to the health of the persons employed therein at any time when there is in such workplace less than three hundred cubic feet of space to every person employed therein.”
(2) In calculating for the purposes of this regulation the amount of cubic space in any room, no space more than fourteen feet from the floor shall be taken into account, and where a room has a gallery, the gallery shall be treated for the purposes of this paragraph as if it were partitioned off from the remainder of the room and formed a separate room.”
The Factories Act governs indoor air quality issues related to occupational health and safety. This Act is enforced by the Factory Inspectorate of the Ministry of Labour. The soon-to-be-passed Occupational Health and Safety Act will replace the Factories Act and will provide more legislative and enforcement powers to the officers of the Ministry of Labour. This Act will relate to indoor air pollution, noise pollution, ergonomics, fire safety and a host of other areas pertaining to indoor environments.
For further information on occupational health and safety, please contact the Occupational Health and Safety Unit of the Ministry of Labour, located at Verona House, Bank Hall, St. Michael, next to the O’ Level Institute, at 228-4409