Cleaner Air in Cleaner Buildings – A Dream or a Controllable Reality?

All of us face a variety of risks to our health as we go about our day-to-day lives. Some risks are simply unavoidable. Some we choose to accept because to do otherwise would restrict our ability to lead our lives the way we want. And some are risks we might decide to avoid if we had the opportunity to make informed choices. Indoor air quality is one risk that we can do something about.

A growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air in buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air. Other research indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Thus, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.

Solutions do exist and we will discuss old, new and future approaches to identifying, measuring, eliminating and controlling the sources of indoor air quality problems, such as:

• Healthier air starts with an Indoor Air Quality Assessment
• What is acceptable indoor air quality?
• How can you bridge the gap between the challenges of poor indoor air quality and available solutions?
• Enabling your organisation to catch the wave of healthy indoor air.

Panellists

Dr Claire Bird, Technical and Managing Director, LITMAS Pty Ltd and Executive Secretary, IBEC 

Dr Claire Bird owns and operates LITMAS Pty Ltd, a commercial laboratory and consultancy focused on reducing microbial risks in buildings, and is the Executive Secretary for the Integrated Biosciences and Indoor Environment Consortium, a global not-for-profit body focused on reducing airborne transmission of disease. With several decades of international Voluntary, Academic and Commercial experience in the microbial ecology and indoor air quality space, Claire holds a Doctorate in the microbiology of airborne particulate matter, and was the inaugural President of the Indoor Air Quality Association, Australia, for a period of 4 years, where she spearheaded the Draft Guidelines for reducing infection spread through fomites.

Associate Professor Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, Senior Director, GBAC, A Division of ISSA

Associate Professor Dr. Gavin Macgregor Skinner has more than 30 years’ technical experience in responding to infectious disease outbreaks and emergency management. A veteran of both the Australian and British militaries, he has worked with US and international governments, United Nations agencies and the private sector. Gavin currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Penn State College of Medicine.

For the COVID-19 pandemic, he conducted onsite biological risk assessments and provided “just-in-time” training on infection prevention and control, cleaning and disinfection, and safe working practices for frontline workers in hospital emergency departments, assisted-living and nursing homes, public transport workers, and hotel staff and other essential employees.

Jason Green, BAppSc & MSc (OHP) Certified Occupational Hygienist (COH®) Licenced Asbestos Assessor, Principal Consultant – Occupational Hygiene at  Greencap

 

Jason is a Certified Occupational Hygienist (COH)® and Full Member of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygiene (AIOH). Jason is Certified Water Damage Restoration Technician with the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and he holds a master’s degree in Occupational Hygiene Practice (OHP) from University of Wollongong.

Jason has over 29 years’ experience in the fields of occupational hygiene, indoor air and environmental quality (IAQ/IEQ), chemical exposure, hazardous materials, workplace health and safety (WHS) and environmental consulting. Jason has conducted a diverse range occupational hygiene, indoor air and environmental quality risk assessments for a wide range of government, commercial, residential and industrial projects.

Jason has acted as Lead Occupational Hygienist, project manager and provided onsite supervision on a multiple large project covering multi-site assets. He has particular experience in the areas of occupational exposure monitoring; occupational noise assessments; qualitative and quantitative health risk assessments for occupational/community exposures and hazardous chemicals investigations.