Services
Safe Environments provides testing and consulting on indoor pollution problems in residential and commercial buildings. We have extensive experience conducting indoor air quality assessments, investigations for building associated health problems, and environmental building surveys.
Our surveys consist of client interviews regarding their health complaints, the building's history, visual inspections, testing and measurements procedures, data analysis, development of remedial strategies, and monitoring and supervision of remediation projects. Whether you are in your home or workplace we will be able to help you with your building related environmental needs.
Environmental stresses can take many forms. These can have a great impact upon health, well being and work performance. Many of these stresses can not be seen or heard but are felt. With the use of sensitive and calibrated equipment we are able to reveal the hidden stresses that may be affecting you. In order to determine what these are we can perform the following procedures to assess your building related problems.
Visual Inspection and Building History:
Many times just conducting a visual inspection, taking the building history, inspecting the HVAC system and listening to the health complaints of the occupants will tell us what the environmental problems are. If this doesn't tell us directly then it will point to the proper direction of what sophisticated tests need to be conducted. (top)
Testing and Monitoring:
We can perform a host of tests tailored to your specific building related needs which will gives us data about your environment which our senses can not necessarily detect. We can test for the following: carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, total and respirable dust, fiberglass, formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds, pesticides, molds, bacteria, endotoxins, radon gas, tobacco smoke, temperature and relative humidity. (top)
Investigations: Biological/Microbial Contamination:
Microorganisms can and do play a significant part in health related problems in buildings. Even though molds, for example, can not be seen unless more extensive contamination has taken place, circumstantial evidence can indicate their presence. Elevated temperature and relative humidity, the presence of excessive moisture and/or a history of water damage in the building are indications that there may be increased microbial activity. By conducting specific air, surface or material sampling for fungal and bacterial identification and quantification, we can begin to see a picture of the microbial environment in the building. Microbial amplification in a
building has been reported to cause 30% of building related health complaints and IAQ (indoor air quality) problems. (top)
Investigations: Indoor Air Quality Surveys (IAQ):
Poor indoor air quality effects a large part of commercial and residential building stock. General IAQ surveys are a starting point in determining the source of a building related complaints. This general survey starts at the most common source of building problems such as temperature and relative humidity imbalances, HVAC problems, elevated carbon dioxide levels and moves into testing for organic chemicals, fungi and bacteria and air flow using tracer gases. Usually conducting a basic IAQ survey will determine the problem. (top)
Creating Healthy Buildings:
As we build more energy efficient structures we have built in environmental prob-lems as well. Tight buildings can cause chemical contamination loads to increase. This has caused sick building syndrome. We have the expertise to provide you with up-to-date information about the kinds and uses of nontoxic materials and improving ventilation capacity. (top)
Creating Livable Home & Workplaces:
A livable space is an environment where the needs and well being of the occupants are considered utmost. The use of non-toxic materials, proper ventilation, and low electromagnetic radiation plays an important role in eliminating potential health hazards. This insures that the structure from the beginning will provide a healthy environment in which to live and work. We can consult with you to help create a healthy building in the design and planning stages. (top)
Project Management:
We have worked extensively with mold abatement contractors for the last 5 years. Our work includes development of protocols for the cleanup of a mold contamination and project oversight during the abatement. We have been leaders in the field of educating abatement contractors in the detailed nature of this type of abatement. We have mutual respectful relationships with numerous contractors in the San Francisco Bay Area. These relationships give us the advantage of making sure the abatement contractor adheres to a high standard of practice. This minimizes the chance of problems developing during the abatement due to miscommunication and sloppy workmanship. (top)