Awareness of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and the importance of buildings that support human health and wellness skyrocketed in 2020. With COVID-19 remaining top-of-mind on a global scale, occupants are more interested than ever before in the actions taken by building owners, facility managers and employers to ensure the safety of indoor spaces as they return to school, work and everyday activities. A recent survey conducted by the Conference Board indicated that 70 percent of employees are only “moderately comfortable” returning to the office.

FMs face the challenge of responding to this growing demand for buildings that support occupant health. Uncertainty, a lack of clear regulatory guidance and a dizzying array of IEQ elements can make the path to improved indoor environmental quality challenging.

As FM enters an era of heightened awareness of health and wellness, proactive IEQ management remains an important component of mitigating risk to the brand, bringing competitive building spaces to market and protecting occupants.

Why is IEQ important?

IEQ refers to an indoor space’s ability to support the health and well-being of occupants. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is perhaps the most widely studied component of good IEQ, but the criteria essential to delivering good IEQ have expanded to include water quality, lighting, acoustics and many others. IEQ remains a priority among a growing number of people.

According to a survey from Lighthouse, 74 percent of consumers said they would feel more comfortable about the safety of their office if they received IAQ data about their building. Customers and occupants place greater expectations on employers and FMs to provide safe and healthy indoor environments. A building with good IEQ can affect changes to cognitive function and quality of life for its occupants according to data from the COGfx Study released by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Health and Global Environment. According to the study, employees in buildings with better IEQ increased their productivity to the tune of earning an additional US$6,500 per year. These productivity improvements and related cost savings are critical considerations for corporations when selecting their office spaces.

Higher tenant satisfaction may also be a result of better IEQ, as well as reduced liability based on preventing exposure and sickness among tenants. Buildings that focus on sustainability, including good IEQ, often achieve higher occupancy levels and even earn higher lease rates.

The impetus for FMs is not only the desire to provide healthy spaces for tenants, but also to remain competitive in the marketplace, as well as mitigate risk and reap potential cost savings.

Consider the destination: The future

As proof points emerge connecting improved IEQ with better occupant health and performance, pressure will mount on FMs to create indoor environments that support occupant health and wellness. Numerous green building programs, previously maintaining a primary focus on reducing environmental impact, have expanded performance criteria to include IEQ.

The widely recognized United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are also bringing increased attention to the importance of supporting human health and wellness.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) and other green investors are maintaining pressure on leading CRE developers and owners to engage in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) reporting and, as health topped the list of priorities in 2020, the provision of good IEQ will settle under the increasingly important social portion of the reporting.

The first step: Map the path

For all these reasons, it is important to take a proactive stance on IEQ, particularly when reopening a facility that has experienced a significant period of low occupancy or vacancy.

Ensure due diligence — Individuals, communities, businesses and governments are bringing forward new processes, ideas and innovations in an intense effort to combat the spread of COVID-19. This has resulted in an array of products and recommendations from all kinds of institutions. While innovations may well pave the way to future breakthroughs, not all products and services have the proven science and validation to back their claims. When confronted with these solutions, it is well worth the time to conduct some due diligence. How does the product work? Have trusted third parties verifi ed effectiveness claims? Do processes follow established best practice standards from established institutions? Accepting claims at face value can lead to a transfer of liability from the provider to owner, as occupants are the ones who suffer if the product or service does not perform as advertised.

Follow best practices — Respected organizations like The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), just to name a few, are widely recognized as the guardians of best practices, trustworthy standards and dependable guidelines. If measures are taken to follow their standards or to enroll in programs that cite and follow their guidelines, it can reduce liability by demonstrating that they have followed widely accepted best practices that are recommended and used by industry leaders.

Start with the fundamentals — The provision of good IEQ spans a broad array of elements from air and water quality to lighting and acoustics, ergonomics and security. For FMs just beginning the journey, the task of achieving good IEQ can seem daunting. However, to establish a baseline of healthy indoor spaces and verifying safety for reoccupancy, it is not necessary to tackle the full list of elements. Ensuring safe indoor air and water provide an excellent starting point. The provision of healthier air and water can help avoid serious illnesses among occupants.

Communicate carefully — While it is reasonable and important to communicate the measures taken to pursue a healthy indoor environment, take care to communicate clearly to avoid liability due to overstated claims or guaranteed outcomes. For example, attesting that 99 percent of germs in a facility are killed is not a reasonable claim. There is no way to scientifically validate that kind of claim for an entire building, not to mention people are coming in and out of buildings constantly, potentially reintroducing germs at any time. Do not make claims that are not backed up by proof. This step can help avoid misunderstandings among occupants and litigation.

Consider a third-party program — A growing number of programs provide third-party guidelines, standards and verifi cation for IEQ accomplishments. Whether one chooses to engage a qualifi ed third party to conduct air testing, review and assess HVAC systems, or evaluate janitorial eff ectiveness, the reliance on trusted resources demonstrates objectivity of claims and reliance on experts.

A giant leap toward improved IEQ

In response to the growing demand for objective, third-party verifi cation of IEQ performance, UL has developed the Verified Healthy Building program. This voluntary, tiered program verifies that indoor spaces achieve exceptional indoor environmental performance based on a range of criteria. Companies can choose the program tier that best represents their focus and accomplishments to date:

  • • Verified Healthy Building for Indoor Air

  • • Verified Healthy Building for Indoor Air and Water

  • • Verified Healthy Building for Indoor Environment: Air, Water, Hygiene, Light and Acoustics

By participating in the UL Verified Healthy Buildings program, companies can:

  • Demonstrate their proactive approach to improved IEQ

  • Undergo testing and assessment by a qualified third party that verifies given aspects of IEQ, providing reliable, science-based evidence of superior IEQ

  • Identify potential problems early and address them prior to incidents

  • Potentially reduce liability with a proactive stance toward IEQ

The UL Verified Healthy Building program is designed to support FMs in their eff orts to ensure the safety of their buildings as tenants return. It also offers an opportunity to initiate the journey to improve IEQ, starting off with fundamentals like air and water, and then advancing to additional tenant wellness and comfort features.

Begin the journey

Providing excellent IEQ is not a specific point on the map but rather a vast destination to explore. In a dynamic, quickly evolving world, the ways in which we support human health and wellness change over time. As an example, the effectiveness of cleaning (largely overlooked in the past) has become a top priority in a year of pandemic. No approach is foolproof or completely risk-free. It is impossible to guarantee outcomes or control circumstances. However, it is possible to take action and demonstrate a concerted effort and commitment to IEQ and tenant health. By following some of these guidelines, building owners and FMs can begin their journey toward better IEQ and the peace of mind that comes with knowing they are supporting human health and wellness for all stakeholders.