ASHRAE Issues Guidance on Building Safety.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 2003

ISSUES: As national security alerts heighten concerns about building security and personal safety, building owners and operators need practical guidance to ensure their buildings remain safe.

A new risk management strategy for owners and managers of non-residential buildings to use in determining their risk and vulnerability to terrorist attacks or other extraordinary incidents, such as natural or man-made disasters, is available from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

An executive summary of the document, Risk Management Guidance for Health, Safety and Environmental Security Under Extraordinary Incidents, can be found at http://xp20.ashrae.org/ABOUT/Summary.pdf. The full document is available at http://xp20.ashrae.org/ABOUT/extraordinary.pdf.

There are some 4.7 million existing nonresidential buildings in the United States. While the level of risk may be low for some buildings, all building owners and operators should determine their risk and decide what steps to take to address that risk, according to ASHRAE.

"The recommendations contained in this report are designed to help building owners determine their risk in protecting public health and safety," ASHRAE President Donald Colliver, Ph.D., P.E., said. "The risks associated with extraordinary incidents can be reduced by proper operation and maintenance of building systems."

The report provides:

-- Methods for determining acceptable vulnerability and determining the protection required for specific buildings. The report notes that owners are responsible for determining their own risk.

-- Information on infrastructure support, constraints and vulnerabilities for buildings, including electric, water, sewer and food, that can impact the effectiveness of air, water and food processing controls during normal and extraordinary operating conditions.

-- Guidance for owners of existing buildings and for designers and owners of new buildings.

INTERVIEW OPPPORTUNITIES:

-- Donald Colliver, Ph.D., P.E., 2002-03 president of ASHRAE. An

associate professor in the Biosystems and Agricultural

Engineering Department at the University of Kentucky in

Lexington, Ky., Colliver has conducted extensive research in

air infiltration and ventilation.

-- James E. Woods, Ph.D., P.E., chairman of the ASHRAE committee

that developed the document. Executive director of The

Building Diagnostics Research Institute Inc., Bethesda, Md.,

Woods has taught, practiced and researched in building energy

efficiency and indoor environmental quality for over 40 years.

-- Lawrence G. Spielvogel, P.E. A consulting engineer in

Pennsylvania, he served as a member of the ASHRAE and National

Research Council committees that studied threats from

terrorism and recommended methods of dealing with them. His

practice consists of providing engineering services to owners

and occupants of buildings.

CONTACT: Jodi Dunlop, ASHRAE public relations specialist, 404-636-8400, ext. 1140

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of 55,000 persons. Its sole objective is to advance through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve the evolving needs of the public. It is the world's leading engineering organization relating to comfort, health and safety in the indoor environment.