✅facilitate discussion between designers & stakeholders
✅id min recommendations & further considerations
🚨to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious pathogens and other contaminants of concern
The application of new @ashraenews guidance clearly requires the involvement of a licensed Professional Engineer qualified to practice building or mechanical engineering:
There is a check list on p3 of the document. You can email it to your district / uni facilities department. Esp. those that claim "we meet ASHRAE".
Ok. let's look @ashraenews education facility pre-requisites aka bare minimum.
➡️establish objectives & existing conditions
"Without these initial steps it is not possible to develop a comprehensive strategy to mitigate risk and maintain a high level of indoor air quality."
As far as I know, #bced has not communicated any objectives. How did they prioritize schools for ventilation? Who knows! What are the IAQ goals? Who knows! Is there a trigger point of dead kids (8 in BC so far)? Who knows!
"...while the current focus may be on SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, improving IAQ in education facilities will have similar benefits for other airborne pathogens and studies have shown reduced absenteeism and better performance from students."
"The first step is to determine appropriate level of risk tolerance/mitigation & associated general system operating characteristics."
From Sep 4/21-Jul 2/22 SIX HUNDRED & SEVENTY-NINE BC kids hospitalized for COVID.
Me: This is NOT AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF RISK for #bced!
Moving on, for readers in jurisdictions that actually cleared the lowest bar set in the guidance.
You can ask for a copy of your district risk analysis, where you expect to see "Wells Riley Equations, Equivalent Outdoor Air Rate Calculator and/or other
assessment tools."
Ask your district for:
➡️baseline of current probability of infection
➡️target goal for probability of transmission of infectious airborne assessments
⭐️& social media fandom if anyone can produce this
(Hint: #bced it should be less than 679 kids hospitalized per school year)
Here is the money point:
"It is recommended that the stakeholders determine the acceptable level of risk as defined by their governing bodies."
No parent has been able to obtain Authenticated Documents from an Engineer of Record providing the professional assurance of public health & safety to which we are legally entitled.
#COVIDisAirborne. Washing our hands will not help. Mask 'choice' is unscientific - that's not how aerosols work. Mask 'choice' is ableist bs that endangers our high risk family.
Shame @VSB39 for propping up this dangerous nonsense & abdicating your duty of care.
2/ "Staff will continue to remind students of importance of regular hand washing/hand sanitizing and of coughing/sneezing into their elbow or a tissue. We will continue to ensure hand sanitizer is available."
This is NOT going to protect my kids from COVID. It's AIRBORNE. #bced
3/ "Wearing a mask, other than what is recommended by public health, is an important personal health choice for students and families. Some staff and students will choose to wear a mask throughout the day or for certain activities. Others will choose not to wear a mask." 🤬🤬🤬
This post captured my (& many others) frustration. The masks-dont-work crowd feels like arguing with flat-earthers. @CPita3 is right - filters are everywhere!
It occurred to me that, besides ideology, maybe issue is people get solid, liquid, gas BUT don't grasp fluids. Short🧵
"In physics, a fluid is a liquid, gas, or other material that continuously deforms under an applied shear stress, or external force. They have zero shear modulus, or ... are substances which cannot resist any shear force applied to them." Wikipedia
Air moves like a fluid!
So, just like water flowing in a river, air moves all around. It can move around small solid objects, or be 'splashed' off larger ones, changing direction. It swirls like river currents.
Like a leaf in a river, air can move floating objects with it as it moves.
I am extremely frustrated with the level of obfuscation and lack of clear science and rigour underpinning our #COVID19 response in BC. I would like to share some correspondence as I think it's important for citizens to know what is happening.
🧵
2/ My email to the Ministry of Health (I was bounced there by Attorney General. I might post that nonsense chain at some point).
Written just after removal of universal masking ('mask mandates').
3/ The Ministry of Health reply. You will note my questions are not answered, and the reply includes language exactly like the canned nonsense #bonniehenry provides at press conferences. It's also in line with the dreadful 'education' campaigns - posters, social media, etc.
1/I am really upset at pic emerging wrt massive (& dangerous) overstepping of BC's Provincial Health Officer (#bonniehenry) & regional MHOs into building engineering, a legally regulated engineering practice in which they have no training or license to practice
2/ To recap, building engineering is a regulated practice. The application of ASHRAE technical standards and guidance = building engineering. Only appropriate P.Engs can practice building engineering.
3/ Any regulated engineering work MUST be backed by a Responsible Engineer / Engineer of Record. There must be a paper trail ("Authenticated Documents") of work product and assurance that underpins engineering advice relied on by others.
Hi! This is my first tweet official tweet. I figured it was worth dusting off this as yet unused account (too much to do, too little time) for something this important.
Tl:dr - I'm asking you to please support this #bced cause:
So, like many parents (& grandparents & teachers & so many others), I've been calling repeatedly for scientifically-sound COVID mitigation measures in BC schools. As a former practicing engineer, I'm stunned at the exclusion of Professional Engineers from school safety plans.
It seems straightforward. The application of ASHRAE guidance requires the skills & responsibility of Professional Engineers (mechanical / building). I spoke with consulting engineering colleagues. They have many commercial clients who are indeed retaining them to