Background and Introduction of CT TECH SCHOOLS
Connecticut has seventeen Technical High Schools and three Technical education centers. Over 1200 teachers and staff work in these schools and approximately 11,000 students are enrolled. Technical schools are essentially mini industrial complexes because the classrooms (shops) are devoted to teaching trades. Carpentry, plumbing and Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) shops may be found on one wing of a TechnicalHigh School. Another wing may be devoted to teaching automotive technology, culinary arts and hairdressing/ cosmetology/barbering. Potential chemical emissions include metal fumes from the Welding shop; combustion products from the Culinary Arts kitchen or the Automotive Technologies, HVAC or Plumbing shops; wood dust, and lacquer vapor from the Carpentry shop and acrylates and solvents from the Hairdressing/Cosmetology/Barbering classroom. The indoor air quality in the shops and the neighboring classrooms and offices may decline if these chemical exposures are not carefully controlled.
In addition to the secondary exposures associated with emissions from the trades, the academic classrooms in Technical High Schools have many of the same indoor air quality problems found in other schools. TechnicalHigh Schools need training on topics such as reducing the risk factors associated with microbial growth; enhancing the effectiveness of classroom ventilation systems and minimizing exposure to construction emissions if a building is occupied when renovation activities are scheduled. The EPA’s Tools for Schools Teachers’ Checklists address these issues and should be completed as well.
Under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Tools for Schools (TfS) model multidisciplinary building teams use checklists completed by teachers and the observations made during walkthrough surveys to develop and prioritize recommendations that will improve the indoor air quality in schools. Due to the unique nature of the activities in the shops at the Technical High Schools, this packet of additional checklists was developed to address the specific indoor air quality challenges associated with many of the trades in Technical High Schools (as well as many traditional high schools).
The checklists are designed to help you evaluate the effectiveness of the controls used in the shops. A “no” response requires further attention. The checklists do not address safety hazards. The checklists are organized according to a “hierarchy of controls”.
Hierarchy of Controls
Local Exhaust Ventilation/Engineering Controls: Is the emission generated by the task pulled away from the breathing zones of the students and teachers with hoods, ducts and fans? Do these exhaust systems work? The school’s building team will use a smoke pencil to evaluate the effectiveness of the local exhaust systems.
Workpractices and Training: Do students and staff observe good work practices that will minimize their exposure to chemicals?
Protective Equipment : Do students and staff wear the appropriate protective equipment when there is a likely skin or eye exposure? In rare cases, respiratory protection may be recommended as well.
Dilution Ventilation: Is there a functional dilution ventilation system that brings outside air into the shop?
Pollutant Pathways: What happens to the emissions generated by the shop? Is there a pathway between the shop and the schools’ other classrooms and offices? The team will address this issue during their walkthough
There are many chemicals used in Vocational Technical Schools. Always check the products’ labels and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) for information on the chemicals used at your school. Some shops have a chemical smell. Some chemicals cause harm before you can smell them. Other chemicals can be smelled well before they represent a hazard. For this reason, a shop’s chemical odor can not be used to determine if the environment is safe. The best approaches to controlling exposures are reviewed in the checklists.