DOHS and the Baseline Project
Building Safety into Lab Design Can Reduce Construction Headaches
Picture it: The new laboratory is finally finished. After months—or even years—of planning, design and construction, a gleaming new research space is, at long last, ready for occupancy.
But wait. What’s that smell? And is that chemical fume hood sitting a little too near that flammable cabinet? Is the top of that biosafety cabinet too close to the ceiling?
These are the type of scenarios that Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOHS) Deputy Director CAPT Derek Newcomer, Senior Industrial Hygienist Roy Deitchman and their colleagues are working to avoid.
Deitchman and Newcomer are leading a project they’ve called “Baseline” that adds additional safety and environmental checks to the NIH’s building-commissioning process. The voluntary program is designed to set an initial, pre-occupancy standard—or baseline—for such lab elements as air quality, room pressurization, fire safety, hazardous chemical storage and more.
“The word ‘base’ refers to the safety aspects of the process—building assessment of safety elements,” Newcomer explained. “And ‘line’ includes the environmental issues—lighting, indoor air quality, noise, and ergonomics.”
“Most of the time, there’s been no final safety-specific inspection prior to opening a new lab,” Deitchman said. “The time between the design phase and the lab’s opening is what we’re targeting for Baseline.”
Design and specification changes are common during the construction or renovation of laboratory space, said Newcomer. A seemingly small adjustment here or there, though, can lead to the kinds of downstream problems that cause headaches near the end of the project. Bringing safety and environmental team members into the process before the lab begins operations can save money, prevent delays and give the lab’s occupants the peace of mind that their work space is safe and healthy.
“Our facilities have dynamic and complex infrastructure that’s often unique to NIH,” Newcomer said. “The contractors who build our labs are great. But sometimes our standards might be new to them. Baseline provides a kind of safety net to make sure everything gets a last cross-check for safety hazards” before lab operations begin.
For instance, Baseline improves the indoor air quality (IAQ) standard for laboratories by measuring the overall indoor environmental quality (IEQ), which includes lighting and noise measurements. Studies have demonstrated that good IEQ promotes productivity while decreasing absenteeism and potential liability for building designers and owners.
The new program isn’t limited to laboratory design and construction. Office space also has safety and environmental standards.
“Baseline really extends beyond laboratories to any space where people work,” said Deitchman.
Deitchman, Newcomer and the DOHS team emphasize that their additional involvement shouldn’t present a barrier.
“The best time for us to be involved is when it’s not a disruption,” Newcomer said. “We’re mindful of the pressure that contractors and building managers are under. We’re trying to identify any concerns while the project is still under the contractor’s control. Ideally, DOHS’ Safety Engineering group gets involved as soon as the contract is awarded.”
Deitchman said participation in Baseline will not lead to occupancy delays.
“There’s always a concern that doing additional surveys could mean findings and delays,” he said. “But that’s not the intent of Baseline. This is about finding potential problems sooner, so we can deal with them before they cause delays or regulatory problems prior to occupancy and use of the space.”
If you’re managing a construction project at NIH and would like to consult with the DOHS team, call 301-496-2960 or email Newcomer at newcomerd@nih.gov.