GBAC Partners with Allergy Standards Limited to Develop Healthy Indoor Environments Education Program for Building Management Professionals
ROSEMONT, Ill.—July 11, 2022—The Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, has partnered with Allergy Standards Limited (ASL) to create a curriculum designed to help businesses improve indoor air quality (IAQ) and the well-being of building tenants and guests. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air and is getting increasingly worse with negative medical outcomes. This new course, “Healthier Building Awareness with GBAC & ASL,” expands on the “9 Foundations of a Healthy Building” from Harvard University’s publication Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity.
“With more than half of sick leave being attributed to poor air ventilation, it’s more important than ever to create healthy indoor environments,” said GBAC Senior Director Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner. “We are excited to partner with ASL to develop solutions that help businesses improve IAQ and the health, comfort, and well-being of all users of the built environment.”
Designed to leverage GBAC STAR™ Facility accreditation, the course features four modules that educate users on the impact of poor IAQ, how to control pathogens like SARS-CoV-2, challenges of asthma and allergies, and how a building could have multiple triggers that cause low IAQ and illnesses. Upon successful completion, professionals earn a digital certificate from ASL.
“ASL’s mission is to help people breathe healthier air. The launch of the Healthier Buildings Awareness course with GBAC is the first educational program to be brought to the market and designed with the cleaning industry for its stakeholders,” said ASL Chief Strategy Officer Dr. John Ryan. “ASL and GBAC’s ongoing collaboration is a significant step forward in addressing decision making when it comes to environment, social, and governance (ESG) issues of health in the indoor environment and how it impacts individuals’ well-being”
GBAC STAR and ISSA members can access the course online with video, audio, and assessment with no time limits for US$147 at www.allergystandards.academy/healthier-buildings-awareness-with-GBAC. The course can be used as a contributing module to all ISSA learning tracks.
About ASL
We Help People Breathe Healthier Air. As an independent, international certification company, we create peer-reviewed, scientific standards for a wide range of products and services to determine their impact on indoor air quality. ASL’s intellectual property portfolio includes unique protocols for products to be CERTIFIED asthma & allergy friendly®. Our mission is to improve lives by empowering people to create the healthiest possible indoor environment through science (ASL Standards), education (ASL Academy) and innovation (ASL Institute). http://www.allergystandards.com/
About GBAC, a Division of ISSA
Composed of international leaders in the field of microbial-pathogenic threat analysis, mitigation, response and recovery, the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, provides training, guidance, accreditation, certification, crisis management assistance and leadership to government, commercial and private entities looking to mitigate, quickly address and/or recover from biological threats and real-time crises. The organization’s services include biorisk management program assessment and training, Forensic Restoration® response and remediation, the GBAC STAR™ facility and service accreditation programs, training and certification of individuals and consulting for building owners and facility managers. For more information, visit www.gbac.org.
About ISSA
With more than 10,500 members—including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, building service contractors, in-house service providers, residential cleaners and associated service members—ISSA is the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning industry. The association is committed to changing the way the world views cleaning by providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment and an improved bottom line. Headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., USA, the association has regional offices in Mainz, Germany; Whitby, Canada; Parramatta, Australia; Seoul, South Korea; and Shanghai, China. For more information about ISSA, visit www.issa.com or call 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.
For more information about ISSA and GBAC, contact ISSA Associate Director of Communications and Digital Content Graeme Golucki at [email protected]; phone, 847-982-0800.
