07/24/2024
11 am PT / 12 pm MT / 1 pm CT / 2 pm ET
*approximate length: 45 minutes to 1 hour
Presenter: Kevin E. Aikman, PhD, CIH, FAIHA / Principal at Ramboll
Recently the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Public Building Service (PBS) established requirements for testing drinking water in federally owned facilities and leased space (PBS Order 1000.7A). The scope of the Order includes a requirement for building owners or property managers to perform testing for Legionella bacteria, lead, copper, and total coliform (including E. coli bacteria) within 90 days from receipt of the Unilateral Lease Amendments (ULAs). The scope of work for testing each building is being provided by GSA in their ULAs.
Of particular importance is the requirement to notify GSA immediately if any exceedances of established thresholds are detected with follow up action to mitigate issues not reimbursable by the GSA. Legionella is frequently found in building water systems in concentrations exceeding the GSA’s limit. Recent changes in building occupancy have resulted in decreased water use, increasing the amount of time water ages in a plumbing system and the likelihood of detecting this bacterium. Property managers should plan ahead and be prepared to communicate with building occupants if limits are exceeded. Building managers should also be aware that the method required for Legionella testing requires up to two weeks for laboratory analysis, which may cause anxiety when fixtures are removed from service and follow-up test data is needed.
This presentation will review the sampling protocols, threshold values established by the GSA, reporting, mitigation requirements and how this will impact building managers.
Learning Objectives:
- Background of the November 16, 2023 GSA Order and effective dates for sampling in FY24
- Review of the baseline drinking water sampling requirements for GSA occupied facilities
- Ramifications for building managers if sampling results exceed threshold levels
Dr. Aikman has over 30 years of professional consulting experience in health sciences, including industrial hygiene, indoor environmental quality, mold & moisture, water-borne pathogens, hazardous building materials, chemical and biological exposures. He has managed hundreds of industrial hygiene related projects and partnered with clients to develop and implement industrial hygiene and safety programs, and assessment of chemical, physical and biological hazards in a variety of workplace environments and in communities. Dr. Aikman is a subject matter expert in asbestos, industrial hygiene, and microbial disciplines. He earned his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in Plant Biology in 1992 and certification in the comprehensive practice of industrial hygiene by the ABIH/BGC in 1998. Dr. Aikman was recognized as a Fellow of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (FAIHA) in 2014 based on his professional contributions to industrial hygiene or related disciplines, representing the top 5% of AIHA membership.