UL, a global safety certification company, and SafeTraces, DNA-based technology solutions provider, announces a new collaborative program for indoor air quality, ventilation and filtration verification and infection control to help K-12 schools safely reopen.
The collaboration combines UL’s indoor environmental quality verification services expertise with SafeTraces’ veriDART™ solution, the first aerosol-based diagnostic solution for verifying ventilation and filtration efficacy for infection control. The program is specifically designed to assess and mitigate health and safety risks associated with the COVID-19 virus in K-12 schools.
“Utilizing UL’s Healthy Buildings services, enabling building owners and operators to assess indoor environmental quality, with the SafeTraces veriDART™ solution, a risk assessment tool for airborne pathogens, including coronaviruses, the program provides insight to help K-12 schools reopen safely,” reads a press release. “SafeTraces veriDART™ leverages patented DNA-tagged tracer particles that safely mimic aerosol mobility and exposure in order to identify high-risk infection hotspots and transmission routes, assess ventilation and filtration efficacy, and inform remediations with a rigorous science-based, data-driven methodology.”
The SafeTraces program consists of a comprehensive building data review, HVAC system inspection, air quality testing, ventilation assessment, exhaust system verification and SafeTraces veriDART™ infection risk assessment. Schools that sign up for the program will receive a final report that consolidates results, analysis, conclusions and recommendations with the option for recurring UL Verification and support.
“The pandemic has introduced a heightened interest in health and wellness among educators. Ensuring that school buildings support student and staff health now tops the priority list for school systems across the U.S.,” says Sean McCrady, director in UL’s Assets and Sustainability, Real Estate and Properties division. “Reducing disease transmission risk is especially important in our schools and places of learning where good ventilation and indoor air quality are imperative. UL’s collaboration with SafeTraces helps schools address this head on to aid them in creating a safe and healthy learning environment.”
To learn more about the companies and their offerings, visit www.ul.com and www.safetraces.com.