Effective September 8, 2009, the State of New Jersey has implemented new regulations that for the first time establish legal standards for cerfiying  indoor quality within child day care centers and educational facilities and requires licensure of indoor environmental consultants.

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services is issuing temporary certifications to qualified firms so that they may continue to provide these important services to clients. Since GSE is actively involved in providing environmental and indoor air quality services to both child day care and educational facilities, we are temporarily certified  and are now in the process of becoming fully licensed as an “IEHA Consultant”.

As a licensed IEHA consultant, GSE will be able to continue to conduct Indoor Environmental Health Assessments (IEHA) for child day care centers, public private and charter schools. Such evalutions are often done as part of routine or proactive indoor air quality investigations, during renovations or at any time when the institution has concerns about indoor air quality and its possible effects on building occupants. The new regulations specifically require a formal IEHA when:

• The facility is located near industrial, storage or high hazards operations, such as nail salons, dry cleaners, or gasoline stations or on a site that is known or suspected of being contaminated.
• The facility is required to obtain a construction permit for the renovation, alteration, conversion of repair of a building to be used as a child care or educational facility.
• A Safe Building Interior Certification is required.

GSE applauds the state of New Jersey for finally adopting professinal stringent and scientifically valid criteria for evaluating the indoor air quality within these facilities. It is our belief that these regulations will become the new “gold standard” for conducting indoor air quality assessments within public and private buildings. We are prepared to continue to help our clients assess and manage indoor air quality within their facilities, assure compliance with these new legal requirements, and protect the health of building occupants.