- K-12 educational facilities
- Mercury-containing flooring investigations
- Preliminary environmental review including ACM, LBP, PCBs
- Student, staff and administrator health and safety paramount
- Scheduled to minimize disruption to school operations and ongoing construction schedules
Under an on-call contract with the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (NJSDA) to provide Site Consultant Services, including K-12 school facility projects throughout the state, GZA has conducted numerous hazardous materials, environmental, flood hazard, and geotechnical engineering projects.
Challenge
In addition to protecting the health and safety of students, staff and administrators, collaboration with occupants, contractors and the NJSDA to facilitate ongoing construction and renovation schedules is critical.
Solution
GZA has completed investigations of poured rubberized polyurethane flooring at several elementary schools in Bridgeton and East Orange/Garfield. This initiative was prompted by the industry’s awareness that certain manufacturers’ products had begun to release mercury vapors as the flooring cured. For NJSDA schools at which these manufacturers’ flooring had been installed, GZA reviews a site plan and flooring manufacturer product information; develops a sampling plan; and collects representative bulk samples of flooring for mercury analysis. If results warrant, indoor air samples are then collected for analysis. GZA also provides a report summarizing bulk sample and indoor air sampling results and recommendations for further actions.
GZA has also completed a Preliminary Environmental Review at Trenton school prior to a chimney renovation. The review included identification, sampling (as warranted), and analysis for the presence of asbestos-containing materials (ACM), lead-based paint (LBP), universal wastes and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that might impact construction activities. Infrared scans indicating thermal anomalies were employed in the investigation to focus sampling activities.
Benefit
GZA’s technical skills and keen grasp of NJSDA protocols, school security requirements, construction schedule demands, and regulatory requirements facilitated safe and expeditious completion of these hazardous materials consulting projects.