Bill Text: NY A00926 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to protecting indoor air quality in state owned, leased or operated buildings.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - referred to ways and means [A00926 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-A00926-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 926 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 9, 2017 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. LUPARDO, GOTTFRIED, PAULIN, DINOWITZ, BENEDETTO, ROSENTHAL, COLTON, ABINANTI -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. CAHILL, GALEF, HOOPER, JAFFEE, PERRY, RIVERA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to protecting indoor air quality in state owned, leased or operated buildings The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new article 2 49-A to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 49-A 4 INDOOR AIR QUALITY 5 Section 4920. Purpose. 6 4921. Definitions. 7 4922. Indoor air quality plan. 8 4923. Indoor air quality standards. 9 4924. Indoor air investigations. 10 4925. Training course. 11 § 4920. Purpose. It is the purpose of this article to protect public 12 health by providing for adequate quantity and quality of indoor air in 13 state owned, leased or operated buildings. In order to achieve this aim 14 it is necessary to provide that a state owned, leased or operated 15 building's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system be operated 16 and maintained according to design. It is also necessary that persons 17 who are experiencing adverse health effects because of indoor air prob- 18 lems have means to communicate these problems and have them addressed. 19 In order to ensure a minimum and adequate supply of fresh air to state 20 owned, leased or operated building occupants, it is further, also the 21 purpose of this article to adopt established standards for ventilation. 22 § 4921. Definitions. As used in this article: EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD00997-01-7A. 926 2 1 1. "Building" means an occupied structure, owned, leased or operated 2 by the state of greater than twenty-five thousand square feet of floor 3 space, using mechanical ventilation providing outdoor air, recirculated 4 air, or a mixture of outdoor and recirculated air, excluding a residen- 5 tial structure containing six or fewer dwelling units or any structure 6 or portion of a structure where state regulation of indoor air quality 7 would be preempted by federal law. This definition shall exclude barns, 8 which for the purposes of this article shall mean a structure that was 9 designed and used for storing farm equipment or agricultural products, 10 or for housing livestock. 11 2. "Owner" means the state or any state agency. 12 § 4922. Indoor air quality plan. 1. Responsibilities of building 13 owner. 14 (a) The owner of a building shall be responsible for developing and 15 maintaining an indoor air quality plan for the building; the plan shall 16 contain the following components: 17 (i) a detailed description of the building's heating, ventilation and 18 air conditioning system, its operation, and procedures and schedules for 19 necessary maintenance; 20 (ii) an inventory of toxic substances used in the building, including 21 copies of applicable material safety data sheets; 22 (iii) a plan detailing modifications and renovations to the building, 23 including an assessment of the effects of renovation on indoor air qual- 24 ity ventilation and other factors relevant to air quality; 25 (iv) prior to commencing construction or renovation projects, a plan 26 to minimize exposure to contaminants and mitigate adverse effects on 27 building occupants during and after construction or renovation; 28 (v) a procedure for maintaining and providing access (including 29 inspection and copying) to written records or logs pursuant to paragraph 30 (b) of this subdivision; and 31 (vi) a system to respond to requests for information, investigate and 32 respond to complaints of indoor air quality problems and adverse health 33 effects by occupants consistent with paragraph (d) of this subdivision. 34 (b) The owner of a building shall be responsible for developing and 35 maintaining the following records and logs as part of the indoor air 36 quality plan: 37 (i) a written record of maintenance performed on the building's heat- 38 ing, ventilation, and air conditioning system; 39 (ii) a log of pesticide use and application, including copies of 40 applicable material safety data sheets; 41 (iii) a written record of modifications and renovations to the build- 42 ing, including but not limited to modification of the heating, venti- 43 lation and air conditioning system, construction and modifications of 44 walls and interior space which could affect air flow to building occu- 45 pants; and 46 (iv) a log of complaints of indoor air quality problems and reports of 47 adverse health effects and actions and responses to complaints and 48 reports. 49 (c) The owner of a building shall designate a person or group of 50 persons who shall be responsible for coordinating the indoor air quality 51 plan including: 52 (i) operating and maintaining the building's heating, ventilation, and 53 air conditioning system; 54 (ii) maintaining the indoor air quality plan pursuant to paragraph (a) 55 of this subdivision; developing and maintaining the written records and 56 logs pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subdivision; andA. 926 3 1 (iii) receiving and responding to complaints of indoor air quality 2 problems and requests for information pursuant to paragraph (d) of this 3 subdivision. 4 (d) The owner of the building shall post in the lobby of the building, 5 or conspicuously where building occupants have access to it, a notice 6 stating the procedures for making requests and complaints under this 7 paragraph and name and telephone number of the person or persons desig- 8 nated pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subdivision. 9 (e) A building owner may contract with a management company, lessee or 10 other party responsible for the building's operation and maintenance to 11 carry out the responsibilities of this subdivision. 12 (f) A building owner shall provide building occupants with reasonable 13 access to the indoor air quality plan pursuant to paragraph (a) of this 14 subdivision; provided, however, that a building owner may exclude from 15 that access any information the disclosure of which would pose a securi- 16 ty risk. 17 (g) A building owner shall submit a copy of the indoor air quality 18 plan pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision to the department 19 upon request by the department. 20 (h) Where the owner operates more than one similar building on a 21 contiguous site, the owner may prepare a plan which includes more than 22 one building. 23 2. The department shall promulgate regulations necessary to carry out 24 the provisions of this section. 25 § 4923. Indoor air quality standards. 1. Within one year after this 26 section shall have taken effect, the department, in consultation with 27 the department of labor, energy research and development authority, and 28 the office of fire prevention, the department of economic development 29 and the department of environmental conservation, shall adopt regu- 30 lations establishing standards of ventilation for new and existing 31 buildings. The standards shall take into effect building arrangement, 32 structure, size, use, age, and occupancy. The department may issue 33 different regulations for new buildings, existing buildings, and build- 34 ings that are being substantially renovated. For schools, standards 35 shall be appropriate for children. In establishing the standards, the 36 department shall consider the most current applicable standards of a 37 nationally-recognized society or societies of heating, refrigeration, 38 and air conditioning engineers. 39 2. The department may establish a procedure where any provision or 40 requirement of the indoor air quality regulations may be varied or modi- 41 fied in cases where strict compliance would entail practical difficul- 42 ties or unnecessary hardship or would otherwise be unwarranted. The 43 procedure shall be designed to insure that any variance or modification 44 shall not substantially adversely affect provisions for health, safety 45 and security, and that equally safe and proper alternatives may be 46 prescribed. Requests for a variance shall be resolved within sixty days 47 of the date of application unless a longer period is required for good 48 cause shown. 49 § 4924. Indoor air investigations. 1. Upon receipt of a complaint or 50 complaints excluding complaints in relation to temperature of indoor air 51 quality relating to a building from three or more occupants of the 52 building or, from a tenant of all or part of the building, the building 53 owner or designee shall initiate an investigation of the complaint or 54 complaints. The building owner shall respond in writing within thirty 55 days indicating the results of the initial investigation and any correc- 56 tive actions taken or pending.A. 926 4 1 2. If the complainant is dissatisfied with the response to the 2 complaint, the complainant may file a formal complaint with the commis- 3 sioner, who shall initiate an investigation of the complaint. The 4 complaint shall be in writing and indicate the grounds for the complain- 5 ant and shall be signed by the complainant. A copy shall be provided by 6 the commissioner to the building owner or the person designated for such 7 purposes promptly, and in any event prior to any inspection by the 8 department. On the request of complainant, the complainant's name shall 9 be withheld. The complainant or a representative of the complainant 10 shall be given the opportunity to accompany the department's inspector 11 during an inspection for the purpose of aiding such inspection. 12 3. If the commissioner determines that an indoor air quality problem 13 exists in a building, such commissioner shall issue in writing to the 14 building owner and complainant such findings and any proposed means of 15 correcting such problems. The building owner or representative shall 16 respond to the findings within thirty days including any plans for 17 correcting the indoor air quality problem. The building owner or repre- 18 sentative shall notify the commissioner of actions taken to correct such 19 problems. 20 § 4925. Training course. The department, in consultation with the 21 department of labor, and nationally recognized societies of industrial 22 hygiene, fire prevention and heating, refrigeration, and air condition- 23 ing, shall develop model courses in the operation and maintenance of 24 heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. The commissioner 25 shall have authority to approve programs in heating, ventilation and air 26 conditioning operation and maintenance and shall maintain a list of 27 approved programs, which shall be made available to interested parties 28 upon request. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations 29 setting forth the criteria for approval of such programs. 30 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of September next 31 succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
