Overview of WAP Health & Safety - Bob Scott Director, Energy Services
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Overview of WAP Health & Safety
Bob Scott
Director, Energy Services
www.nascsp.org 1
Background
• Health and Safety was not specifically recognized as a
WAP component in the early years of the Program
• Awareness grew when more advanced diagnostics and
installations were integrated into WAP, particularly blower
door technology
• WAP got really good at air sealing
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Technical Basics
• As houses become more airtight, there is more
potential for IAQ problems
• The tighter a house is, the more influence
individual components have on the others
• All pollutants inside the pressure boundary will
eventually be dispersed over the entire area
• Altering a building or its mechanicals can have
unexpected consequences
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Health & Safety in WAP
WAP is primarily an energy efficiency program.
Health & Safety measures must meet criteria:
(1)Elimination of hazards is necessary before, or as a
result of, the installation of weatherization materials; and
(2)H&S spending is limited (expressed as a percent of
average dwelling unit costs), and the limit is reasonable
in light of the primary energy conservation purpose of
the Weatherization Assistance Program.
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Background – Awareness of the Issues
• Significant air sealing can affect indoor air quality
• Moisture
• Combustion by-products
• Air pressures and backdrafting
• Chemicals and pollutants
• Poorly performed weatherization can exacerbate
existing problems or even create new ones
• Properly performed weatherization can solve
some of the problems and create a healthier
indoor environment
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Background
• DOE allowed specific health and safety
measures in early 1990’s
• In 2001, DOE allowed a separate cost category
for H&S, and allowed those costs to be removed
in the cost per unit calculations
• H&S intended so that EE measures would “do no
harm”
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Background
• Grantees must include their health and safety
plan in the master file section of the grant
application package
• Had to address at least -
1. Grantee health and safety
2. Crew and contractor health and safety
3. Client health and safety
4. Potential hazard considerations
5. Deferral standards
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H&S Evolution
• Increased costs and focus related to H&S
• Lead Safe Weatherization (LSW)
• All workers take LSW course
• WAP adheres to RRP rule
• New WAP Guidance WPN 11-6
• Further clarification of allowable measures
• Some added flexibility
• Focus is still on enabling energy efficiency
measures and insuring no detrimental effects
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Frequent Heating System Problems
Combustion spillage
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Atmospheric appliances
• Get their combustion air from the inside air
• Burners usually visible to eye
o Creates several issues
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10Space Heaters
Multiple space heaters often a problem with combustion air
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11Unvented Space Heaters
WAP Public Enemy # 1
• Much greater risk since combustion
byproducts are not vented outside
• Also produce excessive moisture
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12All Too Common HVAC Venting Problems
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www.nascsp.org 13More Venting Problems
Big potential for drafting problems
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www.nascsp.org 14Lead Paint Awareness
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www.nascsp.org 15Lead Safe Weatherization
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www.nascsp.org 16Lead Safe Weatherization
LSW Training
Demonstrating a drill shroud
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www.nascsp.org 17Likely Asbestos?
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www.nascsp.org 18Dryer Vent
• What’s wrong with this
picture?
• What are the dangers?
• What should be done?
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www.nascsp.org 19Moisture Problems
Extreme case of mold
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www.nascsp.org 20Leaking Sewer Pipes in Crawl Space
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www.nascsp.org 21Electrical Nightmares
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www.nascsp.org 22Who’s the Electrician?
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www.nascsp.org 23Who volunteers to fix the insulation?
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www.nascsp.org 24DOE/WAP and Healthy Homes
But there are several instances that are beyond
the scope of WAP
• Remediation of lead and mold
• Other IAQ problems
• Major electrical and plumbing issues
• Most structural and non-energy related H&S
issues
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www.nascsp.org 25When there are unresolved H&S issues
• The agency has to defer work until problems are
resolved
• The agency does the best they can but
household does not get full advantage of WAP
• Household does not get WAP services nor its
H&S problems resolved
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www.nascsp.org 26No WAP crew wants to leave conditions
like these!
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www.nascsp.org 27WAP H&S Measures are Often Effective
• With DOE and other WAP funds, WAP providers –
o Usually can address health and safety issues
related to heating systems
o Work lead safe
o Can address some moisture problems
o Can address some electrical and plumbing issues
o Can add/repair ventilation
o Provide some educational materials
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www.nascsp.org 28Why Doesn’t WAP Repair All H&S Problems?
• Primary focus of DOE WAP is energy efficiency
H&S measures should either enable an EE measure to
be performed or insure that an EE measure does not
create a new or compound an existing H&S issue
• H&S measures cost money but provide no energy savings
• Key metrics of current national evaluation are energy
savings and energy savings per dollar invested
• Hard to justify limited funds being diverted away from WAP
EE focus
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www.nascsp.org 29WAP Health & Safety Guidance – WPN 11‐6
• Response to concerns with clarity and consistency in
how health and safety issues are approached by
grantees
• Describes most common issues encountered during
weatherization, what is allowed, what is required, and
what is prohibited in terms of dealing with these
issues
• It addresses Testing, Client Education, and Training
for twenty-five Health and Safety Categories
• Guides the grantee in creating their H&S Plan, the
guiding document for subgrantees.
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www.nascsp.org 30DOE/WAP and Healthy Homes
• Isn’t the connection obvious?
• WAP goes into hundreds of low-income houses
each year
• WAP already has a component for assessing health and
safety problems, with a willingness and desire to increase
the H&S focus
• WAP is partner of CSBG with
basis and groundwork for
mobilizing additional resources
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www.nascsp.org 31DOE Weatherization Plus Health Initiative
• National effort to enable the comprehensive,
strategic coordination of resources for energy,
health, and safety in low‐income homes
• Being implemented through NASCSP
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www.nascsp.orgDOE Weatherization Plus Health Initiative
• Create and manage an online map and directory of WAP
and healthy homes programs nationwide
• Produce individual reports on WAP and healthy homes
activities in every state and territory
• Host regional conferences for WAP and healthy homes
providers to identify gaps between existing partnerships
and encourage new partnerships
• Collect and share best practices for referral systems
between WAP and healthy homes programs
• Provide training and technical assistance for WAP and
healthy homes practitioners
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