High levels
of Aspergillus Niger and Aspergillus
Fumagatus were discovered throughout the
facility, causing the 600 employees to be
evacuated for over three years. All
remediation activities were conducted
under the strictest levels of
cleanliness. The entire project was
conducted chemical free with all ductwork
meeting never-before-seen criteria. The
environmental consultant was responsible
for inspecting every 50' of ductwork
throughout the 30,000 linear foot
project. All ductwork had to be
wipe-sampled and visually inspected, then
sampled for microbiological content. The
project required the ductwork to be
spore-free with a zero growth tolerance
on the test data. Of the 30,000 linear
feet of ductwork cleaned, only 50' had to
be re-cleaned due to  elevated
levels of microbiologicals. Asbestos
abatement protocols and clean-room
technology were used to keep the building
divided and avoid cross-contamination.
Along with the ductwork, all internal
spaces of the facility had to be cleaned.
This section of the project required 25
environmental workers for seven months to
clean the spaces and required strict
project management due to the 4 day per
floor movement cycle, which involved
seven trades. DUCTBUSTERS®
was responsible for completely revising
the project timelines shortly after the
project began to keep all the trades on
track.
The Pinellas County Courthouse is an
indication of the rapid response
capabilities DUCTBUSTERS®
has. The courthouse, which is attached to
a maximum-security prison, was diagnosed
to contain the Legionella bacteria. Three
people contracted Legionnaire's disease.
DUCTBUSTERS® was called in
after the original contractor attempted
to staff up to handle the complex
problems. We mobilized and had on
location an emergency response team of
ten workers within 24 hours of the
initial call. DUCTBUSTERS®
was specifically contracted to clean the
units which were dispersing the
Legionella bacteria. There were 68 units
on location, of which we cleaned half,
and we completed the project in one week.
All workers were personally escorted by
prison guards throughout the project,
hampering productivity. However, the
management team made modifications to the
normal cleaning protocols to increase
production to the highest rate under the
circumstances.
Every hospital we clean requires unique
cleaning protocols specifically designed
for the facility. With this in mind
DUCTBUSTERS® uses a site
survey, scope of work and management
style which allows for variation and
changes during the initial building
assessment. The ability for DUCTBUSTERS®
to handle an entire building remediation
if necessary has proven to be an asset to
those customers with high-profile,
complex projects which require other
trades to perform additional work. Our
quality control assurance program, which
is outlined in the Mechanical Hygiene
Specifications for HVAC and Duct Systems,
allows for self-verification before final
verification by the customer.
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