WELL Health-Safety Rating, the protocol for managing buildings in health and safety

WELL Health-Safety Rating, the protocol for managing buildings in health and safety
May 6, 2021 admin

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical role the buildings play in supporting our health, safety and well-being as more than 90% of the time is spent indoors, where higher is the risk to be affected by respiratory infections.

For this reason, after the experience of the pandemic that has touched nearly every aspect of our life, the International Well Building Institute (IWBI), the world’s leading certification body for healthy buildings, has established a task force of around 600 experts that have worked to a new rating system.

The result of this huge work is the WELL Health-Safety Rating, that can be applied to all new and existing buildings. It supports owners and operators of a business to protect their employee, visitors and other stakeholders and instill trust and confidence in the efforts implemented to create safe spaces.

The standard comprehends 22 strategies focused on operational policies and protocols that help:

  • keep spaces clean and sanitized
  • help everyone prepare for an emergency
  • provide essential health benefits and services
  • assess air and water quality
  • communicate health and safety efforts

The WELL Health-Safety Rating has no certification levels but it requires that a minimum of 15 strategies are pursued and awarded.

The result of this certification process is the WELL Health-Safety Seal applied to the building that is a visible mark of an organization’s commitment to the health and safety of its employees, visitors and other stakeholder. It communicates that the proper evidence-based measures have been adopted and third-party verified and that the space/building is being maintained according to health and safety guidelines and best practices.

Visitors can easily scan the QR code on the seal and gain insight into how health and safety efforts have been third-party validated.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating can be pursued independently or as an added value and distinctive milestone within an existing or already completed WELL certification process.

Paola Moschini has registered on the WELL Online portal the headquarter which houses the High Vocational Training in Trento. The documentation is being developed by the students of the “Higher Technical for Sustainable Building” course within the UF2 training unit with the aim of certifying the building within the year.