Bwell Healthy Buildings

The City of Burnsville cares about the health of our staff, community and visitors. Over the past several years, there has been significant scientific and medical research regarding the environmental impacts our indoor spaces have on our health – healthy environments lead to healthier people.

It is our priority to make innovative updates to City buildings to advance our healthy building efforts. To that objective, we’ve developed a variety of building management standards for each of our City facilities. These standards serve as a roadmap to optimize health, wellness, productivity and sustainability goals through targeted management practices and improvements to workplace design, policies and plans.

Key Objectives

Education, signage, best practices and training will be a focus for each of these areas including collaboration with the City’s employee wellness program for efforts such as handwashing, drinking water and the cleaning of shared areas.

Air Quality and Ventilation

Optimize indoor air quality through material selection, ventilation, filtrations and pest control

Smoke-free policy for indoor and outdoor spaces
Negative ion generators to suppress mold, bacteria, pathogens and viruses
Humidity control and moisture management
Optimization of mechanical and natural ventilation through building automation system
Implementation of a pest management plan
Support volatile organic compounds (VOC) reduction through the appropriate selection of furniture and cleaning products

Water Quality

Promote safe and clean water through proper treatment, filtration and hydration promotion

Monitor and maintain fluoride and disinfectant residuals in the distribution system
Provide easily accessible filtered drinking fountains and water bottle refilling ability at water supply

Cleanliness

Optimize building and work space cleanliness through proper equipment, cleaning protocols and signage

Implement best practices cleaning protocols with appropriate equipment and preferred products
Antimicrobial activity for high contact surfaces
Permanent entryway systems to capture dirt and particles entering the building
Reduce surface contact with options such as automatic doors and foot openers

Safety and Security

Optimize building safety and security through resources, equipment, plans, supplies, spaces and collaborations

Appropriate lighting for pathways and parking
Emergency resources (AED’s, first-aid kits)
Reduce respiratory particle exposure
Provide personal protective equipment
Install sharps needle containers
Maintain an active Safety Committee
Provide storm shelter area
Implement fire alarm and sprinkler testing plan
Security cameras, software and alert devices
Implement emergency procedures for evacuation or shelter-in-place
Maintain a database of building emergency equipment and supplies
Back-up generator

Health and Wellness

Integrate physical, mental and social activity by providing features and spaces to promote an active, healthy lifestyle

Maximize exposure to negative ions (linked to benefits for mental and physical health)
Dedicated space for physical fitness and multipurpose rooms for wellness programs
A quiet room to support mental health
Provide showers and lockers to support active commutes to and from work
Walking trails within the building and campus
Break areas that can accommodate social activities

Comfort and Lighting

Create distraction-free, barrier-free, productive and comfortable indoor environments to enhance productivity and alertness through work spaces, lighting, views and thermal building automation