Building Updates
BOE Headquarters Building Assessment
The investigation, remediation and repairs continue in the 450 N Street Building. The anticipated conclusion of the project has been delayed by the Department of General Services (DGS), though the majority of the remediation has been completed and progress continues on the modernization of the elevators.
The Department of General Services – the 450 N Street building owner and manager – now estimates that the floor-by-floor remediation project should be completed and completely closed out by the end of January, 2012. The completion date has slipped further from the previously projected December 2011 date, mainly due to instances of more remediation necessary on some floors than originally anticipated.
Following remediation of the 21st floor, reports of odors on that floor were reported by employees. More investigation of the 21st floor was necessary. Testing revealed the presence of benzene and carbon disulfide – both of which are on the Proposition 65 list – during odor investigations by DGS and their industrial hygiene consultants, La Croix Davis (LCD), prompting DGS to place Proposition 65 warning signs at entrances to the 450 N Street building.
As reported by DGS, the detected benzene levels were well below the applicable Cal-OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits. Similarly, there is no expectation that airborne carbon disulfide will be detected at levels that approach Cal-OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits.
BOE’s consultant, HTI, is in agreement with these findings and continues to monitor the indoor air quality in the building to assure that health and safety requirements are met for all staff where concerns have been raised for benzene and carbon disulfide detected in the building. We will continue to post testing results and related materials on this website as they become available to us.
All of the 450 N Street elevators are in the final stages of modernization. DGS anticipates all elevators will be revamped by the end of January, 2012. Once the elevator modernization project is complete, the elevators should be more reliable and efficient.
We have, and will continue to do our best to obtain and post updates and reports from DGS and its consultants on this web page for your review. Hygiene Technologies International continues to monitor the building and assist as BOE’s consultant. Their reports continue to be posted as they are received. If you have any building related questions, please feel free to make that inquiry through this web page. If you are aware of or discover a water event or other building concern (i.e., elevator issue), please let us know by filling out a “Report a leak/event” form on this page.
If you have any health concerns or questions, please contact your personal physician. Advise them of the existence of this web page. If they have any questions, we will do our best to put them in contact with our consultants for additional assistance.
I continue to be pleased with the positive outlook of our employees here at BOE and continued hard work of staff to accomplish our core mission. As we work together during this process we will continue to be mindful of the health and safety of our employees, which is our number one priority.
Thank you for your continued professionalism and cooperation during this long process of remediation.