Free Software Helps Schools Assess Building Conditions

The Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (HealthySEAT) is a unique software tool designed for the purpose of evaluating and managing school facilities for key environmental safety and health issues. The software is free and downloadable at the EPA website (www.epa.gov/schools/healthyseat/index.html). For use by district-level staff, HealthySEAT can help professionals conduct completely voluntary self-assessments of school facilities. According to the agency, “In addition to powerful software that can be used by districts to track any facility issues it chooses, EPA has also included critical elements of all of its regulatory and voluntary programs for schools, as well as Web links to more detailed information.” It’s customizable, and no reporting is required as a result of its use.

According to the EPA, HealthySEAT will help school districts identify and correct hazards before they result in:

• Health problems in students and staff, such as asthma attacks, lead poisoning, and other chemical exposures.
• Productivity and performance losses in students and staff.
• School closures due to spills, accidents, or other preventable environmental, health, and safety issues.
• Costly building clean-ups.
• Regulatory enforcement actions by state or federal agencies.
• Community concern and resource-draining media attention.
  

In addition, HealthySEAT will help school districts:

• Collect the kind of school- and hazard- specific data necessary to make a compelling case for needed renovation, repair, and maintenance dollars.
• Demonstrate to the community that your district is committed to the health and safety of children and staff.

To find out more about HealthySEAT, visit (www.epa.gov/schools/healthyseat/index.html).