Many of the buildings that are owned or leased by the state are so old, the poor air quality in these buildings has been harming the health of state workers. Members of AFT-Maryland are proposing the Indoor Air Quality in State Owned and Leased Buildings Act, and have secured the sponsorship of Delegate Stephen Lafferty from Baltimore County to author this bill. The act ensures the Maryland Secretary of Labor will develop a comprehensive indoor air quality standard that requires state-owned and leased buildings to develop a program and written plan describing how high air quality standards will be met.
Indoor air quality has been identified by the EPA as one of the top five most urgent environmental risks to public health. Most Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors and many spend most of their working hours in an office environment. Therefore, the quality of air inside offices, hospitals, and other workplaces is important not only for the comfort of state employees and the public, but also for their health. An unhealthy work environment for state employees adversely affects the state’s ability to provide services to the citizens of the state.
Members of AFT-Maryland ask legislators to support Delegate Lafferty’s Act by voting YES to improving indoor air quality standards.
For more information, contact Todd Reynolds, Political Coordinator, AFT-Maryland, at treynolds@aftmd.org.