The WELL Health Safety Seal signifies that measures have been taken in the space to support the health and safety of occupants.
It is a decal awarded to spaces that have achieved a WELL Health-Safety Rating. The rating is informed by years of research by hundreds of leading medical professionals, public health experts, and building professionals and takes a holistic approach to occupant health and safety.
According to “De Niro”, If we see the WELL Health-Safety Rated logo outside a school, office, store, or restaurant, “Everything may look the same, but the WELL Health-Safety Seal means that your health and safety are top of mind.”
What is WELL Health Safety Seal Rating
The WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all new and existing building and facility types focusing on operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement, and emergency plans.
It is the leading certification system for health and well-being in buildings. The certification requirements are provided in the WELL Building Standard, and they include features that help prevent infectious diseases like COVID-19.
Purpose of WELL Health Safety Rating
Designed to empower owners and operators across large and small businesses alike to take the necessary steps to prioritize the health and safety of their staff, visitors, and other stakeholders, the WELL Health-Safety Rating can help guide users in preparing their spaces for re-entry in a post-COVID-19 environment, instilling confidence in occupants and the broader community. The rating, which consists of a subset of relevant features from the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL™) adapted for facility operations and management, was informed by the COVID-19 pandemic but has broader applicability for supporting the long-term health and safety needs of people in a given space.
As organizations across the globe respond to the COVID-19 crisis by making updates to their policies and protocols, the WELL Health-Safety Rating provides an efficient and effective opportunity to guide, validate, recognize, and scale the efforts of owners and operators on critical health and safety issues. The third-party review process ensures integrity and consistency, and results in a WELL Health-Safety seal, communicating leadership and a commitment to the health and well-being of the people who frequent the space.
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The Health-Safety Rating focuses on design features that are effective against common germs – not only viruses but also bacteria and fungi.
This new rating also focuses on features that can be deployed quickly and without major investments. This way, building owners can improve their resilience against COVID-19 with the speed demanded by the ongoing emergency. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is reviewed and verified by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the organization that reviews and approves the LEED certification for buildings.
WELL Health-Safety Rating: Rooted in Evidence and Expertise
The WELL Health-Safety Rating was created by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the organization that oversees the world’s premier framework for advancing health in buildings and spaces of all kinds – the WELL Building Standard (WELL). WELL is grounded in the premise that buildings, communities, and organizations play a leading role in supporting our health and well-being, as well as our collective ability to prepare for and respond to global health challenges like the one we’re experiencing now.
The genesis of the WELL Health-Safety Rating was feedback from IWBI’s Task Force on COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Infections, a group of nearly 600 public health experts, virologists, government officials, academics, business leaders, architects, designers, building scientists and real estate professionals, which was established in late March 2020 to support IWBI’s response to the pandemic. This group identified an important need for a third-party designation that would help guide owners and operators toward evidence-based best practices for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and for navigating this crisis and beyond.
WELL Health-Safety Rating Scope
The WELL Health-Safety Rating includes more than 20 features across the following core areas, a minimum of 15 of which need to be met:
- Cleaning and Sanitization Procedures
- Emergency Preparedness Programs
- Health Service Resources
- Air and Water Quality Management
- Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
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The strategies within the WELL Health-Safety Rating have been informed by existing features within the WELL Building Standard, IWBI’s Task Force on COVID-19, and guidance by the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), global disease control and prevention centers and emergency management agencies, as well as recognized standard-making bodies such as ASTM International and ASHRAE, and leading academic and research institutions. Industry experts and researchers across the WELL Concept Advisories, the WELL Research Advisory, the WELL Advisory for Sports and Entertainment Venues, the WELL Advisory for Hotels and Resorts, and the WELL Airport Advisory also provided extensive insights for the WELL Health-Safety Rating.
Download the WELL Health Rating Feature Here
How Does the WELL Health-Safety Rating Work?
The WELL Health-Safety Rating rating is based on WELL v2, but there are important differences concerning the complete building certification:
- The WELL Health-Safety Rating consists of 21 design features, and building owners must choose any combination of at least 15.
- There are no scores and certification levels, other than meeting at least 15 features.
- The rating is available for new constructions and existing buildings.
- The certification must be renewed once per year, to ensure the building stays compliant.
Building owners can also propose their features, by providing documented proof that they achieve the goals of the WELL Health-Safety Rating. These are called Alternative Adherence Paths (AAP), and owners can propose up to three per project. Additional AAPs may be submitted by paying a fee.
How much does the WELL Health-Safety Rating Cost?
The WELL Health-Safety Rating is priced according to space size, use, and type, aiming to make the rating accessible while matching the anticipated complexity of each project’s scope.
Whether you’re looking to enroll in a single building or an entire portfolio, the WELL Health-Safety Rating can help support the health and safety of everyone who walks through your door.
Where to begin
Step 1: Choose your location type:
- Single location: Ideal for organizations looking to prioritize health and safety in a single space or location.
- Multiple locations: Projects that enroll multiple locations of the same type, with a single owner and payer, are eligible for a reduced price per location.
- Large-scale facilities: Ideal for high-volume, multi-use facilities like shopping centers, hotels, stadiums, and airports that can accommodate more than 10,000 people daily and include more than four space types. Applicable to single and multiple location enrollments.
Follow this link to find out about WELL Health and Safety Rating pricing
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