International WELL Building Institute Opens Enrollment for WELL Health-Safety Rating In Response to COVID-19 With Significant Early Adoption

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announced that enrollment has opened today for the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management, with more than 100 organizations and real estate portfolios across the globe already enrolled. Organizations across a wide range of industries and geographic locations have responded swiftly to implement the program’s science-backed guidance as they seek to instill confidence and trust among their staff, stakeholders and the broader community.

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The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all new and existing building and space types focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder engagement strategies to help organizations prepare their spaces for re-entry in a post COVID-19 environment.

Adapted from features in the WELL Building Standard (WELL) that focus on facilities, maintenance and operations, the WELL Health-Safety Rating is designed to guide and empower the actions of large and small businesses alike in taking the necessary steps to prioritize the health and safety of their staff, visitors and stakeholders. It also serves as an annual process that supports efforts to promote the long-term health and safety of people.

“We’re all eager to get back to our workplaces, back to school, back to traveling, dining, and cheering on our favorite teams and performers,” said IWBI Chairman and CEO Rick Fedrizzi. “As organizations across the globe respond to the COVID-19 crisis through changes in policies and protocols, the WELL Health-Safety Rating delivers the evidence-based health strategies required to help them safely reopen with the confidence and integrity provided by third-party verification.”

Created by IWBI, the WELL Health-Safety Rating is informed by guidance developed 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, recognized standard-making bodies, such as ASTM International and ASHRAE, and leading academic and research institutions. IWBI has leveraged insights from its Task Force on COVID-19, established at the outset of the pandemic to help business and building leaders integrate actionable insights and proven strategies in the fight against COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

“This moment has highlighted the critical role that buildings, and those that own and operate them, can play in supporting people’s health, safety and well-being,” said IWBI President Rachel Gutter. “This new rating aims to meet the urgent need to deliver high health and safety standards in all of the spaces we occupy. While longer term design strategies are important in reducing the risks of infectious disease spread, this rating focuses on strategies that can be implemented immediately to address acute threats, using our buildings and spaces as a first line of defense in the fight against COVID-19.”

Demonstrating thought leadership and commitment to the health and safety of their stakeholder communities, the following leading organizations are among the first that have enrolled to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating:

Upon achieving the designation, IWBI will issue the building or space a WELL Health-Safety seal.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating draws on principles established by IWBI’s WELL Building Standard, the premier standard for healthy real estate, which has surpassed 590 million square feet in registrations across 62 countries since inception. The WELL Building movement has been further amplified by over 12,000 WELL Accredited Professionals (APs) and registrants across the globe.

To learn more about the WELL Health-Safety Rating and to enroll, please visit www.wellcertified.com/health-safety.

About the International WELL Building Institute

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is leading the global movement to transform our buildings, communities and organizations in ways that help people thrive. The WELL v2 pilot is the latest version of its popular WELL Building Standard (WELL), and the WELL Community Standard pilot is a district scale rating system that sets a new global benchmark for healthy communities. WELL is focused exclusively on the ways that buildings and communities, and everything in them, can improve our comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance, not compromise, our health and wellness. IWBI mobilizes the wellness community through management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellness everywhere. IWBI is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative, and helps companies advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the use of WELL. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL, WELL Portfolio, The WELL Conference, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rating and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

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