Frequently Asked Questions
This page contains frequently asked questions about facilities management and planning, covering topics such as work orders, repairs, special events, climate control, and more, to help you navigate our services.
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FAQs
Work Orders
In order to have work of a non-emergency nature performed, a work order must be submitted through the online work order system, which requires a pre-assigned User Name and Password. Once signed in, the submitter fills out the work order form and submits the order. Work orders will be evaluated and prioritized, and Facilities staff will respond to requests as soon as possible. Please keep in mind that the work order system is designed for standard, non-urgent work orders only.
Speak to your department administrator about obtaining a User Name and Password.
Once you have signed in to the work order system, you will see a link on the left side of the screen titled "View my Submissions". By clicking on this link, you can view the status of your work order submissions.
Repairs
Between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, please call Facilities at (212) 772-4422 with emergency issues. Before 8:30 am and after 4:30 pm, you should contact Public Safety at (212) 772-4444 to deal with emergency issues. The Public Safety office will alert the appropriate workers to get the problem taken care of. Examples of Facilities-related emergencies include excessively hot or cold rooms, pipes that have burst, flooding, broken windows, and spills of liquids that are suspected of being hazardous to one's health.
In order to have something of a non-emergency nature fixed, you will need to place an online work order. Click here to submit a work request.
If you are in an academic department, please bring your painting, window treatment and floor work needs to the attention of your department chair. It is important that the department chair then include these needs in the Departmental Annual Report that all academic departments are asked to submit. It is from these Departmental Annual Reports that the Office of Facilities, Management & Planning prioritizes requests, based on the condition of the space that needs work and the funding available to do the work. For departments that do not submit Annual Reports, please request your painting, window treatment or flooring needs through the Dean or Vice President of your department.
Special Events and Projects
Space for your special event at Hunter College is reserved through the Office of Central Reservations. Upon securing a space reservation, you will be informed about the additional steps you must take in order to receive support services from Facilities.
Visit Office of Central ReservationsVisit our list of current capital projects.
Climate Control
Between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, please call (212) 772-4422 with issues related to climate. Prior to 8:30 am and after 4:30 pm, you should contact Public Safety at (212) 772-4444 to deal with these issues. Every effort will be made to adjust the climate in your space to make you more comfortable.
Asbestos Abatement at Hunter College
To ensure the health and safety of all members of the Hunter College community, we maintain a rigorous program of monitoring and, if needed, abatement activities whenever work is done on campus that may involve legacy asbestos in building materials or equipment. To do this and assure accountability, we employ third-party, licensed asbestos abatement contractors, who must closely follow all city, state, and federal asbestos regulations. Whenever work of this kind is performed at Hunter College, campus, municipal, and state agencies are notified, and public notices are posted at the work location before work begins.
The professional asbestos abatement process that we employ at Hunter follows strict procedures to control and contain fiber release from asbestos-containing materials. This includes enclosure, removal, encapsulation, clean up, and repair, as well as air monitoring throughout the process. For a detailed description of the process and answers to frequently asked questions, please see below.
Safety and Protection Measures
- Licensed Professionals: Hunter College works with licensed asbestos abatement contractors and air monitoring companies.
- Safety Protocols: Asbestos contractors must follow all applicable laws and regulations for asbestos abatement, even for minor amounts of material.
- Containment: We seal off the work area, use negative air pressure, and cover non-abated surfaces.
- Air Monitoring: We conduct air quality testing throughout the abatement process and after completion to ensure the asbestos levels are below regulatory guidelines.
Post-Abatement Safety Measures
- Clearance Testing: Third-party air monitors conduct clearance testing to ensure the area meets air quality standards before re-occupancy.
- Asbestos Waste: We dispose of asbestos materials properly, typically in double-bagged containers, following local and state regulations.
Asbestos Abatement Frequently Asked Questions
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral with a high tensile strength, the ability to be woven, and resistance to heat, electricity, and most chemicals.
Because of the properties of asbestos, it has been used in a variety of building materials since the late 1800s, such as roofing materials, ceiling and floor tiles, paper and cement products, wall plaster, and thermal insulations. Asbestos can be found in almost all buildings constructed prior to 1989.
Asbestos fibers can be hazardous when inhaled, so it is crucial to prevent their dispersal. The regulatory limit for asbestos is 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter in eight hours for asbestos workers. An employee cannot exceed this limit within the workday without requiring corrective action by the employer.
- Federal: United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA)
- State: New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) (Promulgated by PESH)
- City: New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP)
Any and all procedures physically taken to control fiber release from asbestos containing material (ACM). This includes removal, encapsulation, enclosure, clean up, or repair.
Prior to any construction work, regulations require that a building owner must ensure that an asbestos survey/inspection is conducted to determine whether asbestos-containing materials are present in the construction area. The areas identified with asbestos-containing materials will be abated. This is performed prior to the construction work (demolition, renovation, repair and remodeling).
- Air sampling:
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- Daily air sampling within 10 feet of the barriers set up in the abatement work zone
- Regulations have established work stoppage criteria if air samples show a concentration that is above even 10% of the exposure limit (i.e., above 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter). Work shall stop immediately if this threshold is reached and shall not continue until correction is implemented. Such a stoppage should be noted in the required daily project log.
- Methods to prevent contamination.
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- Waste removal:
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- Plastic bags used for waste storage or disposal shall be at least 6mm in thickness and be marked with “Danger” labels.
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- Waste is maintained in an airlock barrier (restricting air movement) until removal. Then waste is removed to be disposed offsite.
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- Barriers/zones are in place to prevent the contamination from the abatement work area to outside areas and devices provide negative pressure so that nothing escapes the abatement work area.
- Clean-up activities to remove any asbestos fibers, using HEPA vacuum or wet cleaning methods.
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- Final clearance from authorized personnel is required to ensure the area is safe and free from residual asbestos fibers.