Integrated Pest Management Plan for the Prudential Tower
| This plan example meets the in house IPM plan requirement (Option 1) of LEED v4 O+M EQ Credit Integrated Pest Management. The contents of this plan, including but not limited to the plan scope and goals, roles and responsibilities, standard operating procedures, implementation strategies, performance measurement and schedule for reassessment, and quality assurance, will vary by project based on the building’s circumstances. Be sure to customize this plan example, tailoring it to your project’s specifics. It will be reviewed as a part of your project’s documentation submission. |
i. Scope
This plan applies to all interior spaces in the building and all portions of the site and grounds for the Prudential Tower. This plan will be consulted prior to acting on pest management in the building or on the building grounds. Pests include plants or animals that are detrimental to the property, a nuisance to building occupants, or unwanted on the building grounds for other reasons.
ii. Goals
iii. Roles and Responsibilities
Integrated Pest Management Team
The pest control vendor is responsible for adhering to the procedures outlined in this plan and reporting the results of site inspections to the Property Manager. If at any time integrated and alternative pest control methods fail and chemical pesticides are necessary, the pest control vendor must notify the Property Manager prior to using the chemical pesticides and wait for approval from the Property Manager prior to applying the pesticides. Each tenant in the building has a designated contact for communications regarding pest control. The tenant contacts are responsible for reporting pest issues in their space to the Property Manager. When the use of non-least toxic pesticides is necessary, the Property Manager will notify the tenant contacts, and the tenant contacts are then responsible for notifying the occupants in their space.
iv. Standard Operating Procedures and Implementation Strategies
Pest control strategies
The building interior and exterior will be periodically inspected for the presence of pests and preventive measures will be taken to avoid pests. If any pests are detected, integrated (nonchemical) methods will be implemented as the first control step, including sanitation measures, exclusion measures, and the use of traps.
Sanitation: Potential food and water sources available to pests will be evaluated and minimized or eliminated. This can be done by thoroughly cleaning and maintaining food service areas and break rooms, fixing leaking pipes and faucets, and altering landscape features to eliminate standing water.
Exclusion: Cracks, crevices, and holes in the building envelope will be sealed. A plant-free zone will be maintained immediately adjacent to the building.
Traps: For insects and rodents, non-chemical baits (such as peanut butter) will be used to trap pests. No chemical baits for rodents will ever be used indoors. If chemical rodent baits are necessary outdoors, they will only be used as solid blocks places in locked outdoor dispensers. No second-generation (single feed) rodent baits will be used.
If integrated pest control measures are unable to resolve the problem, least toxic pesticides will be used prior to resorting to the use of non-least toxic pesticides. Least toxic pesticides include any pesticide product for which all active ingredients and known inert ingredients meet the least toxic Tier III hazard criteria under the San Francisco Hazard Review Process.
Products that are not regulated as pesticides by the EPA because they primarily contain low-risk ingredients, such as garlic oil, may also be considered least toxic options, even if they are not listed as Tier 3 by San Francisco. Nonrodent pesticides that exceed the Tier 3 criteria are considered least toxic if they are used in self-contained baits and placed in locations that are inaccessible to occupants. Rodent baits are not considered least toxic under any circumstances:
Alternative, integrated, and least toxic pest control measures have been exhausted and the pest action threshold is still exceeded
In this situation, notification (according to the procedures below) must be given to building occupants at least 24 hours before the pesticide is applied to the building or grounds
The emergency action threshold has been exceeded In this situation, notification (according to the procedures below) must be given to building occupants no more than 24 hours after the pesticide is applied to the building or grounds The use of non-least toxic pesticides or rodenticides as pest control in areas requiring frequent treatment on a permanent basis is not an acceptable strategy for this credit. Nonleast toxic pesticides will not be continuously applied in the building and on the site. Integrated and alternative pest control measures will be resumed once the action threshold specified below for the applicable pest is no longer exceeded.
Pesticide application notification
The overall responsible party will notify the tenant contacts via email of the pesticide application, including the pesticide name, the EPA registration number, the treatment location, and the date of the application. The tenant contacts are then responsible for distributing the notification to the occupants in their space. In addition, the overall responsible party will post a sign at the application site, such that an occupant reading the sign can choose to avoid the application area (for example, if the pesticide is applied in a break room, all entrances to the break room shall have a sign posted). The sign will also include the pesticide name, the EPA registration number, the treatment location, and the date of the application.
Tenant Communication plan
If pests are observed in a tenant space, it is the responsibility of the tenant to notify the overall responsible party of the pest via email. Within one business day, the overall responsible party will contact the pest control vendor to inspect the situation and determine whether the regular action threshold or the emergency action threshold has been met. The pest control vendor will then take the appropriate actions.
Action thresholds
Regular treatment includes the use of first non-chemical controls (sanitation, exclusion, traps using non-chemical baits), followed using least-toxic control methods if the situation is not resolved, and then non-least toxic control methods is the situation is still not resolved.
Emergency treatment includes the use of the most effective control method as a first step, which may be non-least toxic
v. Performance measurement and schedule for reassessment
All pest control activity, including inspections, will be recorded in the IPM tracking tool. The following items will be tracked:
- Pest type and name
- Pest population density and monitoring frequency
- Pest action threshold observed
- Prevention measures implemented
- Product applied (name)
- Toxicity of the product (the tier level as determined by the San Francisco Hazard Review Process)
- Date and time of product application (if applicable)
- Date and time of occupant notification (if applicable)
- Emergency application? (Y/N). If yes, an explanation of the emergency will be included.
The overall responsible party will record each pest that is reported by tenants in the IPM tracking tool. The pest control vendor will record the applicable items from each site visit in the IPM tracking tool. On an annual basis, performance will be evaluated against the goals specified above. If the goals are not being met, adjustments will be made to this plan to facilitate goal achievement. If adjustments to the action thresholds are necessary, the overall responsible party will work with tenant contacts and the IPM vendor as necessary to appropriately adjust the action thresholds.
vi. Quality Assurance/Quality Control Processes
On an annual basis, the overall responsible party will evaluate performance against the goals specified earlier in this plan. If the goals are not being met, adjustments will be made to this plan to facilitate goal achievement, and the pest vendor and tenant contacts will be educated on the adjustments made to the plan.