The purpose of this site is to support Berkeley Lab worker protection through various resources and links to agency tools in order to provide Berkeley Lab building occupants, outdoor workers and Lab Operations staff with the necessary information needed to determine the air quality during wildfire smoke events along with steps to protect ourselves from the effects of wildfire smoke. This site also helps LBNL comply with Cal/OSHA’s Protection From Wildfire Smoke Regulation (Title 8, Section 5141.1) for outdoor workers. The content of this regulation and the related information on this site do not apply to elevated AQI levels associated with Bay Area Air District Spare the Air Alerts or advisories unrelated to PM2.5 particulate matter (e.g., ozone), smoke from structure fires, or smoke from residential wood burning during winter months. However, Laboratory Operations will implement other applicable safety requirements and will provide guidance to protect the Laboratory community.
Berkeley Lab EHS references the EPA’s AirNow AQI levels as the primary means for our wildfire smoke response effort. PurpleAir data is also referenced by EHS given its widespread network of sensors, but more from a qualitative, general perspective.
Watch the EPA video for more information about air quality. Watch the video in Spanish.