The WELL Health and Safety Certification is an evidence-based, third-party rating system that focuses on the health, safety, and well-being of building occupants. This certification evaluates various aspects of building design, operation, and maintenance to ensure a healthy and safe environment for occupants. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of WELL Health and Safety Certification for buildings and how it can positively impact the occupants’ well-being and productivity.

The Need for WELL Health and Safety Certification

As we spend most of our time indoors, it’s essential to create a built environment that promotes health, safety, and well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of healthy indoor environments, driving a shift towards greater emphasis on building design, operation, and maintenance that supports occupants’ well-being.

The WELL Health and Safety Certification addresses these concerns by providing a framework that helps building owners, operators, and occupants prioritize health and safety in their spaces. By adopting the certification’s principles, organizations can demonstrate their commitment to providing a healthy and safe environment, enhancing their reputation and attracting top talent.

Key Features of WELL Health and Safety Certification

The certification focuses on several areas, including air and water quality, lighting, acoustics, biophilic design, and ergonomics. It also emphasizes the importance of cleaning and sanitization procedures, emergency preparedness, and mental health considerations.

The WELL Health and Safety Certification assesses building performance across various credits, which can be tailored to meet the specific needs and goals of each project. These credits include:

1. Cleaning and Sanitization Procedures: Ensuring a clean and sanitized environment by implementing effective cleaning practices, plans, and audits, and using appropriate equipment and products.
2. Indoor Air Quality: Enhancing air quality by optimizing ventilation, filtration, and humidity levels, and minimizing indoor air pollutants.
3. Water Quality Management: Ensuring safe and clean water supply by implementing water quality testing and treatment strategies.
4. Lighting Design: Providing appropriate illumination levels and minimizing glare to support occupants’ visual comfort, productivity, and circadian rhythms.
5. Acoustic Design: Designing spaces with appropriate acoustic performance to minimize noise disturbance and enhance privacy and concentration.
6. Biophilic Design: Incorporating natural elements into building design to improve occupants’ well-being, reduce stress, and promote a connection with nature.
7. Ergonomics: Designing workspaces that support proper posture, comfort, and ease of use, reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and improving productivity.

Benefits of WELL Health and Safety Certification

Achieving WELL Health and Safety Certification can provide numerous benefits for building owners, operators, and occupants, including:

1. Improved occupant health and well-being: A healthy and safe environment can lead to reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, and improved overall well-being of building occupants.
2. Enhanced building value and marketability: Certification can serve as a differentiating factor, attracting health-conscious tenants and buyers and potentially increasing the value of the property.
3. Greater operational efficiency: By implementing efficient and sustainable practices, buildings can achieve energy savings, water conservation, and reduced waste generation.
4. Stronger brand reputation: Organizations that prioritize the health and safety of their occupants demonstrate social responsibility, enhancing their brand image and reputation.

The WELL Health and Safety certification has gained significant traction in India, as more organizations understand the importance of prioritizing occupant well-being in their buildings

1. Godrej One, Mumbai

Godrej One is a prominent commercial building located in Mumbai, India. This 750,000 square feet building is home to the Godrej Group’s headquarters, as well as other prominent companies. In 2020, Godrej One achieved the WELL Health and Safety certification, becoming the first building in India to do so.

The building prioritizes indoor air quality by employing advanced air filtration systems, ensuring optimal ventilation, and utilizing low VOC materials. Additionally, the building focuses on thermal comfort, biophilic design elements, and circadian lighting to enhance occupant well-being. Godrej One also emphasizes employee health by providing fitness facilities, healthy food options, and spaces for relaxation and rejuvenation.

2. Ascendas Park Square, Bangalore

Ascendas Park Square, located in Bangalore, is a sprawling IT park that achieved the WELL Health and Safety certification in 2021. The park hosts several multinational companies and prioritizes occupant health and safety through various strategies.

The park features green spaces and landscaped areas, promoting biophilic design and improving air quality. It has also implemented efficient water management systems and offers amenities such as fitness centers and sports facilities for the well-being of its occupants. Ascendas Park Square has also focused on robust cleaning and sanitization protocols to ensure a safe working environment.

3. Oberoi Commerz II, Mumbai

Oberoi Commerz II is a premium commercial building in Mumbai that achieved the WELL Health and Safety certification. The building incorporates several health and safety features, such as advanced air purification systems, low VOC materials, and energy-efficient lighting.

Additionally, Oberoi Commerz II focuses on acoustic design to minimize noise pollution and enhance occupant concentration and privacy. The building also offers several amenities, including fitness facilities and spaces for relaxation, to promote occupant well-being.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management is a subset of the WELL Building Standard. The following table provides an overview of the key features and credits associated with the WELL Health-Safety Rating.

Feature Number	Feature Name	Credits
01	Cleaning and Sanitization Procedures	– Fundamental cleaning practices<br>- Cleaning plan<br>- Cleaning audit<br>- Cleaning equipment and products<br>- Hand sanitization
02	Emergency Preparedness Plans	– Emergency response plan<br>- Emergency equipment<br>- Business continuity plan<br>- Pandemic preparedness plan
03	Health Service Resources	– Health services<br>- Health and wellness benefits<br>- Mental health support
04	Air and Water Quality Management	– Ventilation and filtration<br>- Air quality monitoring and feedback<br>- Water quality testing and management
05	Hazard Control and Communication	– Hazard identification<br>- Hazard communication<br>- Hazardous material storage and disposal<br>- Pest control
06	Stakeholder Engagement and Communication	– Occupant and visitor policies<br>- Health and safety awareness<br>- Health and safety feedback
07	Access to Health and Wellness Services	– Health and wellness services<br>- Health and wellness programming<br>- Support for new parents
08	Healthy Materials and Cleaning Products	– Material selection<br>- Material transparency<br>- Reduced VOCs<br>- Material optimization<br>- Green cleaning products
09	Occupant Comfort and Well-being	– Thermal comfort<br>- Acoustic comfort<br>- Lighting quality<br>- Biophilic design
10	Organizational Health, Safety, and Wellness Policies	– Health, safety, and wellness policy<br>- Tobacco and smoke control<br>- Alcohol and substance use policy<br>- Injury and illness prevention program

The WELL Building Standard is organized into ten concepts, each containing several features and sub-features. The following table provides an overview of the ten concepts and their related credits.

Concept	Credits
Air	– Ventilation effectiveness<br>- Air filtration<br>- Microbe and mold control<br>- Moisture management
Water	– Water quality standards<br>- Water treatment<br>- Drinking water promotion<br>- Water use reduction
Nourishment	– Nutritional transparency<br>- Food allergies<br>- Food advertising<br>- Safe food preparation
Light	– Circadian lighting design<br>- Glare control<br>- Electric light quality<br>- Daylight access
Movement	– Active transportation<br>- Physical activity spaces<br>- Active design<br>- Ergonomics
Thermal Comfort	– Thermal zoning<br>- Operable windows<br>- Humidity control<br>- Personal thermal control
Sound	– Reverberation time<br>- Background noise<br>- Sound masking<br>- Sound reducing surfaces
Materials	– Material selection<br>- Material transparency<br>- Reduced VOCs<br>- Material optimization
Mind	– Mental health promotion<br>- Restorative spaces<br>- Biophilic design<br>- Access to nature
Community	– Emergency preparedness<br>- Tobacco and smoke control<br>- Health services<br>- Support for new parents

Please note that this table provides an overview of the credits associated with each concept. For a more detailed understanding of each credit, you can refer to the WELL Building Standard documentation available at the International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) website

The WELL Health-Safety Rating does not have a tiered rating system like Gold, Silver, or Platinum. The WELL Building Standard, which is a separate certification, does have tiered ratings like Silver, Gold, and Platinum based on the number of points achieved in various categories.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating focuses on operational policies, maintenance protocols, and design strategies for buildings to ensure a safe and healthy environment. To achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating, a project must implement at least 15 out of the 22 features available in the standard.

For the tiered ratings in the WELL Building Standard, please refer to this table:

Rating Level	Points Required	Certification Requirements
Silver	50-59 points	Achieve at least 50 points
Gold	60-79 points	Achieve at least 60 points
Platinum	80+ points	Achieve at least 80 points

For more information on both the WELL Health-Safety Rating and the WELL Building Standard, please visit the International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) website: https://www.wellcertified.com/

The WELL Building Standard is organized into ten concepts, each containing several features and sub-features. The following table provides an overview of the ten concepts and their related credits.

Concept	Credits
Air	– Ventilation effectiveness<br>- Air filtration<br>- Microbe and mold control<br>- Moisture management
Water	– Water quality standards<br>- Water treatment<br>- Drinking water promotion<br>- Water use reduction
Nourishment	– Nutritional transparency<br>- Food allergies<br>- Food advertising<br>- Safe food preparation
Light	– Circadian lighting design<br>- Glare control<br>- Electric light quality<br>- Daylight access
Movement	– Active transportation<br>- Physical activity spaces<br>- Active design<br>- Ergonomics
Thermal Comfort	– Thermal zoning<br>- Operable windows<br>- Humidity control<br>- Personal thermal control
Sound	– Reverberation time<br>- Background noise<br>- Sound masking<br>- Sound reducing surfaces
Materials	– Material selection<br>- Material transparency<br>- Reduced VOCs<br>- Material optimization
Mind	– Mental health promotion<br>- Restorative spaces<br>- Biophilic design<br>- Access to nature
Community	– Emergency preparedness<br>- Tobacco and smoke control<br>- Health services<br>- Support for new parents

Aspect	WELL Health-Safety Rating	WELL Building Standard
Focus	Operational policies, maintenance	Holistic approach to human health and
	protocols, and emergency plans	well-being in the built environment
	addressing health and safety concerns
Scope	All types of buildings, including	New and existing buildings, interiors,
	new and existing structures, commercial,	and core and shell projects across
	educational, retail, and residential	different sectors
Certification Process	Streamlined certification process	Comprehensive certification process
	focusing on implementation of specific	with on-site assessment
	policies and procedures
Credits	Required preconditions and a selection	Extensive list of credits covering ten
	of optimization credits	different concepts: air, water,
		nourishment, light, movement, thermal
		comfort, sound, materials, mind, and
		community

THe certification process:

Step	WELL Health-Safety Rating	WELL Building Standard
1. Registration	Register the project with the	Register the project with the
	International WELL Building Institute	International WELL Building Institute

	(IWBI)	(IWBI)
2. Documentation	Submit documentation demonstrating	Complete the project documentation
	compliance with preconditions and	and provide evidence of meeting
	optimization credits	preconditions and achieving optimization

		credits
3. Performance Verification	No on-site performance verification	Schedule an on-site performance
	required	verification assessment with a WELL

		Assessor
4. Certification	Upon successful review of documentation	Upon successful review of documentation
	and meeting the necessary credit	and passing the performance
	requirements, the project will receive	verification assessment, the project
	WELL Health-Safety certification	will receive WELL Building Standard
		certification at the appropriate level

		(Silver, Gold, or Platinum)
5. Recertification	Annual recertification to ensure	Recertification every three years to
	continued adherence to the WELL	ensure ongoing compliance and
	Health-Safety Rating	performance of the building

Please note that this table provides an overview of the credits associated with each concept. For a more detailed understanding of each credit, you can refer to the WELL Building Standard documentation available at the International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) website: https://www.wellcertified.com/certification/v2/

The WELL Health and Safety Certification is an essential tool for creating healthier and safer built environments. By prioritizing occupant well-being and implementing evidence-based strategies, building owners and operators can enhance the value and marketability of their properties while positively impacting the lives of those who live, work, and play within these spaces.