Savage Branch Update

On November 20, the Savage Branch closed due to concerns about carbon monoxide exposure. The safety and well-being of our team members and our community is and always has been our top priority, and we share our staff’s distress about the situation. We took this matter extremely seriously, working nearly around the clock with Howard County Government (who owns and maintains Library buildings and offices) to assess the building, support staff, and ultimately prepare the building for reopening.

The County coordinated with Howard County Fire and Rescue Services, BGE, and third-party HVAC specialists to perform building-wide assessments, equipment inspections, and multiple air-quality evaluations. Their findings indicated no evidence of carbon monoxide within the facility, and the County stated that

the Savage Branch was safe, clear of hazards, and ready to reopen normal operations.

Following the County’s assessments, we contracted with an independent certified industrial hygienist to perform an indoor air quality investigation at the Savage Branch on Saturday, December 6. All findings were below the OSHA permissible exposure limit and within acceptable ranges.

In addition, the County installed 21 carbon monoxide (CO) detectors around the branch, which will indicate through sound and lights if CO levels rise above OSHA-permitted levels. The County also installed CO detectors at the other branches, with the exception of Elkridge whose detectors were hard-wired into the building when it was built.

Finally, we walked through the Savage Branch with the AFSCME Field Director and the Library Union president on December 9 to show them the number and locations of carbon monoxide detectors.

While the cause is still unknown, the new monitors will alert people in the building if levels rise above acceptable limits.

Savage Branch staff, along with staff from other public branches and administration, are working at Savage today, December 10, to assist with processing more than 4,000 items and preparing the branch for reopening tomorrow.

We look forward to welcoming the community back to the Savage Branch on Thursday, December 11.