FM Update
Government urged to bring in ‘radical’ indoor air quality legislation
The government should add ‘radical’ indoor air quality policies to its Environment Bill, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). With the bill set to return to the House of Commons later this month, BESA is calling on the government to make measuring and monitoring of indoor air quality mandatory in certain types of building, specifically particulate matter along with CO2 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They also propose the adoption of the filtration
latest standard (ISO16890) in
building regulations they say would allow building engineers to tackle the very smallest particulates.
BESA also backed a recommendation
from the Committee on Climate Change that the relevant building regulations are closely aligned to ensure improvements in energy efficiency do not lead to overheating
and lack of effective mechanical ventilation. Schools are a particular area of concern,
so BESA has recommended that air quality checks become a mandatory part of OFSTED inspections particularly in high risk urban areas and close to busy roads. Similarly for hospitals and other healthcare facilities particular standards of clean air should be mandated. They believe this work could be
supported by improving the system of air quality management areas (AQMAs) that are administered by local authorities. BESA would like to see regular alerts issued when there are spikes in local air pollution and the information gathered should become a consideration for officials considering planning applications. ‘This is a once in a generation opportunity
for us to get proper standards of measurement, monitoring and improvement
of IAQ enshrined in legislation,’ said Nathan Wood, chair of BESA’s Health & Wellbeing in Buildings group. ‘There is so much evidence gathered
by the medical profession, which clearly shows the link between poor air quality and serious health conditions. At the same time, the building engineering sector now has a range of proven techniques that are already making a difference in many buildings,” added Mr Wood. ‘Legislation would allow us to roll out those solutions on a much wider scale and give potentially lifesaving protection to those most vulnerable to the impact of indoor pollution.’ BESA recently launched a ‘Building Safe
Havens’ campaign aimed at promoting the concept of indoor clean air zones that protect occupants from the worst impacts of air pollution.
New research shows outdoor workers are exposed to 15% more pollution than the average Londoner
An app developed by King College London as part of the British Safety Council’s Time to Breathe campaign is building on a growing evidence base that proves outdoor workers are exposed to air pollution well above
the World Health Organisation’s
(WHO) recommended limits. However, huge variance in quality and coverage of air quality measurement across the UK suggests the problem could be greater than previously thought. The app gathers data based on London’s air quality monitoring stations and gives individual users a read-out of the air pollution they are exposed to at work. The first data release from British Safety Council confirms that outdoor workers are put at more risk
than average Londoners. The WHO says that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk and that reducing air pollution could save millions of lives. As well as campaigning to improve ambient air quality the British Safety Council is working on practical solutions to reduce the risks for outdoor workers. Over six months the Canairy app has
gathered data from a sample of Londoners. Outdoor workers were exposed to air pollution averages higher than guidelines for NO2, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and Ozone. Some maximum exposures were nearly two thirds higher than recommended WHO limits. The workers were in two groups, some mostly working in offices and
others mostly working outside. Although both groups were exposed to high levels of air pollution, those working outside are exposed to worse pollution than the average Londoner.
The British Safety Council launched Time
to Breathe in March 2019. The campaign offers the Canairy app free to give workers and
employers information about air
pollution exposure as well as providing free advice and guidance. The British Safety Council has called on the government to adopt WHO guidelines in the new Environment Bill. In March 2020 the British Safety Council will be taking the campaign to Manchester to highlight the limitations of air pollution monitoring outside London.
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